Atheist's Lottery Prayer Answered

[George H. Smith]

This is from Fox News, not the Onion News Network. Even so, I put it in the "humor" section.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnv-Kw6641U&feature=feedlik

Ghs

[Brant Gaede]

Too bad he didn't pray for peace on earth.

--Brant

[George H. Smith]

Too bad he didn't pray for peace on earth.

--Brant

The most absurd part of the clip is when the interviewer refers to the cross that was left standing after the Joplin tornado leveled the Catholic Church and thousands of other buildings.

Was God sending a message? If so, maybe he was telling Christians: "Crosses are okay, but forget about building churches."

For before and after photos of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Joplin, go here.

Ghs

[anthony]

Get ye behind me, all you unbelievers - this has convinced me!

You see, that's why more folk don't win lotteries: they forget to pray for it.

(Though the prayers have hit record highs, now, I'm sure.)

Tony

[Brant Gaede]

Get ye behind me, all you unbelievers - this has convinced me!

You see, that's why more folk don't win lotteries: they forget to pray for it.

(Though the prayers have hit record highs, now, I'm sure.)

Tony

God must have a hell of a staff to vet all those prayers. With his "Christian premises" George must be doing a lot of praying. I wonder what for.

--Brant

[9thdoctor]

I've got a ticket for tonight's $200 million powerball. Whatever supernatural messages I receive tonight I will obey henceforth, if the ticket wins. Even if the smell of sulfur accompanies the messenger.

[caroljane]

Mock all you want. There is such a thing as rational prayer, which is practiced by my born-again cousin. She prays for parking spaces to open up, and dresses to be marked down on sale, and it always happens.

Edited June 2, 2011 by daunce lynam

[Brant Gaede]

Mock all you want. There is such a thing as rational prayer, which is practiced by my born-again cousin. She prays for parking spaces to open up, and dresses to be marked down on sale, and it always happens.

I get the same result by cursing.

--Brant

[Xray]

Since magical thinking as part of man's cultural evolutionary heritage is still quite strong, rationality is often the first thing to go out the door when such coincidences like the above happen.

It looks like interpreting ocurrences as a "sign from a higher power" is still quite prevalent.

Especially when people get what they want, when 'their prayers have been answered'.

Whereas when the opposite happens and their prayers have not been answered, people can lose their faith.

Both are irrational approaches driven by pure selfishness. Selfishness as such is neither a virtue nor or vice. It is a drive.

If, let's say, three hundred die in an airplane crash and only a few survive, going by the the "prayer" premise, god obviously did not listen to prayers by the family members of the victims.

So again, we have the image of god as the almighty potentate who can destroy and show mercy at will.

Modeled after the cruel real-life potentates our ancestors had been familiar with.

The above interview shows that magical thinking is by no means erased yet. No surprise there - after all, magical thinking has, through many millenia, relieved humans of the multiple pressures and anxieties connected with existence.

Edited June 2, 2011 by Xray

[caroljane]

Mock all you want. There is such a thing as rational prayer, which is practiced by my born-again cousin. She prays for parking spaces to open up, and dresses to be marked down on sale, and it always happens.

I get the same result by cursing.

--Brant

Wow. I envision you cursing a Diane von Furstenburg classic sheath down from $400 to $250US, and looking fabulous in it.

[Brant Gaede]

Mock all you want. There is such a thing as rational prayer, which is practiced by my born-again cousin. She prays for parking spaces to open up, and dresses to be marked down on sale, and it always happens.

I get the same result by cursing.

--Brant

Wow. I envision you cursing a Diane von Furstenburg classic sheath down from $400 to $250US, and looking fabulous in it.

You can strike "and looking fabulous in it." I resell this stuff on eBay.

--Brant

mo money

[Brant Gaede]

Since magical thinking as part of man's cultural evolutionary heritage is still quite strong, rationality is often the first thing to go out the door when such coincidences like the above happen.

It looks like interpreting ocurrences as a "sign from a higher power" is still quite prevalent.

Especially when people get what they want, when 'their prayers have been answered'.

Whereas when the opposite happens and their prayers have not been answered, people can lose their faith.

Both are irrational approaches driven by pure selfishness. Selfishness as such is neither a virtue nor or vice. It is a drive.

If, let's say, three hundred die in an airplane crash and only a few survive, going by the the "prayer" premise, god obviously did not listen to prayers by the family members of the victims.

So again, we have the image of god as the almighty potentate who can destroy and show mercy at will.

Modeled after the cruel real-life potentates our ancestors had been familiar with.

The above interview shows that magical thinking is by no means erased yet. No surprise there - after all, magical thinking has, through many millenia, relieved humans of the multiple pressures and anxieties connected with existence.

There's some confusion. The drive of selfishness is corrupted by an enslaving morality of selflessness which also eviscerates the possibilities of happiness with guilt. The morality of rational self-interest ("selfishness") eviscerates this evisceration and we can call it psychological freedom. There is also the drive of social and cooperative existence. These drives are essentially biological while the moralities are made up as philosophical adjuncts, philosophies being the operating systems of human consciousness.

If "magical thinking has . . . relieved humans of the multiple pressures and anxieties connected with existence" we have to be careful not to simply call them "irrational."

--Brant

[caroljane]

Mock all you want. There is such a thing as rational prayer, which is practiced by my born-again cousin. She prays for parking spaces to open up, and dresses to be marked down on sale, and it always happens.

I get the same result by cursing.

--Brant

Wow. I envision you cursing a Diane von Furstenburg classic sheath down from $400 to $250US, and looking fabulous in it.

You can strike "and looking fabulous in it." I resell this stuff on eBay.

--Brant

mo money

Oh, too bad. I guess this means you don't even try them on first. So even though this is on Humour, it wouldn't be ethical to photoshop you into couture to strut alongside Phil's checked gingham in the OL Crossdressing Gallery.

Even if a modelling fee could be arranged?

Edited June 2, 2011 by daunce lynam

[Brant Gaede]

Mock all you want. There is such a thing as rational prayer, which is practiced by my born-again cousin. She prays for parking spaces to open up, and dresses to be marked down on sale, and it always happens.

I get the same result by cursing.

--Brant

Wow. I envision you cursing a Diane von Furstenburg classic sheath down from $400 to $250US, and looking fabulous in it.

You can strike "and looking fabulous in it." I resell this stuff on eBay.

--Brant

mo money

Oh, too bad. I guess this means you don't even try them on first. So even though this is on Humour, it wouldn't be ethical to photoshop you into couture to strut alongside Phil's checked gingham in the OL Crossdressing Gallery.

Even if a modelling fee could be arranged?

A good reason not to post my pic.

--Brant

not at the mercy of my enemies and friends and casual hangers-oners

[caroljane]

C'mon Brant. We're just value-trading here. Some supermodel said that she didn't get out of bed for less than $100,000. I bet we could get you out of Tucson and into the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding gown if the price was right.

[Xray]

There's some confusion. The drive of selfishness is corrupted by an enslaving morality of selflessness which also eviscerates the possibilities of happiness with guilt. The morality of rational self-interest ("selfishness") eviscerates this evisceration and we can call it psychological freedom. There is also the drive of social and cooperative existence. These drives are essentially biological while the moralities are made up as philosophical adjuncts, philosophies being the operating systems of human consciousness.

I was merely stressing that selfishness as such is a drive. I think both Objecvists and non-Objetcivists will agree on that.

The selfishness Rand had in mind when she spoke about it being a virtue was so called "rational" selfishness. (or "rational self-interest", the terminology she uses is not consistent).

If "magical thinking has . . . relieved humans of the multiple pressures and anxieties connected with existence" we have to be careful not to simply call them "irrational."

Point taken. Maybe one could rephrase it that way: given the lack of knowledge humans had back in those times, they sought relief in magical thinking to cope with the multiple pressures and anxieties connected to existence.

Edited June 2, 2011 by Xray