I was in Edinburgh recently and spotted posters, like the one above, on the backs of buses, advising people to ‘try praying’. There is, naturally, an entire web-site devoted to the campaign, created by Christians with more money than sense.
Here’s a thought: try praying that the bus on which one of these ads appears waits for you as you run for it and it pulls away from the stop. You think that would work? (No more than chance would allow.) Or try praying that if you do catch it, the driver will let you on, even though you’ve left your purse at home and can’t buy a ticket. Try praying that the pain you’ve experienced all day be taken from you as you set off walking home. Try praying for or about anything and see what God’s response is. Prayer, ‘tried’ or not, is no more effectual than wishful thinking or chatting with the fairies at the bottom of your garden.
(fixed it)
While in Edinburgh, I visited St Giles’ cathedral in the centre of the city. A friend I was with wanted to see a commemorative plaque there and I saw a chance to rest my aching legs. At the entrance was a sign that said the cathedral welcomed a donation of £5 ($6.55) per visitor to help with daily running costs. Evidently the ecclesiastical administrators haven’t realised they could ‘try praying’ and ask God to fund a building, the sole purpose of which is to honour him. Or perhaps they had ‘tried’ prayer and had discovered God wasn’t willing to provide the hundreds of pounds needed every day to keep it going.
Whichever, the only way churches like St Giles can survive is to have those humans who think they serve some meaningful purpose, fund them themselves. God couldn’t care less whether they flourish or not. If he did he’d keep them going from his abundant supply. That he doesn’t demonstrates not only his non-existence but also tells us that the church is an entirely human enterprise. Without human effort, and liberal amounts of filthy mammon, they invariably fail.
I would say “Test Praying” and televise it. It’s really easy…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d watch that. I’m sure the outcome would really surprise us skeptics. Or maybe not.
Course it won’t happen as the Guardians of Wishful Thinking would say the Lord must not be put to test. (On account of his inability to pass any test?)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another idea for that second line: “It’s easier than thinking”.
LikeLike
And doing anything useful.
LikeLike
The scam of religion. It really is all about the money! GROG
LikeLike
Money and control. It’s an anomaly Christians like to ignore that the God said to supply every good thing chooses to provide even his fawning sychophants with absolutely nothing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope springs eternal. Oh, how good it must feel to hope for the passion. GROG
LikeLike