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I find these particular aspects of religious behavior to be just mildly annoying. Generally people who are praying for something are helpless to do anything about it themselves. They can't go in there and perform the life saving surgery, they can't guarantee results when they say "I'm sure you'll be fine", so rather than do nothing, they do what is left to them...prayer.
In a supportive role, prayer is harmless, it isn't going to make the patient better, but it also isn't going to make he or she worse. It is actually for the benefit of the one doing the praying more than the one for whom the petitions are being raised. You no longer feel like you are contributing nothing, even if you are only contributing nothing.
So all these people are reacting as though they want Uncle Fester (or whatever his name was) to make this miraculous recovery and walk out of the hospital. realistic? not at his age.
And if it happens, then of course medicine had nothing to do with it. After all, these are west Texas religious types. Of course, if he dies, it was "God's will" and again, Prayer affected nothing.
This is exactly how I perceive it myself. While, i do agree, prayer is merely, to many, another form of "self-talk" which to psychology nuts, understand can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, the only one that can really make the change is the person them self. Therefore, praying, or giving positive thoughts, to another being is totally moot.
Regardless, when all these people pray, they are on some level, asking their God to do what they're praying. And if it seems like their prayer is answered, they give the credit to their God, but if what they prayed doesn't happen, the entire situation is ignored so to give zero credit to God for the unfortunate event. Of course, there are those that like to say God wanted them to die. Well, nice. That's great. Still, the praying was total moot.
Are they confused as a religion? No. They're just narrow minded and choose to believe a set perception they've been given. To question their praying, would essentially be to question their God, would then lead to a potential Atheist in the making, which, would just be totally unacceptable to them. Plus, many of them admit, a lot of choosing to be religious is "just in case" mumbo jumbo.
Being the caring humanist that I am, I sent a very non-religious message to the aforementioned facebook poster wishing her all the best with her uncle and hopes for a recovery, and reminded her that if she needs anything, though I live far away, I would do what I can to help her and her family out.
She promptly UNFRIENDED me .
We forget sometimes, the low self esteem and self loathing of the evangelical/fundy mindset. In her reality, offers for help, outside one's miniature religious group, are going to be met with fear, suspicion and probably disbelief. Clearly something went on, because my statement of concern offended her in some way.
Perhaps she has read enough of my atheistic posts that when a message of concern came across her computer, her limited brain could not process the fact that a self-avowed atheist was engaging in caring behavior. This probably goes against all that her small town religious mind can handle.
Eitherr way, we see the true colors of the small town religious in her behavior, and from my point of view, I see something that is self-loathing and psychologically unhealthy.
Being the caring humanist that I am, I sent a very non-religious message to the aforementioned facebook poster wishing her all the best with her uncle and hopes for a recovery, and reminded her that if she needs anything, though I live far away, I would do what I can to help her and her family out.
She promptly UNFRIENDED me .
We forget sometimes, the low self esteem and self loathing of the evangelical/fundy mindset. In her reality, offers for help, outside one's miniature religious group, are going to be met with fear, suspicion and probably disbelief. Clearly something went on, because my statement of concern offended her in some way.
Perhaps she has read enough of my atheistic posts that when a message of concern came across her computer, her limited brain could not process the fact that a self-avowed atheist was engaging in caring behavior. This probably goes against all that her small town religious mind can handle.
Eitherr way, we see the true colors of the small town religious in her behavior, and from my point of view, I see something that is self-loathing and psychologically unhealthy.
Christian love at it's finest...
You are better off not having her for any kind of a friend.
Not saying they are all like that but in my experience the fundy religious types are the worst people to deal with on any level.
Being the caring humanist that I am, I sent a very non-religious message to the aforementioned facebook poster wishing her all the best with her uncle and hopes for a recovery, and reminded her that if she needs anything, though I live far away, I would do what I can to help her and her family out.
She promptly UNFRIENDED me.
How Christ-like of her!
I think you likely have it nailed; if she knows you are an unbeliever then in her mind nothing you express of a positive nature can conceivably be genuine and, instead, there must be some ulterior motive. After all, you are godless and in league with Satan.
One point I would make though: don't assume too much or over-think it. Despite FaceBook's stroke of genius in naming "removing entries from my contact list" to "un-friending", a FaceBook user has every right to prune their contact list for any reason or for no reason, and it should not be assumed that it is in any way personal -- or if it is, that it's THAT mindful and personal. I once witnessed an entire family fly apart because in the wake of some boorish postings by a family member, someone decided to remove all family members from their contacts in order to limit their "wall" to business associates (this was in the days before you could filter different groups of "friends"). There was nothing putative or personal or insulting about the action from the perspective of the person who did it, it was just ordinary everyday maintenance. Naturally, that this could happen over something so trivial is a testimony to an already toxic and unhealthy family dynamic that probably would have unravelled sooner or later over something else anyway, but it illustrates my point: "friend" and "unfriend" are just made up verbs for a prosaic activity.
Good Point Mordant and John 13. I had her on the list because I knew her when we were younger in small town america, but as an adult she seems to be a general, uneducated lower class type.
Which some religions prey upon......
In the fundy and evangelical tradition, people are reinforced each Sunday (and Wednesdays sometimes) That they are "sinners" that they are failures, incompetent and inadequate without the lip-service payed to their deity each week
These people end up with low self esteem and it shows in the lives they live.......full of self loathing, self defeating behavior and despair. And sadly, the unsolicited efforts of even the best educated and well meaning atheists does little to help, be it facebook or anywhere else .....
In the fundy and evangelical tradition, people are reinforced each Sunday (and Wednesdays sometimes) That they are "sinners" that they are failures, incompetent and inadequate without the lip-service payed to their deity each week
These people end up with low self esteem and it shows in the lives they live.......full of self loathing, self defeating behavior and despair. And sadly, the unsolicited efforts of even the best educated and well meaning atheists does little to help, be it facebook or anywhere else .....
Self-loathing or self-aggrandizement, it depends. I regard religion, especially in its ultimate fundamentalist forms, as largely an ego inflation ... it's all about me and my sin and my need and how my god has special plans for me and the importance of my place in my world. Sometimes the near-megalomania is just an abreaction to self-loathing, sometimes it has a life of its own, and sometimes shame and guilt are front and center -- but even self-loathing is all about the person hating themselves and what a big deal it is. Look at how big my sin is and how much I hate it and how painful it is for me and how it is so huge that my god pays all this attention to me and threatens me. Me-me-me-me-me!
Even advertising a blow-by-blow of Uncle Fester's dissolution and enlisting everyone else in the drama via the mechanism of prayer which, tacitly, no one really believes is going to change a thing, is a bit of exhibitionism.
I have an aunt and uncle by a previous marriage who are the stereotypical humble, sweet, truly caring people that most denizens of churches fancy themselves to be. They are sought out for their counsel and support because it's very genuine and pure -- but they stand out exactly because they are the exception that proves the rule. And their behavior is a testament to their character, not to their god -- and in spite of their church, not because of it. Believe me, I've been to their church ... it's the usual bunch of self-absorbed yahoos.
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