Prayer: It Doesn’t Work
When I was a Christian, I was told that there are three answers to prayer: yes, no, and wait. I was also told that everything was subject to god’s will. It is rather unfortunate that I didn’t realize the flaw in the system at some earlier date. I was to thank him if my prayer was answered with a ‘yes’. I was to thank him if my prayer was answered with a ‘no’ and inquire as to why the answer was no. I was always lost on the third option. I guess ‘wait’ was an assumption to make; an audible voice heard via faith or an inner voice that could have easily been my own. God doesn’t exist and therefore, god never answers. “But what about…?”
Yes, what about that job interview that well? Are you to assume that Atheists don’t find jobs? Are you to assume that Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Buddhists don’t find jobs? You prayed for a job. Eventually, a given employer called you in for an interview. You dressed the part and you spoke well. Did I miss something? Why should you be thanking god for your impressive resume? Why should you thank him for your satisfactory interpersonal skills? Why not give yourself some credit? “Oh, but god allowed me to see another day.” Are you so sure? How about the thousands of people who didn’t wake up this morning? Is it safe to say that some of them were Christian? Is it safe to say that some of them were children? Of course. Correlation does not imply causation. I have vowed never to believe in your god again; why is it then that I am alive? Why do I wake up in the morning? It is only convenient to think that the events of your life are his will. God doesn’t say ‘yes’. You just do a great job at making it seem that way and at convincing yourself that your faith is yielding dividends. “Oh, but what about that relative that was healed of cancer?”
Are you so quick to forget that remission is possible? Are you so quick to discredit chemotherapy? Are you so quick to discredit the doctors that treated said relative? Again, correlation doesn’t imply causation. God’s hand wasn’t behind your relative’s “healing”. What makes you and/or your relative special? What about the Christians I knew who died of cancer? Was it god’s will to make them suffer or were they merely unfortunate? Can we conclude that their cancer didn’t go into remission; that the chemo didn’t work; that there was nothing the doctors could do to save their lives? One of these people was barely a teenager. You would say that he was “dedicated to the lord”. He played guitar in church and preached the Gospel. Prophets promised him a great ministry. Is your god a liar? Or, are all prophets basing so called prophecies on common reference points? This kid had no children; hence his children can’t fulfill the prophecies. Therefore, the prophets spoke for a nonexistent god. Believe me, this isn’t a unique occurrence. I was told that I would be an Evangelist. Really? Remember my vow? Common reference points. A nonexistent god cannot answer prayers and cannot speak.
What else would you have me address? Would you like to present some farfetched third-party account? Would you like to tell us about severed limbs growing back or about gold dust raining down in your church or about flying in the name of Jesus? Yes, I’ve heard it all. Problem: I have still to see any of it! Another problem: extraordinary claims are common in most religions. Are the gods competing or are people skilled in making up stories? I’ll go with the latter and here’s why: if we examine religious scriptures, we will find awe inspiring stories about the acts of gods or the acts of men by way of the gods. We will find the parting of the Red Sea, the plagues, the Ramayana, etc. We will read about times when the power of the gods was rampant. We are now in a time when their power is dormant. Yet through every new disease, their power remains silent. Men and women have to develop remedies. Our ancestors invented gods in light of their ignorance and limitations; they were oblivious to this fact: they were capable of becoming the very gods they imagined. We no longer need to rely on myths. Our story is much more captivating. We create, we destroy, we sustain, we conquer, we heal, we foretell, we fly, we govern, we love, we know, amongst other things. Gods are merely a symbol of what humanity will someday become. There is no reason to pray. There is no reason to believe. Look no further than yourself or your fellow human being. Bow no more; the ears of the gods have always been and will remain shut!
