{"id":16565,"date":"2010-01-22T22:18:06","date_gmt":"2010-01-23T05:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/?p=16565"},"modified":"2010-01-22T22:18:06","modified_gmt":"2010-01-23T05:18:06","slug":"pray4something","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2010\/01\/22\/pray4something.html","title":{"rendered":"Pray4Something"},"content":{"rendered":"

I wrote a bit back about the Pray4Trig site<\/a>, which was suggesting all True Christians (vs. all us Ersatz Christians) pray for Trig Palin to be miraculously cured of Down Syndrome in April.<\/p>\n

Evidently, God’s Faithful need to pray for a good sysadmin and hosting site, because some rude people threatened, then executed (they claim) a DDoS attack against the site. Which lack of divine protection evidently shook their faith<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Something happened on January 19.<\/p>\n

In addition to the regular load of hate mail we got from those who hate the Lord, we received an anonymous emailed threat, promising a DDoS attack at a specific time. The emailer said he (or is it she?) was offended that we were \u201cdisparaging Trig Palin\u201d.<\/p>\n

Nothing could be further from the truth! But it\u2019s not the first time we\u2019ve heard this.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I don’t suppose that hearing it multiple times gave you some pause for thought.\u00a0 Some folks, while recognizing that Down Syndrome isn’t any walk in the park, reject that it’s a condition that’s all horrific as all that.<\/p>\n

Anyway, I’d expect that True Christians, seeking to magnify the majesty of the Lord (as though it needs Internet stunts to magnify it) would be proof against network attacks, especially if they prayed for it.\u00a0 Since we know that True Christians get whatever they want when they pray (and if they don’t, then they’re not True Christians).<\/p>\n

At the appointed time, our server crashed. God had told us to take this one seriously, so we\u2019d backed up our database immediately before.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

God helps those who back themselves up, I guess.<\/p>\n

However, this made it clear to us that this site was not helping to demonstrate the majesty of God. It was sowing discontent and hatred among those who didn\u2019t understand. So, we decided to let you, the users of the site, decide what the Worldwide Day of Prayer should focus upon.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because that’s what was sowing hatred — your suggestion about what True Christians ought to pray for to prove that True Christians have a hotline to God for Divine Intercession.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/div>\n

So now they’re Pray4Healing<\/a>, and they have a poll running to determine what “people all over America (or the world) can get behind” as a topic for Divine Intercession.\u00a0 It’s still not clear why just one thing can be prayed for, or why God would pay attention to a majority of the True Christians, vs. a single heart-felt prayer from one of the faithful.\u00a0 But I guess God’s gotten a bit more democratic over the millennia.<\/p>\n

And what are the choices in the poll (titled “Which miracle do you think Americans would most support?” which would seem to imply that only Americans can be True Christians)?<\/p>\n

David Ring, a Christian evangelist with cerebral palsy, wakes up healed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Well, that would be impressive.\u00a0 I don’t know anything about Mr Ring, but I wish him well.<\/p>\n

Osama bin Laden, Muslim terrorist, converts to Christianity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That would certainly be an interesting development.\u00a0 However, we know that people convert to and from different faiths (and non-faiths).\u00a0 Muslims have become Christian. Christians have become Muslim.\u00a0 Both have become atheists, and vice-versa.\u00a0 A change of heart may come from the Lord (cf. Saul of Tarsus) or not; that’s hardly the objective proof that the site was looking of the majesty of God.<\/p>\n

Stephen Hawking finds his ALS is eliminated, enjoys health of the body.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That would certainly be impressive.\u00a0 And Hawking is a good choice, as a prominent personality, if you’re trying to get the general public to vote with their prayers.\u00a0 Not that that should make any difference.<\/p>\n

Larry Flint, atheist pornographer, is able to walk again.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Physical healings are always good publicity.\u00a0 Flynt would be an interesting choice — and his animus against do-gooding Christians (and vice-versa) would lend it a really nice turning-the-other-cheek Good Samaritan note about it.<\/p>\n

Charles Krauthammer, conservative columnist, wakes up healed of his paralysis.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’d certainly hope Krauthammer heals from his accident from decades ago, but I’m not sure why he gets special treatment.<\/p>\n

Osama bin Laden turns himself in as a lasting peace breaks out in the Middle East.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To hell with bin Laden, give us lasting peace in the Middle East, and you’ve got a convert.\u00a0 Of course, that would fly in the face of a lot of End Times folks who see conflict in the Middle East as necessary for the Second Coming.\u00a0 That might cause some interference in the circuits.<\/p>\n

That Obama Psalm 109:8 thing. (KIDDING!!)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At which point the site blows all its credibility.\u00a0 The whole Ps. 109:8 thing<\/a> simply a horrific, hateful meme, and even kidding about it (in the context of things that True Christians ought to pray for) is like wishing for, say, a horrific earthquake to swallow Port-au-Prince “(KIDDING!!)”<\/p>\n

A miraculous display. Like a vision of Mary if you stare at the sun.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Okay, fiery letters in the sky would be pretty persuasive.\u00a0 Staring into the sun, on the other hand, is just stupid.\u00a0 People staring into the sun and seeing Mary and not being actually blinded … that would be fairly impressive.<\/p>\n

PZ Myers publicly converts from atheism to follow the One True God.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I guess that would be more acceptably miraculous than PZ Myers publicly converting frmo atheism and following the way of Zoroaster.\u00a0 Or the Norse pantheon.\u00a0 But, then, as noted with OBL above, conversions are cheap, hardly the sort of incontrovertible evidence that the Pray4Healing types are looking to rub in the nose of atheists.<\/p>\n

Other: ________________________<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In case you have something better to pray for.<\/p>\n

So the poll (God responds to polls, or people who choose their prayers based on them?) is a mix of “convert this person to Jesus” (not really an objective miracle), miraculous healing (not bad, esp. in the case of chronic medical conditions like Hawking, vs. nerve damage like Flynt or Krauthammer), and big gaudy miracles (Mary, Middle East).<\/p>\n

Shirlee, the site owner, suggested some criteria<\/a> for something that would “something which can turn the hardest-hearted atheist to the Lord, helping bring us as a nation and as a planet back to He who made us”:<\/p>\n