Barry Duke, the Angry Atheist

Pointing and laughing at religious lunacy for more than half-a-century

‘Prayer for the Nation’ takes place in the US following the New Orleans terroist attack

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WHEN I learned that Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, above, and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, an anti-gay Christian fanatic, inset, were staging an online hour of prayer today, I was instantly reminded of G W Foote’s 1879 leaflet, The Futility of Prayer.

Foote, who launched the atheist magazine The Freethinker in 1881, wrote:

Amongs the ignorant and those who are not imbued with the spirit of science, the old superstition of Prayer still lingers, and ever and anon betrays itself in speech and act … Accordingly , whenever an opportunity occurs, they stimulate popular folly and make themselves the laugh
ing-stock or contempt of the wise and thoughtful.

It’s reported here that “Pray for the Nation” includes a bunch of Christian leaders including Mike Clark, a chaplain with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Governor Landry is quoted as saying:

The terrorist attack on New Year’s morning is a tragic reminder of the evil in this world that seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. We are thankful for the men and women in uniform who protect us; please join us in praying for their safety and their ability to thwart these heinous acts of terror. We also lift up the victims of this attack and their families.

Perkins added:

America must pray! We need God’s protective hand upon our cities and our nation. Having worked in law enforcement and anti-terrorism, I know the difficulty of confronting an ideology determined to kill and destroy.

Here’s another extract from Foote’s excellent leaflet:

The votaries of superstition and their priestly abettors will not admit the futility of prayer. Their reasoning is like the gambler’s “heads I win , tails you lose”! All the facts that tell for their case are allowed to count, and all that tell against it are excluded. If what they pray for happens, that proves the efficacy of prayer; if it does not ħappen, that proves nothing at all. Such is the logic of superstition in every age and clime.

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15 responses to “‘Prayer for the Nation’ takes place in the US following the New Orleans terroist attack”

  1. malcolmjdodd Avatar
    malcolmjdodd

    The obnoxious perpetrator of the New Orleans attack was likely more devoutly religious than the leaders of the ‘prayer-for-the-nation’ exercise in futility.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Broga Avatar
    Broga

    This prayer for the nation is such drivel. On just one point, amongst so many, it assumes that their omniscient God cannot know what is in the future and use his omnipotence to prevent it.

    I read that the C.of E. is struggling to define criteria which could be used to appoint the next Archbishop of Canterbury. The disastrous Welby was so hopeless, and suspect, that comments about finding someone “spiritual” are being heard. This will achieve nothing and be a deflection from the core problem. This is their need to assume without question so much of the supposed belief that is impossible for a moderately sensible and honest person to belief.

    For example: biblical truth when the bible states out of date requirements especially about women, contradicts itself many times in a few paragraphs, the Adam and Eve claptrap which only the seriously unbalanced mention, the way the “”word of God” was written and re-written until they reached a version which is not accepted by everyone. The clergy now have, and protected, many paedophiles preaching; God deflecting the bullet aimed at Trump to kill another man; the current temporary Archbishop clinging to the role when even other clergy including bishops think he is unfit.

    Liked by 2 people

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  3. malcolmjdodd Avatar
    malcolmjdodd

    The wretched Welby was totally incoherent when speaking Glossolalia; obviously the next CofE (Church of Execrableness) boss will be the most unintelligible of the candidates when ‘speaking-in-tongues’.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  4. Broga Avatar
    Broga

    Malcolm: I had forgotten that. How does he get away with it? It has to be with a conniving group of listeners. Unless they are all paranoid, Or perhaps they do believe and if so what does that tell us about their judgement.

    Ironic that not long ago I heard a preacher expressing concern about the damage being done by atheists and their views.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. malcolmjdodd Avatar
      malcolmjdodd

      Broga

      The irony is that the speakers-in-tongues haven’t any more idea than you and me as what they are saying – people who have lost complete control over their speech should be classified as dangerous and barred from contact with children and adults; we should have kept lunatic asylums for these psychopaths.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  5. stephenharvie Avatar
    stephenharvie

    Prayer = doing nothing

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Broga Avatar
      Broga

      Stephen: While convincing yourself that your prayer is being answered.

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. stephenharvie Avatar
        stephenharvie

        Exactly! How conceited must someone be to think that the Divine Creator of the Universe will pause their grand works because some deluded ape isn’t happy?

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        1. Broga Avatar
          Broga

          The human brain is so inadequate that it cannot realistically understand the size of the galaxy and cosmos. The following fascinates me:

          Speed of light: 186,000 miles per second. I think, but I know it is fast.

          Number of stars in the Milky Way: At least 100 billion and perhaps as many as 500 billion.

          How long does it take light to cross the Milky Way? 100,000 years

          How long does it take light to reach the nearest star Proxima Centore? more than 4 years.

          Liked by 2 people

          Reply
      2. malcolmjdodd Avatar
        malcolmjdodd

        … and impressing your deluded colleagues/voters of your ‘genuine’ piety.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
  6. Broga Avatar
    Broga

    Is God involved in the California disaster?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. malcolmjdodd Avatar
      malcolmjdodd

      Yes, having created the arsonists, supplied the petrol and matches for the spectacular show, god had expected that those affected would pray and she would extinguish the flames and win lots of converts; then the devil created high winds and god lost the plot, resulting in lots of converts to anti-theism.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  7. Broga Avatar
    Broga

    I think God must have answered those praying for Trump whose life, according to Trump, was saved when a bullet missed him. Now a judge has strongly hinted that the criminal Trump, despite being convicted on 34 counts, will not be sentenced to prison.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. malcolmjdodd Avatar
      malcolmjdodd

      Damnation, I was looking forward to seeing the Chump at the capitol in chains and prison clobber 20th January, especially when the fight breaks out between Musk and Farage.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Broga Avatar
        Broga

        With so many dolts around Trump, and all thinking they are genius’s there is lots of fun ahead. Too bad they are wrecking the environment, and much else, in the process.

        Liked by 2 people

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