Ennazus

I had foot surgery two weeks ago and am recovering nicely. Coworkers and friends have sent me cards with all kinds of "inspirational" words. They end with "I'm praying for you". What does that mean exactly? My heathen brother and mother have offered to take me anywhere or pick up things from the store. Do I just have rotten friends? Or is praying supposed to make milk appear in my refrigerator?

Mageth

Translation: "I don't have time to come visit or run any errands for you, so instead I'll talk to the ceiling to help me feel a little better about myself."

Amie

You are in their thoughts, they are wishing you well and they are praying to God or whoever that you have a healthy recovery. It is a very nice gesture. I hope you see it as such.

I personally think its one of the greatest things you can do for someone, pray for them.

beoba

While I can understand why people thing that prayer is important, I'd think the greatest thing possible would be something along the lines of physically helping the person, which would involve a lot more effort than a few thoughts before bedtime.

Nickle

Go ahead and pray for whatever reason. Why the hell do you have to go around telling people what you are praying for? Didn't Paul say something about praying in private? Maybe it was Jesus (I've switched over to interesting books).

"I'm praying for you."
"What do you want, a fucking pat on the back?"

Ennazus

Amie, I don't need anybody's prayers. If I wanted to, I could talk to imaginary friends on my own. What I can't do is walk or drive! The nicest thing people could do for me is something that actually WORKS! (Spoken like a true heathen, I know).

Amie

Yes I understand that is what you believe.
I think people should be offering assistance as well however when someone offers prayers it is a nice gesture on their part. So do you thank them or do you say "do something that works"? Because I would just respond with "prayer works"

orac

You must have missed the discussion on whether or not prayer really heals people.

For some odd reason God is incredibly good at curing the common cold in christians, muslims and atheists (and he does so with no favouritism at all), but his track record with cancer in christians, muslims and atheists isn't nearly so impressive. Oddly, it doesn't matter what religion you are, or if you're an atheist, you've got the exact same chance of God curing your cold (pretty good), or your tumor (pretty bad).

Yes, I know, it's all God's Plan To Move In Mysterious Ways. This never seems to comfort kids dying of cancer while people pray for them to get better, though. Don't you wish they'ld understand that God sometimes has to say 'no' when he answers their prayers?

Feel free to prove me wrong if you can. Post some evidence that christians have a better survival rate from cancer than unbelievers.


Incidentally, can you answer this question for me:

Why is it that "God's help" always seems to be people actually doing good things? It doesn't matter whether someone is sick, trapped in a mine or a burning car. No matter how many prayers are said, nothing actually changes until people do something themselves. Oddly, things that people can't do never seem to happen, no matter how many people pray for it. Why is this? I thought prayer worked.

Goliath

I use one of the two stock responses to a xian telling me "I'll pray for you!" Either:

1. "Okay, I'll do the thinking for both of us!"

or

2. "While you're at it, get me a new computer chair, a faster processor for my computer, <etc...insert shopping list of things that I can't afford here>"

or, if I'm in a mood to be really offensive, I'll use the following tasteless variant (assuming, of course, that it's a female xian who is going to pray for me):

2a. "Oh, you're gonna pray for me, eh? Then mumbo jumbo up a little bl** *ob for me!"

Sincerely,

Goliath

Foofer

Suzanne**Atheist ,

If I actually believed in god, I'd blame him for messing up your foot in the first place.