While I meander my way around twitter (username: AtheistMission) I am amazed at the number of people who publicly express their prayers, ask others to pray for them and offer to pray for others. Once in a while I will reply to one of the fools and send them a link to the God is Imaginary website which offers several amusing proofs about the supposed power of prayer: http://godisimaginary.com/
Of course, my efforts to combat the irrationality of prayer are akin to peeing in the ocean. This sense of futility got me thinking about coming up with a simple prayer experiment for anyone who has even a scintilla of faith in the power of prayer. Here goes:
Decide on what you would like to pray for - we will call that result A.
We will agree that you will pray to God (or whatever supernatural being you choose) for result A to happen.
I will pray to the ghost of Michael Jackson to ensure that result A happens.
If result A happens, you will explain to me why it is more likely that God (or whatever supernatural being you chose) made it happen than the ghost of Michael Jackson or you will fairly concede that it is just as likely that Jacko did it.
If result A does not happen, we will agree that neither God (or whatever supernatural being you chose) or Jacko answer all prayers. You will then explain to me why the entity you chose to pray to selectively answers more prayers than Jacko.
Of course, my efforts to combat the irrationality of prayer are akin to peeing in the ocean. This sense of futility got me thinking about coming up with a simple prayer experiment for anyone who has even a scintilla of faith in the power of prayer. Here goes:
Decide on what you would like to pray for - we will call that result A.
We will agree that you will pray to God (or whatever supernatural being you choose) for result A to happen.
I will pray to the ghost of Michael Jackson to ensure that result A happens.
If result A happens, you will explain to me why it is more likely that God (or whatever supernatural being you chose) made it happen than the ghost of Michael Jackson or you will fairly concede that it is just as likely that Jacko did it.
If result A does not happen, we will agree that neither God (or whatever supernatural being you chose) or Jacko answer all prayers. You will then explain to me why the entity you chose to pray to selectively answers more prayers than Jacko.
I will take you up on this bet provided that result A has nothing to do with sleeping with young boys. You might have an edge there by praying to MJ, although the RC Priests are in my corner...
ReplyDeletePissing in an Ocean of Piss?
ReplyDeleteOn my internets?
You bet!
But yeah...these irrational people are just that...irrational. It's hard enough to rationalize with them, but you have to educate them as well. So much work...so little time...