I want to know why Christians don't pray Ebola away?

[DrewFlorida]

[Louisiana1976]

1. Maybe they've tried, but it doesn't work.

[blkmusclmachine]

17. Gawd's too busy rigging high school football games.

[arcane1]

2. Because it's killing Africans?

That was a bit harsh, I admit, but I guarantee you there are self-described Christians who don't give a rat's ass about anyone in Africa.

[blkmusclmachine]

15. Gawd works in mysterious ways.

[okasha]

3. The quality of flamebait in this group

is deteriorating catastrophically.

[Warren Stupidity]

7. So your answer is "because flamebait".

Interesting.

[okasha]

8. Not an answer to the question, Warren.

A.comment on the OP itself. Do try a bit harder, Warren.

[Warren Stupidity]

9. I gave it about as much effort as you did.

[ZombieHorde]

10. I'm busy today, but I'll try to come up with some decent flame bait latter.

Perhaps something along the lines of...

-Muslim women are so oppressed. I wish they would just take off those burkas and show me their tits! Freedom!

-Since Man is made in God's image, nut cheese is divine, and should be spread on the Holy Communion Wafers. Who doesn't love cheese and wine?! (I had another "made in God's image" line, but it was pretty offensive, so I just went with this bit of immaturity.)

-Religion and race and culture are all synonyms. (Or not synonyms. I don't know which statement is more offensive here on DU.)

-Mahayana Buddhists be like: Don't become Buddhas until everyone can be a Buddha, even though Buddhas are best at helping others be Buddhas! Pfft. Hinayana FTW!!!

-Thelemites will shout "true will" when they want to commit adultery, but don't dare mention their smoking or over eating.

[okasha]

13. Now, see.

You've given the OP something to aspire to. We like to see our hosts on the job.

[ZombieHorde]

21. Any particular religious demographic you'd like to see trolled?

Hindus have been getting a free pass lately.

[thucythucy]

29. Zorastrians.

Surely we can find some way to troll the Zorastrians?

[ZombieHorde]

32. Crap. That requires homework on my part. nt

[Manifestor_of_Light]

83. Yeah, you'll need to do homework. Freddie's dead.

Real name Farouk Bulsara. And he's the only famous Zoroastrian I can think of. Well, he died of AIDS. I don't know what their prayer practices are.

[okasha]

31. Not unless your buds

can do a better job of it than they've done here. It isn't just the flamebait that's suffered a decline, it's the quality of the posts agreeing with the flamebait. Jayzus, man, look at that string of cliches--not an original thought to be had in the bunch. Embarrassing.

[AtheistCrusader]

46. There's only so many ways to say 'your imaginary friend doesn't exist'.

[rug]

52. Do not pass by my epitaph, traveler.

But having stopped, listen and learn, then go your way.
There is no boat in Hades, no ferryman Charon,
No caretaker Aiakos, no dog Cerberus.
All we who are dead below
Have become bones and ashes, but nothing else.
I have spoken to you honestly, go on, traveler,
Lest even while dead I seem talkative to you.

- Epitaph on a Roman tomb.

It was said eloquently long ago. The rhetoric today reminds me of what happened to music when disco replaced groups like Blind Faith.

[edgineered]

72. Good tunes,

We would party all weekend in the early seventies, often taking a Saturday night drive to Woodstock for all the various novelty papers and pipes. Blind Faith was one of the 8 tracks we would listen to, 'Can't find my way home' had its own meaning to us!

[rug]

76. Beats kvetching about religion on the internet.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

81. Saw Steve Winwood do that live a few week ago on tour!!

Damn he was in some good bands. And excellent on his own as well.


<---love my geezer rock. If Rock keeps you young, I got a lotta years left!!!

[rug]

95. I envy you.

[CAG]

16. +100

I've tried to pray unproductive condescending "ain't us atheists so much smarter than you?" snarky posts away but they just keep multiplying every day

[AlbertCat]

91. "ain't us atheists so much smarter than you?"

Well, we'll NEVER catch up with the "ain't us who have religion so much smarter than everyone?" posts on this board, but we're working on it.


BTW... since intelligence and atheism are apparently linked (I read it on the internets so it must be true) atheists would say: "ain't we atheists so much smarter than you?".

[mr blur]

22. Certainly the more people I put on Ignore, the less flamebait I see.

[rug]

33. I love how you think trotting out an ignore list somehow represents intelligence.

"Look at all the things I won't hear!"

[cbayer]

37. Wait! Am I on ignore or not??

I shall not sleep until I have the answer to this critical question.

Please, mr blur, do not leave me in misery.

[rug]

54. He's used, and unused, ignore so often he's no longer sure.

[cbayer]

56. What slays me is those that crow about it,

even going so far as to put things in their sig lines about it or "warning" others that their application for ignore is pending.

Who cares, really?

You want to ignore someone, ignore them.

You want to use it as some kind of weapon? Go back to junior high school.

[okasha]

67. All true.

I'm not sure that a few of them aren't still in jr. high, though.

[rug]

77. Back?

[rug]

25. I have a corollary to that observation.

The more raw ignorance in the post, the worse the flamebait.

[okasha]

28. And a corollary to the corollary.

The poorer the flamebait, the weaker the affirming responses.

[rug]

30. Logic!

[AtheistCrusader]

47. I've been spelling that word wrong my whole fuckin' life.

[cbayer]

36. Nah, it's about the same as it has always been.

It doesn't get any better or any worse.

[okasha]

38. I have to disagree somewhat.

There's stupidity, and then there's stoopidity. It's a fine but discernable gradation of difference.

[cbayer]

40. I guess so, okasha, but it all feels the same to me.

[okasha]

43. This one gets extra points

toward stoopid because it's a drive-by.
Or perhaps one of our regulars has one cold foot on this crisp fall night.

[skepticscott]

42. Flamebait? Because it happened to

honk you off personally? Or because it happened to point out fundamental and uncomfortable truths that you and others here try your utmost to avoid confronting?

[rug]

53. "fundamental and uncomfortable truths"

[ZombieHorde]

4. I am going to go out on a limb and say

there are probably many Christians trying to pray Ebola away.

[blkmusclmachine]

18. Um, no. This is the same group that prayed FOR HIV/AIDS, to take out gay people, who they hate.

Remember them telling everybody "HIV/AIDS is Gawd's punishment."

And they're still preaching it, 35 years later.

[ZombieHorde]

20. Sure, some Christians love AIDS, but not all Christians.

Some Christians have AIDS, and some of those Christians, and the Christians who love them, probably pray for a cure for AIDS.

Many people who live in Africa are Christians. I would not be surprised if some of those Christians, especially those in Western Africa, prayed for Ebola to go away.

[No Vested Interest]

45. Broad brush. nt

[cbayer]

57. That is such a prejudiced broad brush statement.

Religious people and groups were on the front lines when the epidemic broke out and did things that no other organizations, including the government, were doing.

Where were you, blkmuclemachine?

[cbayer]

41. Yes, I think you are right, and

as lame as many feel there efforts are, it is more than most people are doing. At least they are thinking about it.

[bvf]

44. Rather, they're praying

that they don't get it themselves.

When they don't, that will no doubt reinforce their belief in the "power" of prayer.

[cbayer]

58. You know what others are praying for?

Wow! Do you have some other ways of knowing?

[bvf]

61. Oh, it's you again. n/t

[cbayer]

62. Yes! Were you expecting someone else?

[bvf]

64. Your response would just as well have applied

to the post I responded to. If you want to follow me around, feel free.

[cbayer]

65. Ok, thanks. I like following you around!

[Ron Obvious]

5. Because they've read the results of the Templeton-funded study

Because they've read the Templeton Foundation-funded studied that proved that intercessory prayer has absolutely zero effect on disease outcomes, and have made the perfectly rational decision that there doesn't seem to be much of a point.

What else could it be?

[Warren Stupidity]

6. They could, but they choose not to.

[blkmusclmachine]

19. They're too busy trying to keep Adam from marrying Steve, to worry about ebola.

[Lint Head]

11. Benny Hinn where are you?

[Goblinmonger]

12. Sometimes the answer to prayer is "no"

That God loves him some disease.

[blkmusclmachine]

14. Because the big invisible sky daddy doesn't exist.

[cbayer]

59. That's a definitive statement for which you have absolutely no evidence.

Is it just your belief based on faith or do you have something else to offer.

And, before you start with the dogma, lack of evidence is not evidence.

[truebrit71]

80. There you go again.

Please provide ONE piece of evidence that he/she/it exists.

Just one.

[cbayer]

82. I have no evidence and I don't have any interest at all in proving that

god exists or doesn't exist.

I'm agnostic. It's the gnostics that I take issue with and the person I was responding to presents themselves as just that.

Are you a gnostic?

[Warren Stupidity]

93. santa claus nt.

[Thor_MN]

23. You do have a point. The faith healers could go over and hit a couple thousand on the

forehead, be ready to head back by mid-afternoon. Snuff this out break by tea time.


Right???

[Heddi]

24. God answers all prayers. Sometimes the answer is "no"

God needed an extra angel in heaven

God works in mysterious ways

We can never hope to know Him

etc
etc
etc

[rug]

26. Because it's not magic.

[AlbertCat]

92. Because it's not magic.

What's the dif?

[rug]

94. Aren't you a bit old to be asking that?

[Mike Nelson]

27. The first couple of people who recovered...

...credited God, as I recall. I thought it was strange that God did not save the thousands prior... why not?

[goldent]

34. My church prays for the victims of Ebola

as well as other tragedies around the world. What made you think Christians weren't praying?

Also, I believe that two of the American medical workers who caught Ebola were in Africa on missions associated with Christianity. So besides praying, they are providing direct assistance personally. It is amazing what I learn by watching the news.

[cbayer]

60. NO, NO, NO!! This provides a perfect opportunity to mock and belittle christians

and can't be messed up by things like facts!!

[skepticscott]

63. People have been dying of Ebola for decades

Has your church been praying for them all that time, other than the generic "please cure everyone who's sick, God" type of prayers, or have they only been doing it since the media's scare tactics have called attention to it?

And the "missions" of those workers involved converting people they regarded as religiously primitive to Xstianity, considering themselves, as all Xstian missionaries do, to be superior and more enlightened in that respect.

[goldent]

75. I don't know what happened in the earlier Ebola outbreaks that were not so dangerous

but it is true we only pray for things that we are aware of. I guess it is a deficiency in Christians. By the way, the UN and US gov are apparently also guilty of these scare tactics.

Regarding religious missions I think you should need to learn a little more before making such statements. There might be Christian missionaries who are trying to convert people, I don't know, but all the mission work I am familiar with is not about that (they don't hide the what is behind their mission, but they are not out to convert). Is is that hard to believe that religious people, including doctors, want to help the vulnerable? What do you think is the hidden agenda of the people of MSF, the Peace Corp, and other non-religious agencies?

[skepticscott]

85. Seriously?

"There might be Christian missionaries who are trying to convert people, I don't know"? You're really feigning ignorance about that?

Makes me wonder.

[goldent]

88. I spoke about mission work I am familiar with personally

I can't speak to all missionary work around the globe, whether it is done by religious or non-religious organizations.

What I can do is introduce some facts to break down ignorant views about what modern missionary work is.

I'm still waiting for your answer about what is the hidden agenda of non-religious organizations such as MSF that do what is essentially missionary work.

[skepticscott]

89. Yes, you could speak to that work

If you cared to spend 30 seconds educating yourself on a Google search. Again, why are you feigning ignorance on the subject?

And where did I say that the Peace Corp has a hidden agenda? Nowhere. And no, that's not missionary work of Christianity, which is what we're talking about.

[goldent]

90. I think I see how you got your information about modern missionary work

Namely "spend 30 seconds educating yourself on a Google search"

That works well for getting the weather forecast or a sports score. Not so much for more complex subjects. Thirty seconds is probably not quite enough time, and you have to be very careful about the sources.

I'm pleased to hear that you don't think the Peace Corp has a hidden agenda. A reasonable assumption is that people in the Peace Corp don't have any unique skills or powers. It logically follows that people other than the Peace Corp might want to help others without having a hidden agenda. I'll leave it there.

[cbayer]

35. Because most christians don't believe that that works?

I really don't get the point of your question. The only conclusion I can draw is that you wanted to find some lame way to denigrate christians.

If there is some other reason for this, I would love to hear it.

[skepticscott]

39. Most Christians don't believe that prayer works?

Last edited Sat Oct 11, 2014, 11:53 PM - Edit history (1)

That's certainly not what they SAY. You do realize that, don't you?

And yes, I think you understand the question perfectly well, but rather than admit that, you choose to attack the poster instead. It's not a hard concept, though. The questions simply points out the same thing that the fact Xstain Scientists will seek medical treatment for broken bones does.

The question points out the blatant hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance of Christians who try to ram prayer down everyone's throats when even they know deep down that it's bullshit. A fact you and so many others here try very hard to avoid acknowledging.

[Warren Stupidity]

49. Wow. Just Wow!

[skepticscott]

50. It does ring a little hollow

When the person saying "If there is some other reason for this, I would love to hear it." has half of the room on ignore, and has decided they don't want to hear much of anything that contradicts their worldview.

[rug]

55. Are you talking about mr blur or cbayer?

Oh, wait, you can't see this. Oh, the irony.

[Warren Stupidity]

69. well when a person can also have a Knight of the Ark

act as their proxy and sworn defender, an ignore list is a mere façade. None of us are really on ignore.

[rug]

79. And none of you really ignore, you just announce it.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/123020108

Can't help yourself.

[skepticscott]

87. Nah, that would mean

that they actually talk about DU over the dinner table in the captain's salon on the 1%er yacht, and we've been assured that doesn't happen. In fact, we've been assured that the "yacht" is little more than a rowboat for traversing the Atlantic. To take 4 month Italian holidays. Anyone with a shack in the Appalachians could do better.

[edgineered]

70. My friends mother just returned from her Sunday church routine.

So I asked her take on it.

All she could say was that you can't pray away stupid.

I didn't ask her to elaborate, knowing I can be fairly dense sometimes...

[cbayer]

71. Lol, well that's an interesting answer.

Does she mean that people who get ebola are stupid? Does she mean that thinking prayer could stop ebola was stupid?

[edgineered]

73. Sadly, she's a Faux Snooze junkie

so I doubt that she was keeping up with this thread.

It was this thread behind my asking; knowing that trying to explain this discussion to her would cause her to begin to pray away my stupidity was reason enough to politely accept her answer and go back to working on the swamp buggy. The next race is at the end of November. She's already praying that we do well and that's fine with me. We need all the help we can get, not that I think her prayers will help with bad welds or electrical problems, but accepting that her statements of prayers for us is meant to show she hopes the best for us is perfectly fine with me. As for praying away ebola as compared to a racing victory, in my thoughts they are the same - someone shows me where they stand.

[cbayer]

74. Thanks for the explanation.

I haven't really seen anyone talking about praying away the ebola, except for the OP of this thread, and it was his intent to mock.

I agree with you about the intent when someone says they will pray for you. The only time I find it really offensive is when they say they are praying for your wretched soul to see the light and be saved.

[AtheistCrusader]

48. Same reason they look both ways before they cross the street rather than trusting in god's divine pl

an.

[diabeticman]

51. Well it is either one of the 2 rude (VERY RUDE) comments I have heard two "Good Christians" said.

1) It is God's punishment for our evil ways and a sign that the rapture is going to start soon.


and another "Good Christian" mused. "More proof that the black is Cain's decendents and should be allowed to feel God's justice.





( some people make me wish I can live in an isolated place...)

[SamKnause]

66. If every person on the planet,

prayed at the exact same time for the Ebola virus to disappear, what do you think the outcome would be ????

[Warren Stupidity]

68. God would smite us all dead.

[underpants]

78. Here you go - conservative "Christains" anyway

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016104276

[DrewFlorida]

84. You can always tell the difference between a true believer and someone who says they believe!

All people behave exactly as they believe at all times. The degree that their actions depart from their stated beliefs is exactly a measurement that they don't fully believe their stated beliefs.
It has been my experience that I have never met a Christian who actually believes the dogma they pretend to believe. For example, the bible says not to eat shellfish, yet the vast majority of Christians love to eat shellfish. The bible tells it's followers not to wear clothing made of more than one fabric, yet virtually every Christian wears clothing made of more than one fabric. The bible is against tattoos and piercings, yet we don't see that stopping Christians from getting them. Jesus's teachings instruct it's believers to give away all of their wealth and feed, cloth and love strangers and foreigners, yet Christians have no problem with capitalism and the greed that drives it.

Of course we could pray for Christians to actually start believing, but it is scientifically proven that praying doesn't work, so we know that praying for Christians to start acting like Christians, would be a massive waste of time.

As Fredrick Douglas once said (paraphrase) I pray for my freedom for 20 years and it never came, until I prayed with my feet.

[cbayer]

86. OOOO!! You are a believer detective!

And you have an actual formula as well. Wow, I am totally impressed.

You have never met a christian who actually believes what they say they believe? Perhaps that has a lot more to do with you than them.

Now, it you are talking about literalists, who do exist but don't represent most people who identify as christian, you might have a point. But pretty much everyone else understands that the rules put forth in Leviticus are contradictory, need to be read in the context of the culture of the time and do not need to be followed.

Your profound broad brushing of all christians become more and more hilarious. But ones view can be very warped by hate and prejudice, something I thought liberals/progressives eschewed.

Praying with ones legs makes a lot of sense and lots of christians pray with their feet and their hands and their money and anything else they think will make a difference.