"We will lift up your whole family with prayer at this troubled time!!"

[progressoid]

Somebody just wrote that on my cousin's facebook page (his father died).

Really? You and your prayers will lift them up? That's some powerful shit in your prayers. Of course, you haven't seen him in twenty years and probably don't know that he doesn't go to church anymore. Or that he's relieved his Dad had passed because the pain he suffered for the last four years is over. Oh well, go ahead with your super-duper prayers. But face it, those prayers aren't for him and his family, they are for your own satisfaction.

That's what I was thinking. Instead I just offered my support to my cousin.

Mini-rant over. Back to work.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. In DuPage County, Illinois, the religious folks

set up a table and posters outside of the Court building. They offer to help the litigants who need it through prayer.

Every time I pass them, they offer to pray for me, and I respond, "I am an atheist, don't waste your time."

[sarge43]

3. Do they prey equally hard for opposing litigants?

Is there a selection process as in "We like your argument; so we'll prey for you, but not the other guy"?

If god answers all prayers, wouldn't DuPage County have a lot of hung juries?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. There you go again, applying logic.

Aren't you ashamed?

[sarge43]

6. Mea culpa

Aristotle made me do it.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. Ari who?

Isn't that a character on NCIS?

[sarge43]

9. Some old Greek guy who sought rational explanations for natural phenomena

You know ... a dangerous man.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. if you posted this elsewhere you would be told what a mean spirited fundamentalist atheist you are.

Religious privilege is deeply embedded in our society.

[SusanCalvin]

4. Is that not the truth.

Yeah, the posters meant well. Yeah, they have not the tiniest clue that a) people might have different beliefs, or absence of, and b) that's OK.

Or they just don't care, or they think their religious privilege trumps all. Or they think they know what is best for you.

I temporarily forgot my own experiences when I cut them some slack.....

[progressoid]

11. Yeah, I think some of it is hubris.

Some really think they have THE answer. And their arrogance blinds them to the idea that we don't want their crap shoved down our throats.

[olddots]

8. YAY. AH !!!!!!!

the power of dumbth shall shelter us from reality .

[A HERETIC I AM]

10. In the past when people have told me on the internet they were going to pray for me...

I've said "I am a middle class American, sitting in an air conditioned room, 15 feet from a virtually endless source of fresh water, both hot and cold, with food in a refrigerator and I obviously have internet access. I am the LAST person on earth that needs your prayers. Kindly pray for that starving little girl somewhere in Africa that is just about to die for lack of foo.....nope....too late."

[beam me up scottie]

12. Sorry for your loss, progressoid.

Glad you could come here and vent, where you know we're all thinking the same thing.