Prayer: The Ultimate Hypocrisy [View All]

Christians, as well as any other religion that engages in the practice of petitioning their god(s) with prayer, actually believe that their god alters the physical properties of the universe to specifically accommodate their request, regardless of how their petition might affect someone else. This has been brought to example many times by the comparison of the Christian who prays for sunshine to grace their weekend outdoor plans, but the farmer next door is praying for rain because even one more day without will ensure the destruction of his crops and leave him broke for the entire winter.

The fervent belief that many Christians have regarding the effectiveness of prayer comes about only by virtue of what their holy book says, and not on actual or statistical evidence. In the bible, the character portrayed as Jesus makes a number of promises on the topic of prayer. In the book of Matthew, Jesus is given credit for stating that whatever is asked for in “His name” will be granted. He promises that if one has a level of faith compared to the tiny mustard seed, they will be able to cast mountains into the sea. Not to mention the whole healing thing. The truth of the matter is that prayers get answered in the favor of the petitioner at about the same rate as doing nothing at all. In fact, double blind studies have shown that many sick people who know they are being prayed over actually fare worse due to performance anxiety. The convenient explanation that is used when these types of prayers are not answered, even when the situation being prayed over ends up getting worse, is that their god works in mysterious ways and those ways should not be questioned. We lowly human beings are not meant to understand the higher mind of god, you see.

Then there are the prayers that do not require the bending and twisting of the natural world to accommodate a need. It’s not always a request a change in the weather, the avoidance of destruction by natural disaster or the eradication of some terminal illness. Having spent over a decade as a Pastor, I can tell you with great certainty that most prayer requests are quite simplistic and usually involve a need that can be met by either helping hands or an infusion of cash. A repair to a home or a vehicle is offered up, or school clothes for the kids, etc. When these needs are met, they are perceived as granted prayers. Mind you, I would be less skeptical if these needs were met without the petitioner notifying anyone. But, the reality is that these needs are not met because of divine intervention or providence, but because the prayer requests were made known to other humans. Through the camaraderie that surrounds their common belief, fellow believers are called into action. Donations are made, people show up with hammers and plywood or a box of clothing magically appears on a doorstep.

This is not god, people. I venture to say I would be less cynical about the whole process if it were genuine altruism. But it’s not. The same results occur when Atheists band together to help our fellow humans out. The only difference is that we are not trying to impress a god, or anyone else for that matter, and by virtue of the fact that we are not acting with the expectation of a reward in heaven or to avoid some sort of divine retribution, our actions are a true definition of altruism. But I digress…

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Time spent praying may offer comfort to the faithful because they believe their efforts are effective, be it for personal reasons or for the benefit of others. The truth is that prayer is a placebo, and a dangerous one when it involves the ignorance toward science and medicine. Prayer is a perfect example of doing something for oneself and calling it helping others. It’s the ultimate form of hypocrisy. This has been proven time and time again and will not change until people realize that two hands engaged in works are far more effective than two hands clasped in prayer.

http://atheists.org/blog/2011/09/12/prayer-the-ultimate-hypocrisy