Althouse: Jamaica.

August 19, 2007

Jamaica.

Say a prayer for Jamaica.

12 comments:

Joe said...: What good would praying do? If God isn't persuaded by the cruelty of letting the hurricane continue, why would He be persuaded by prayers?

Seriously, this whole prayer thing made no sense when I was sure God existed and makes even less sense now that I'm agnostic.

(And what if God is just really pissed at Jamaica?); 8/19/07, 3:42 PM
jimbino said...: Prayer is bogus. God causes 40% of all abortions and 100% of the hurricanes. He also is responsible for exactly half the losses in football games.

It's about time we got over this obsession with God and all the fear that drives us to the nonsense of worship and prayer.

We really have to question how we can continue to endure, much less trust, lawyers and other professionals who support such superstitious stuff.; 8/19/07, 3:52 PM
Paddy O said...: Curious that your anger at God would strike out at one person's suggestion to do something.

Because you never know.

And folks who do pray do it for a reason. And not because they are blindly optimistic even when there's nothing there.

Anger is bad for your soul, you know. Hope is much better. And thanksgiving. In whatever you want to direct. But all that anger... its so fundamentalist.

Just seems odd to impose your religion on everyone else, Joe and jimbino.

Anyhow, what angry responses to a very harsh situation. I don't suggest either one of you go into counseling or work with trauma victims or anyone in mourning.; 8/19/07, 4:00 PM
AllenS said...: When God does not answer your prayers, it just means that his answer is no.; 8/19/07, 4:07 PM
Joe said...: Just seems odd to impose your religion on everyone else

What is it with the religiously minded who accuse those who disagree of "imposing" their religion...

First, I have no religion. Second, I don't recall imposing my agnosticism on anyone. When I was a devoted youth I pushed my religion on others, though even then I never imposed it.

Why not address the crux of my cynical complaint? Is there a point of prayers where God suddenly springs into action? Did He not stop Katrina because there weren't enough prayers? Or the Holocaust?

(I'm also bemused of the notion that "God is love". Evidence seems to be that if there is a God, He/She/They is/are very cruel, even evil, or indifferent. Another view is that the purpose of life is to learn our true character when shit happens and thus God can't intervene by his own rules--once you start doing favors to one set of sycophants, you have to do favors for another set.); 8/19/07, 4:16 PM
tom faranda said...: Ann

Thanks for mentioning Jamaica, where I lived and taught school for a number of years in the late 70's. I'm sure the Cayman Islands, where I also taught after moving on from Jamaica, will also be hit hard. Since the highest point on Grand Cayman is only 140 feet, it could be catastrophic. That Island has been cut in three pieces in past hurricanes.

I can also assure you that overwhelmingly, Jamaicans and Caymanians believe that God hears our prayer!; 8/19/07, 6:57 PM
jimbino said...: If God hears their prayers, Tom, I guess they'll be OK, just like the coal miners.; 8/19/07, 7:58 PM
rcocean said...: Prayers not only for Jamaica, but also for Hati, which is also getting hit by the storm.

And Jimbino, good to know that obnoxious, atheist, assh***s read Althouse. She loves diversity.; 8/19/07, 9:08 PM
Palladian said...: The only things more annoying than religious people are atheists. I mean, we know, we know, you hate God and such, blah blah. Well some of us might feel the same way (I don't necessarily mean myself, but I might), but well-adjusted people don't feel the need to tell everyone about it all the time, and we don't feel the need to denigrate people's sincere feelings and best wishes for these people who are in mortal and (humanly) unavoidable danger. Barking at someone's innocent usage of the word "prayer" seems weirdly defensive and hints that the "atheist" doing the barking may not be as comfortable and secure in their philosophical orientation as they would have us believe.

Anyway, prayers and best wishes and non-religious good will to the people in the path of the storm. Or, as they used to say, Godspeed.; 8/19/07, 10:14 PM
Ann Althouse said...: The other day, I was walking along, and I sneezed. A stranger said "God bless you." Presumably, some of you would have snarled, "You're an idiot."; 8/20/07, 5:13 AM
jimbino said...: Indeed, Ann, "God Bless you" is just a holdover from Medieval times when sneezing was thought to let loose some of your "soul."

Folks who say it today have no idea what it means; the sentiment comes from the same crippled part of their brains that is responsible for religion and prayers.; 8/20/07, 9:20 AM
Roger J. said...: Jimbino: lighten up, man. You're sounding like Madelyn Murray O'Hare. (although I am going to rip off the 50% of football games line); 8/20/07, 1:44 PM