The Arrogance of Prayer

DISCLAIMER
Those who know me probably already know this, and other readers likely picked it up from an earlier post, but I'm not a huge fan of religion. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against religious people. This policy extends into this topic as well - I don't think that people who pray are arrogant, just the act itself. I'm sure those who participate either never thought about it before, or have morally come to terms with what is discussed below.

Also note that prayer here refers mainly to the Christian idea of prayer and those methods to which it is similar, partly because this is what I am most familiar with, but mostly because it illustrates my point so well.

Now, on to the meat of the matter...

It seems to me that this issue has gone pretty much untreated. I get it, though...religion itself tends to be a taboo area, and even disregarding the general religious homogeneity of many Western societies, questioning the actual practices (not just beliefs) of the dominant religion seems to be seldom done - seldom aside from hushed comments among close friends, that is. None the less, I feel like something should be said.

I like to divide my reasoning for the idea that prayer is arrogant into minor reasons and a major reason.
The first minor reason is that prayer suggests that the big guy in the sky who made all that was, is and will be gives a flying poo about your math test. This idea makes me raise an eyebrow, but I can sort of brush it off as a simple belief, no more strange or significant than water turning to wine or men being restored from death. Thus, it's just a minor thing for me.

A second minor reason is that prayer is often taken as absolution of responsibility. I wouldn't dream of saying that this is the case in most instances. I couldn't even say I think it happens more than maybe 40% of the time, probably because in the backs of their heads people know that nothing will happen unless they do it themselves. The point is that some people ask God to do something for them as if to say "It's off me, now." Think I'm just talking nonsense? Well, how often have you heard "Father, it's all in your hands now," or something similar? Come on, people. You can't pray for the children in Africa and then do nothing about it. You can't see a man on the street and just say "I'll pray for you." That would likely just piss him off, because it suggests that he deserves to be helped but you couldn't be bothered to drop a dollar or two. If you're gonna live by this sort of behavior, the next time your uncle loses his arm, just sit there and watch him bleed. And pray.

The major reason is this: The beliefs that your prayers are answered suggests that your own desires outweigh the needs of others. Basically, my thinking is that if you pray for a bike and a starving child prays for enough water to live, and you get that bike but that kid dies, someone's priorities are seriously out of whack. The same applies to praying to pass that big test, or praying for a big business deal to come through, or praying that you find your keys in time to get where you're going on time. Why SHOULD God help you? Do it yourself. Maybe He should be worried about something important, like saving lives and ending suffering. Unless, of course, your test score is more important than a life, in which case God has his priorities screwed up. And if you can think about another person praying but getting no results, but you feel that your own prayers have been answered, then your priorities are probably just as bad.

So that about sums it up...This is why I personally feel like prayer is an exercise in arrogance, disguised as a display of humility. But seriously, even if it wasn't, what would really be the point? God has a plan for the future, right? If what you pray for is aligned with His will, won't it happen regardless of prayer? And if it's not a part of the plan, will you not be refused whether you pray or not? OK, this really doesn't include prayer for the sake of reverence or thanksgiving... those both seem  pretty benign to me, but in general I think the whole thing is nigh on pointless, and much of it seems pretty darn conceited.

I leave you to think on this. Until next time, this has been your humble ranter. Happy reading, and keep thinking critically.