The Act of Praying is Simply Bizarre.

So it goes kind of like this. You close your eyes, sway your head around, and it seems like the more emotion you flesh out in your verbiage the more likely "god" will answer your appeal. But to me, it just looks like utter insanity. I haven't said a prayer once in the past four years, and yet my life maintains itself in the same way as it did when I prayed to "god" incessantly. Actually, I may argue that in fact it's gotten better. Instead of waiting on some invisible man in the sky to fix my problems, I realize that I am in control of my life, my actions and my destiny, and thus it is up to me to get shit done, not some invisible deity who feels like playing his interactive version of The Sims.

Anyway, all this to say, here is our American Government hard at work...praying. They've forgone actual debate and thrown their hands up to the heavens begging "Father God" to annihilate health care reform. Because, of course, Jesus wouldn't want the poor and disadvantaged to receive treatment and care for their illnesses. Nope, that's just not Christian.

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Prayer Dilemma.

There is a Christian dilemma I'd like to put before you. If you can, please help me understand.

• Christian prays for X to happen, and it happens. Christian praises God.
• Christian prays for X to happen, and it does not happen. Christian says, "No one knows the mind of God."
• Christian prays for X NOT to happen, and it happens. Christians says "God works in mysterious ways.
• Christian prays for Gay Marriage not to happen, and it happens. Christian says, "AMERICA IS DOOMED!!! The end of the world is near!"

Help me out here. Why is it that when God doesn't answer their other prayers they embrace humility and accept that they don't understand anything, yet when Barack Obama gets into office or gay marriage passes they say the end of the world is coming? If there were a God, wouldn't he have more power over Barack Obama and Gay Marriage than you finding a close parking space in the Wal-Mart parking lot? Wouldn't the prayers over national sovereignties be at the top of God's prayer list?

So if God really exits, and he really is listening to everyone's prayers...could it be possible that this is his answer? Is it really a terrible assertion that maybe, just maybe, God DID answer their prayers?

The notion of a God is utterly insane to me. But, to those who do believe in God, why don't you take a step back and seriously ask yourself this question. Why don't you truly ponder that if there be a God, he is in control and has allowed this to happen for a reason.

But then again, that would mean they'd have to love their neighbor as themselves. That would mean that the enemy they've created ("the left", "the liberals", "the homosexuals", "everyone-else-that-doesn't-think-like-me") are actually real people. That would mean they'd have to pray for them just like they pray for their children. That would mean they'd have to serve others like they serve yourselves.

I'm amazed at the amount of money and energy the Christian community has spent trying to work against gay rights, democrats and liberals. I wonder how different a country America would be if all that time and devotion had went to solving real problems--homelessness, poverty, starvation, destroyed families, dilapidated school systems, gang wars...think of the millions of commercials that have been aired (at $1,000s per pop) trying to get people to vote to take away Americans' rights. How many families would that have fed? How many children would that have put through college? How many lives could have been turned in a new direction?

Perhaps Christians deserve the answer they got. Perhaps they need to realize that holding signs such as "Fags Go to Hell" will not turn people towards their God. Maybe they need a wake-up call. And hopefully this wave of political change will be that call.

Inappropriate.

Remember how Focus on the Family asked their supporters to pray for rain during Barack Obama's speech? I find it mildly amusing that God did not answer their prayers, but instead sent a hurricane to tear through New Orleans precisely at the opening of the Republican National Convention.