I received a FB request to pray for the souls lost in the recent hurricane. Why? These people are dead. If the Christian delusion is true, aren't they already with god or Satan? Or if not yet doesn't god in his omniscience know where they will end up? Doesn't praying for it to be different just fuck up god's Big Plan? I'm totally confused.
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Sounds like a really shit reality television episode...
"Vote now to save Charlie's soul..."
"Sorry Charlie, you only received prayers from your grandparents, I'm afraid your off to burn forever in the fiery lakes of hell"
"Ahhh well thanks John, I've had a blast! I thought the public would pull through for me but it wasn't too be..."
"Good lad Charlie, well let's show you the rest of your friends and family in heaven, as we see WHAT YOU COULD HAVE WON!!!!"
Utter, utter, utter bollocks!
Not if they are Mormon. The Mormons have been rescuing Holocaust Jews. Well they were rescuing them until the Jews got all pissed off at them for proxy baptisms. Proxy baptisms, meant to offer the deceased a choice in the afterlife to accept or reject salvation, seen by many Jews as insulting to the memory of the dead/
Anything is possible if you are religious. Even violating the bible and rescuing people from Eternal damnation. You just have to belong to the right religion.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/mormons-defy-church-to-again-perform-bapti...
Cognostic,
"Not if they are Mormon. The Mormons have been rescuing Holocaust Jews. Well they were rescuing them until the Jews got all pissed off at them for proxy baptisms. Proxy baptisms, meant to offer the deceased a choice in the afterlife to accept or reject salvation, seen by many Jews as insulting to the memory of the dead/"
One of the original rituals of the first Christians was proxy baptism. Over the course of time it fell out of favor but it was a common practice at one time. Proxy baptisms were one of the foundation stones of Christianity.
1 Corinthians 15:29-32 (TLB) = "29 If the dead will not come back to life again, then what point is there in people being baptized for those who are gone? Why do it unless you believe that the dead will someday rise again?
30 And why should we ourselves be continually risking our lives, facing death hour by hour? 31 For it is a fact that I face death daily; that is as true as my pride in your growth in the Lord. 32 And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those men of Ephesus—if it was only for what I gain in this life down here? If we will never live again after we die, then we might as well go and have ourselves a good time: let us eat, drink, and be merry. What’s the difference? For tomorrow we die, and that ends everything!"
I didn't know that. Nice post.
Prayers do not work.
On the other hand, I sympathize with those who survived yet lost someone. Basically, that is all that can be done.
My sister and her husband survived fine. No flooding. No wind damage, except cell phone towers knocked down. They have to go about two miles to get any wi-fi or cell phone signals. Otherwise, little damage.
rmfr
This is cute:
Operation Prayer Power
https://www.aetherius.org/cooperating-with-the-gods/operation-prayer-power/
'In times of emergency the (prayer) energy ,,,,, can be quickly released in a highly concentrated form'
Perhaps it makes the one who prays feel better. Almost like he is doing something about it.
Actually my fellow atheists, there is Psychological evidence that prayer actually does work. It works in the realm of "positive affirmations." Not in a magical way but in a measurable and demonstrable scientific way.
1. It can give people a moderate sense of optimism and a dose of hope and a sense of security. (It can help them ignore their problems which may or may not be a bad thing. Some things can be ignored.)
2. It can allow introspection and planning.
3. It can be used for anger management issues.
4. by repeating a series of meaningful, positive, lifting, and thankful phrases, you can retrain your brain to be more positive, be aware, be able to focus and concentrate and to let go of unwanted thoughts.
Roya R. Rad, MA, PsyD
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/roya-r-rad-ma-psyd/prayer_b_3055127.html
No, I am not talking out my ass. Using prayer with Christian clients is one way to reinforce positive affirmations, relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression or grief, and get them back on track with their lives.
More properly stated, "There is nothing mystical about prayer." Psychologists and Doctors have been studying the positive effects of positive affirmations for decades. There are Christian self help books that use prayer. It may be delusional as all fk, and I would rather support a realistic view of the world than one that is delusional, however, like a placebo, prayer can be useful. Just not useful in the ways most Christians assert it is useful. You are not going to cure cancer or grow a limb with it. That is just a fact.
Oh yea, praying for someone else to magically heal or get better is a complete crock of BS. The most recent study by PEW research showed that cancer patients who knew they were being prayed for did worse than the control groups.
So, now the question is,,,, Is it useful to feel good, but have a delusional view of the world and the reason for feeling good. So far, the people supporting prayer do not seem to have a problem with this. Perhaps it will change in the future. Religion meets all the criteria in the DSM-5 for delusional disorder, and so in a little paragraph at the bottom of the diagnosis, religious beliefs shared by a community are omitted from the diagnosis. Religious beliefs can not be the criteria for a diagnosis of Delusional Disorder/
I said this in another thread. Prayer only works for one's own self. Just as effectively as atheist, like me, who knows and practices meditative techniques.
rmfr
YEP!