EventHorizon
Atheist Tergiversator
Sounds like child abuse to me.
Already a thread: http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109844
Gagglegnash
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D. Prayer WAS effective, the doctor, diagnosis and insulin WERE there, and the parents are child-murdering idiots.
Guess which one I favor.
D. Prayer WAS effective, the doctor, diagnosis and insulin WERE there, and the parents are child-murdering idiots.
Guess which one I favor.
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vexed
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Yes, didn't realize until I posted, then I noticed the other one.
vexed
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Well, the doctor, diagnosis and insulin have nothing to do with prayer. The idea was that 'prayer' was going to heal, not that it would point to the most obvious place to seek real help (a hospital).
So, D is a pretty silly suggestion.
Autolite
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This is what I suspect will be the rationale employed by true believers. God makes the call whether doctors were involved or not. (Of course this reasoning is easily defeated by asking "then why have doctors or medicine", but I an thinking that most theists will buy it).
There are those who would seek criminal charges against the parents. I am curious as to far such a charge might go. Some consider religiosity to be a form of mental impairment. I wonder how it all would play out in a court of law. After all, stupidity isn't illegal...
Or may be the answer was "Yes", but the prayer that was answered belonged to someone who wanted this to happen.
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Reminds me of the old joke where a man drowns after relying on prayer to save him from a raging flood (turning away more conventional rescue attempts from neighbors and firemen), and a very surprised St. Peter greets the fellow at the Pearly Gates, saying "What are you doing here? We sent two boats and a helicopter to pick you up!"
Gagglegnash
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ksbluesfan
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That God, he sure has a sick sense of humor, doesn't he?
Gagglegnash
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I don't know how you figure that. The life-line gets thrown. You have to decide if you're going to pick it up, what with free will and everything.
You pray for help, you get help, but you kind of have to take the help that's sent instead of waiting around until God does it YOUR way.
I'll bet 22% of my left butt-cheek that these guys prayed for food, as well (that whole, "give us this day our daily bread," thing). When folks got hungry, though, it was off to the grocery store, right?
If they accepted God's bounty from the grocery store, what's the reason they rejected it from the hospital?
I don't know how you figure that. The life-line gets thrown. You have to decide if you're going to pick it up, what with free will and everything.
You pray for help, you get help, but you kind of have to take the help that's sent instead of waiting around until God does it YOUR way.
I'll bet 22% of my left butt-cheek that these guys prayed for food, as well (that whole, "give us this day our daily bread," thing). When folks got hungry, though, it was off to the grocery store, right?
If they accepted God's bounty from the grocery store, what's the reason they rejected it from the hospital?
That's basically the one. Didn't see that before.
That was probably the family's idea, but God (if he exists) may have had a different idea.
blobru
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Of course, there is another version of that joke.
A man stranded on the roof of his house by rising flood waters prays to be rescued.
"Lord, I am a righteous man, and have honored You as best I could. You know I have never asked You for anything before, and only ask You now to spare the life of Your humble servant, not for his sake, but the sake of the many poor and sick orphans I have devoted my life to caring for. For their sake, please hear my prayers."
Just as the waters are about to overtake him, a shaft of golden light shines on him; the clouds open, a helicopter appears overhead and throws down a ladder.
"Praise God, I am saved! The Lord is merciful and just!" he says.
Just as he is about to grasp hold of the ladder, a big wave sweeps him off the roof, and into the path of a school of man-eating sharks. The whuff-whuff of the helicopter blades is drowned out by his dying screams as they tear him limb from limb.
The righteous man arrives at the pearly gates, drenched, spluttering, miraculously reassembled, but confused.
"St. Peter," he says, "what happened? I prayed to be saved, I was about to be saved, and then a big wave, the sharks... did I do something to displease God?"
St. Peter looks up from his ledger, looks him straight in the eye, a level gaze, not smiling, not frowning, just staring, for what seems like a very, very long time.
"Next!"
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Gagglegnash
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I think he's saying that God is non sequitur to the whole thing.
Either that or brightly colored power tools.
On the other hand, mine was a joke and his was performance art.
(That's comedy no one laughs at.)
I think he's saying that God is non sequitur to the whole thing.
Either that or brightly colored power tools.
On the other hand, mine was a joke and his was performance art.
(That's comedy no one laughs at.)
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blobru
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The humor gods move in mysterious ways. (Or are they crazy?)
Anyway, don't worry about it, guys.
I have a friend who lost her home in Katrina. The "joke" was for her.
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