Red Light Politics

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The backlash against “Prayer”

I see much backlash against the idea of prayer for the victims of the Japan earthquake. Out of context, this backlash is at best insensitive, at worst bigoted, right?

The problem, I suspect, is precisely the context. Praying is indeed harmless and not only it doesn’t hurt anybody but it gives people hope. However, at the other side of the spectrum we have a whole bunch of people who have not only been alienated but attacked in very concrete ways by some folks who make prayer not just a lifestyle choice, but an entire ideology. So, can we blame those who now get up in arms any time the words “prayer” or “faith” or “God” are mentioned?

Sometimes it is difficult to separate the few extremists from the well intentioned, especially when people have been hurt by some of these ideas.

Notes

  1. astoldbywesley reblogged this from mizjenkins and added:
    Cosign. Praying is harmless. Who are you to determine that praying for Japan isn’t helpful? Unless you are currently in...
  2. thunderspooky reblogged this from roachpatrol
  3. roachpatrol reblogged this from mizjenkins and added:
    No, this is not atheist’s whole, only, or even primary issue with people whose sole contribution to a tragedy is prayer....
  4. wthellokitty reblogged this from mizjenkins
  5. mizjenkins reblogged this from redlightpolitics
  6. lynnewman reblogged this from redlightpolitics and added:
    Glad there are others out there noticing this difficult situation too…Japan Earthquake: to pray or not pray?
  7. abstractosdreamos reblogged this from redlightpolitics and added:
    Again, I’m very grateful that I follow wonderful people that don’t feel the need to be complete assholes about their...
  8. runongirl said: It may be harmless in this context but it’s also, practically speaking, not helpful. For me, the people I know who say they’ll pray for something/someone are also the ones who never step up and DO anything. It’s frustrating.
  9. alanagkelly said: I think the “backlash” is that prayer isn’t a tangible way to help people. Too often “I’ll keep them in my prayers” is a substitute for action.
  10. trackster said: By that logic, it’s understandable that people hate all Muslims for 9/11 or even for the acid attacks on women in Afghanistan. The vast majority of people who pray - whether Christian, Jewish, or Muslim, do not attack others’.
  11. sanityscraps said: Fair enough about the hope point. But frankly, were I there, humanitarian aid would give me more hope than a few people with their hands folded in a church.
  12. thehighshelf reblogged this from redlightpolitics and added:
    I think asking people to pray has to come from a fundamentally icky place, unless you are asking people to pray for you...
  13. glossylalia said: I definitely get that, but that reasoning can be put up against a lot of things.My belief is that just because a small faction of people who ascribe to a particular thing are assholes does not give me the right to make sweeping statements about all
  14. green-street-politics reblogged this from redlightpolitics
  15. redlightpolitics posted this
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