I certainly liked how he kept telling me that I was smart and I'd see that he was right
Unfortunately that's just a propaganda technique much the same as a car salesman telling you "Oh that car goes way too fast! Maybe you'd like to look at this one". As logical as it may sound, saying "you're smart you can see this" is propaganda. It is implying that if you don't agree you are stupid.
The milk jug thing was pretty funny. It assumes that I agree with the Christianity.com idea about prayer. I don't. Some Christians do have the idea that God will make everything okay for them if they pray. I figure God expects me to do everything within my power to help those around me. That includes praying for them, working with them, helping them, visiting them, and any number of other things I might do to be of service. A big flaw with the milk jug thing is that I doubt seriously if anyone has actually worshipped that milk jug for anyone to see if it answered about the same amount of prayers as God. Until we see that study (with actual believers now) it remains an argument that is based on an assumption.
He mentioned studies that supposedly showed that prayer was useless. Did you notice they all involved "distant healing". Yes I'll agree (my preist does too) that sitting down over a list of strangers names isn't the best way to pray. There is little connection there. Not to mention in those studies do you think the patients' family members where really frobidden from praying for their sick relatives? If not then what was the dependent variable?
He then goes on to make some debatable statements as if they were facts. Ostensibly to prove that prayer doesn't do any good. THere are many, many studies to show that prayer and faith has health benefits.
Here is one, but there are many others. He is saying that my prayer for the guy across town won't do anything. OK maybe not, but many studies state that my prayer and faith can help me and those nearest me.
"At least that's what a recent study from the Duke University Medical Center indicates. Looking at 4,000 older adults from rural North Carolina, the Duke team concluded that even occasional private prayer and Bible study helped people live healthier and longer lives."
http://www.family.org/faith/A000000895.cfm
Now, I won't tell you that answered prayers and a trend of benefits from prayer are evidence that God exists. I'll only say that leading a religious life has mental, physical, and emotional benefits. The guy in the video though is trying to state (with some serious logical holes) the opposite.
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:41 pm
Pompous is what happens when you know you're right. It seems that we atheists are just as entitled to it as Christians and everyone else. Except we really are right.
