Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Power of Prayer = 0
Dale and Leilana Neumann, a Wisconsin couple, watched their eleven year older daughter die rather than take her to the hospital, believing that her sickness was god's will and that seeking medical help would be putting the doctor before god, thereby angering god. They were tried separately and both were, rightly, convicted.
Dale Newman, in his defense, said, "...I found myself actually questioning whether there is a god. And so I called out in desperation, 'God, if there is a god, show me a better way!'"
"Show me a better way"? We live in a culture where anything can be interpreted as a sign from god. You want proof of god's existence? My grandma's cancer was healed! Look around at the trees and mountains and fields of grass. It's all god's creation. You don't think the apocalypse is upon us? Look at the middle east and sexual perversion in our society and the drug war. These are all signs of the end times! Etc.
And yet this moron couldn't see a "better way"! He could take the idea that, if you will, god gave us the ability to create and develop medical science as a sign!
When a person prays and an answer comes to him, it doesn't come from god. He THINKS of it. Prayer may act as a form of meditation in which, free from distraction, a person focuses on an issue and comes to a conclusion. But what happens is he figures stuff out, gets an idea, not that god flicks a switch, turning on the light bulb over his head.
But when someone prays, with pure faith in the idea that god will provide the answer, without thought, without effort on his own part, this is what he gets, his daughter dies.
Power of prayer = 0. Power of thought = infinite, or at least helpful.
By the way, if you think this was a slam dunk case don't be too confident. People like this are protected in many of our great United States by laws, supported by Christian Science, that don't allow prosecution of people in faith healing related deaths. Rightly these laws are being challenged and rescinded in some states.
And another thing. I hate that religious people give god the credit for everything. When something good happens, who gets the credit? The doctors who save the life of a child? The astronauts who flew to the moon? No. God. When something bad happens, it's part of god's plan. God isn't blamed for the bad things. No, again he gets the CREDIT!
If it makes you feel better, go ahead and pray. But if you want to get something done, think!
Dale Newman, in his defense, said, "...I found myself actually questioning whether there is a god. And so I called out in desperation, 'God, if there is a god, show me a better way!'"
"Show me a better way"? We live in a culture where anything can be interpreted as a sign from god. You want proof of god's existence? My grandma's cancer was healed! Look around at the trees and mountains and fields of grass. It's all god's creation. You don't think the apocalypse is upon us? Look at the middle east and sexual perversion in our society and the drug war. These are all signs of the end times! Etc.
And yet this moron couldn't see a "better way"! He could take the idea that, if you will, god gave us the ability to create and develop medical science as a sign!
When a person prays and an answer comes to him, it doesn't come from god. He THINKS of it. Prayer may act as a form of meditation in which, free from distraction, a person focuses on an issue and comes to a conclusion. But what happens is he figures stuff out, gets an idea, not that god flicks a switch, turning on the light bulb over his head.
But when someone prays, with pure faith in the idea that god will provide the answer, without thought, without effort on his own part, this is what he gets, his daughter dies.
Power of prayer = 0. Power of thought = infinite, or at least helpful.
By the way, if you think this was a slam dunk case don't be too confident. People like this are protected in many of our great United States by laws, supported by Christian Science, that don't allow prosecution of people in faith healing related deaths. Rightly these laws are being challenged and rescinded in some states.
And another thing. I hate that religious people give god the credit for everything. When something good happens, who gets the credit? The doctors who save the life of a child? The astronauts who flew to the moon? No. God. When something bad happens, it's part of god's plan. God isn't blamed for the bad things. No, again he gets the CREDIT!
If it makes you feel better, go ahead and pray. But if you want to get something done, think!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
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