OK, so if God is so powerful and existant…and gets offended by stuff like cartoons and voting against intelligent design in schools…doesnt it make more sense for the religious types to focus all their efforts on spiritual weapons, such as praying against us unbelievers, or throwing spiritual bombs at us? or picketing with spiritual pickets at spiritual rallies in spiritual places?
If their faith is that strong, wouldnt those kinds of weapons be more effective than physical demonstrations, bombs, wars, yelling, etc. Plus then we’d have a much more peaceful physical world. (I for one would much prefer someone “pray” against me than bomb my house…Im willing to deal with the possible consequences)
So, the debate posed is, should people who posit a spiritual entity that they worship be only allowed to call on said entity…and said entities assistants… to wage their battles, complaints, prostelytizing, “agressive witnessing”, broadcasting, etc. for them through prayer and meditation? I mean, they can defend their physical right to believe a certain way, to meditate, meet with each other(spiritually), pray etc. but why do they require all the physical rights too?
Obviously. My point being, that if praying is so ineffective, why be religious with such ferver that you are willing to die, bomb, burn, picket, or at least do some yelling at someone…
Whats the point? I mean, surely God is strong enough to defend himself for a defaming cartoon…he did make an entire universe. If he doesnt seem to be bothering to defend himself…then why should anyone else try to do it for him?
So, would you argue that religious believers should only pray and depend on the god of their choice to do anything physical that they think needs doing? They no longer need to feed the hungry, or give to the poor, or work to free the oppressed? I think maybe your premise isn’t quite so well thought out.
I don’t know that I’d like to live in a world where, if a certain number of people prayed hard enough, their enemies would get wiped off the face of the Earth by the wrath of God. I’m not too keen on the idea that the people themselves can go and do that if they have the wherewithal, but I can handle that.
Well, arguably not. That’s precisely the argument that the Jehovah’s Witnesses make (for example). Since Jesus said his kingdom is no part of this world, it is better to spend one’s time spreading the word of God than doing charity work, which amounts to little more than rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
(Not, of course, to say that the Witnesses are somehow Right, but that the conclusion you dismiss is not so farfetched.)
Clearly I have been exclusively referring to negative actions, such as violence, etc. Everyone should do thier best to help their fellow man regardless of their religious convictions.
Reminds me of something I read some time ago, more or less it went like:
“When I was a child I used to pray to god to give me a bicycle, and I never got one; then I grew up and understood how religion works, so I stole a bicycle and then pried for forgiveness”
Why? If God can smite the unbelievers, He can feed the hungry just as easily. Otherwise, if we want unbelivers smote and hungry people fed, it looks like it’s up to us to do it.