Religion and Ethics Forum
Religion and Ethics Discussion => Theism and Atheism => Topic started by: Alan Burns on November 04, 2021, 09:25:18 PM
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Interesting extract from the "Voice for Justice" web site:
Yes, the world is at a tipping point. But while we try and combat rising temperatures and extreme weather by our own puny efforts, we don’t stand a chance; nature will always be one step ahead. To have any chance of winning this battle, therefore, we need the help of the One who called all of life into being, and who alone has control over nature.
For too long humanity has treated God with contempt. We can do whatever we want, we’ve said. We can live as we want, have what we want … behave as we want. We don’t need a kill-joy fairy in the sky and His outdated morality! We’re all ‘god’ now. So, in our hubris, we’ve rebranded good as evil, and evil as good.
But to echo the words of St Paul, ‘God is not mocked … whatsover a man soweth, that shall he also reap’ (Galatians 6:7).
Lynda Rose - voice for justice UK
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Interesting extract from the "Voice for Justice" web site:
Yes, the world is at a tipping point. But while we try and combat rising temperatures and extreme weather by our own puny efforts, we don’t stand a chance; nature will always be one step ahead. To have any chance of winning this battle, therefore, we need the help of the One who called all of life into being, and who alone has control over nature.
For too long humanity has treated God with contempt. We can do whatever we want, we’ve said. We can live as we want, have what we want … behave as we want. We don’t need a kill-joy fairy in the sky and His outdated morality! We’re all ‘god’ now. So, in our hubris, we’ve rebranded good as evil, and evil as good.
But to echo the words of St Paul, ‘God is not mocked … whatsover a man soweth, that shall he also reap’ (Galatians 6:7).
Lynda Rose - voice for justice UK
an omniscient omnipotent god has chosen this. And for every child that dies because of it, your god bathes in their blood intentionally.
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Interesting extract from the "Voice for Justice" web site:
Yes, the world is at a tipping point. But while we try and combat rising temperatures and extreme weather by our own puny efforts, we don’t stand a chance; nature will always be one step ahead. To have any chance of winning this battle, therefore, we need the help of the One who called all of life into being, and who alone has control over nature.
For too long humanity has treated God with contempt. We can do whatever we want, we’ve said. We can live as we want, have what we want … behave as we want. We don’t need a kill-joy fairy in the sky and His outdated morality! We’re all ‘god’ now. So, in our hubris, we’ve rebranded good as evil, and evil as good.
But to echo the words of St Paul, ‘God is not mocked … whatsover a man soweth, that shall he also reap’ (Galatians 6:7).
Lynda Rose - voice for justice UK
Lynda Rose misunderstands the problem, it is not humans being puny in the face of natural change, it is humans that are the driving force of change in the climate. And turning to the pages of the Bible to solve the climate crisis isn't going to help much. It is science that has delivered an understanding of climate and science and technology will be needed to help undo the harm that current and previous generations have done. There is no guidance in the Bible on what is a reasonable carbon footprint. It was the Bible in the first place that endorsed the idea of man having dominion over the natural world, teaching that we are something separate to nature, not part of it, and this is what it has led to. I don't think it is a coincidence that christian fundamentalists feature highly in the ranks of climate skeptics, the American evangelicals in particular vociferously oppose taking action on climate change.
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Lynda Rose misunderstands the problem, it is not humans being puny in the face of natural change, it is humans that are the driving force of change in the climate. And turning to the pages of the Bible to solve the climate crisis isn't going to help much. It is science that has delivered an understanding of climate and science and technology will be needed to help undo the harm that current and previous generations have done. There is no guidance in the Bible on what is a reasonable carbon footprint. It was the Bible in the first place that endorsed the idea of man having dominion over the natural world, teaching that we are something separate to nature, not part of it, and this is what it has led to. I don't think it is a coincidence that christian fundamentalists feature highly in the ranks of climate skeptics, the American evangelicals in particular vociferously oppose taking action on climate change.
What Lynda is pointing out is that the root cause of the present crisis is the culmination of self centred acts of human will in an increasingly secular society which has turned away from God. It is just one of the dreadful consequences of mankind taking control without God's guidance. We need to turn back to God for help to lead us out of this crisis.
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This is the full article by Lynda Rose - well worth reading in full:
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/as.greenhouses.gases.continue.to.soar.what.might.god.be.saying/137652.htm
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This is the full article by Lynda Rose - well worth reading in full:
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/as.greenhouses.gases.continue.to.soar.what.might.god.be.saying/137652.htm
Wow, She even admits that your god kills children. You worship a thug god.
'So what is God saying to the world in all of this?
I would suggest that humanity is being given a warning;
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What Lynda is pointing out is that the root cause of the present crisis is the culmination of self centred acts of human will in an increasingly secular society which has turned away from God. It is just one of the dreadful consequences of mankind taking over without God's guidance. We need to turn back to God for help to lead us out of this crisis.
What an utterly absurd claim. Where was "god's guidance" when the world started down the road towards making the problem and was far more religious than today? And let's not forget that Christians in the US voted for Trump in large numbers, and look what he did for climate change.
This kind of silly superstitious drivel isn't going to help anybody.
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Wow, She even admits that your god kills children. You worship a thug god.
I worship the God who brought life into existence.
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I worship the God who brought life into existence.
And created child leukeamia because you worship a murderous thug who delights in pain and suffering.
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What an utterly absurd claim. Where was "god's guidance" when the world started down the road towards making the problem and was far more religious than today?
I presume you refer to the beginnings of the industrial revolution.
This pales into insignificance when compared to the exponential increase in carbon emissions over the last few decades which correlates with similar increases in over indulgent consumerism over the same period. And also coincides with the increasing secular led trends infiltrating modern society.
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I presume you refer to the beginnings of the industrial revolution.
This pales into insignificance when compared to the exponential increase in carbon emissions over the last few decades which correlates with similar increases in over indulgent consumerism over the same period. And also coincides with the increasing secular led trends infiltrating modern society.
You are dodging the question. Where was God's guidance?
You see when ever I read this:
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
I don't actually read it as any kind of green manifesto. Quite the opposite in fact. "Fill the Earth". We did what your God asked and look where it has got us.
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I presume you refer to the beginnings of the industrial revolution.
This pales into insignificance when compared to the exponential increase in carbon emissions over the last few decades which correlates with similar increases in over indulgent consumerism over the same period. And also coincides with the increasing secular led trends infiltrating modern society.
It is certainly true that the problem has been exacerbated over recent decades, but I'm not sure you can sustain an assertion of a causal link with secularisation.
What is certainly the case is that the major judo-christian religions have always been hugely human-centric and have, at best, paid lip service to other living things on the planet (which are largely seen as things for humans to exploit) and the broader environment. This contrast with certain other religions, often more ancient ones, that have typically seen humans and the broader environment within a symbiotic relationship.
A further point is about population - one of the major drivers of climate change is human population growth (along with increases in per capita consumption). Many religions, including major christian denomination have actively encouraged unsustainable population growth through promoting having large numbers of children and opposing the use of contraceptive and abortion.
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What Lynda is pointing out is that the root cause of the present crisis is the culmination of self centred acts of human will in an increasingly secular society which has turned away from God. It is just one of the dreadful consequences of mankind taking control without God's guidance. We need to turn back to God for help to lead us out of this crisis.
What both you and Lynda appear to forget is that whilst we are in an increasingly secular society, the climate crisis is linked to activities that commenced in the decidedly more religious Industrial Revolution era, and which continues to be most problematic in both relatively non-religious cultures (i.e. China, Scandinavia), moderately religious cultures (i.e. UK) and the decidedly religious (i.e. India, Brazil, USA). It's almost as though belief and religiosity were not directly related to pollution in any way at all.
The problem isn't that mankind has 'taken control' regardless of whether there's a God or not, it's that mankind has influence but doesn't have complete control (or even a complete understanding). Turning to God isn't going to help, you can't pray the carbon dioxide back into the trees, you can't sing a few hymns and expect deforestation to reverse itself; we, collectively, have to decide to make the sacrifices that, if managed correctly, might result in those outcomes.
O.
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This pales into insignificance when compared to the exponential increase in carbon emissions over the last few decades which correlates with similar increases in over indulgent consumerism over the same period. And also coincides with the increasing secular led trends infiltrating modern society.
Actually your claims isn't borne out by the evidence - most of the growth in greenhouse gas emissions over the past few decades is due to population growth, not increases in per capita emission levels.
So in the 30 years since 1990 global population has increased by nearly 50%, but there has been just a 6% increase in greenhouse gas emission per person.
And for many of the most secular countries with their over indulgent consumerism greenhouse gas emission per person has actually gone down over that period, for example :
UK -42%
USA -17%
Germany -25%
Sweden -6%
France -42%
Italy -23%
Belgium -24%
Canada -7%
Denmark -42%
Netherlands -7%
Of course the biggest changes per capita are the emerging developing nations, and the double whammy is where there are major increases in both emissions per capita and population, compounding each other.
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What both you and Lynda appear to forget is that whilst we are in an increasingly secular society, the climate crisis is linked to activities that commenced in the decidedly more religious Industrial Revolution era, and which continues to be most problematic in both relatively non-religious cultures (i.e. China, Scandinavia), moderately religious cultures (i.e. UK) and the decidedly religious (i.e. India, Brazil, USA). It's almost as though belief and religiosity were not directly related to pollution in any way at all.
The problem isn't that mankind has 'taken control' regardless of whether there's a God or not, it's that mankind has influence but doesn't have complete control (or even a complete understanding). Turning to God isn't going to help, you can't pray the carbon dioxide back into the trees, you can't sing a few hymns and expect deforestation to reverse itself; we, collectively, have to decide to make the sacrifices that, if managed correctly, might result in those outcomes.
O.
You vastly underestimate the power of prayer.
It is increasingly evident that human endeavours alone will not save our planet from the current climate crisis.
We need a miracle, which God alone can give through the power of prayer.
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You vastly underestimate the power of prayer.
It is increasingly evident that human endeavours alone will not save our planet from the current climate crisis.
We need a miracle, which God alone can give through the power of prayer.
So your god can choose to save the planet and lives but may not do so because of insufficient adoration. Your god is a capricious narcissist.
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Actually it is about the collective consciousness.
When large number of people pray or meditate together they go beyond the individual ego mind and enter the collective unconscious mind. When this mind is activated in a certain way, it can have profound results for all humanity.
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We need a miracle, which God alone can give through the power of prayer.
Actually it is about the collective consciousness.
When large number of people pray or meditate together they go beyond the individual ego mind and enter the collective unconscious mind. When this mind is activated in a certain way, it can have profound results for all humanity.
What we need to do is what the science is telling us. Primitive superstitions are not going to help, and suggesting they might is dangerous nonsense.
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Actually your claims isn't borne out by the evidence...
No, as we all know, global warming is actually due to the decrease in the number of pirates. ;)
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You vastly underestimate the power of prayer.
No we don't - prayer alone will achieve nothing. Indeed the only value for prayer is if is galvanises people into taking action and even then I'd prefer people to spend their time acting rather than praying (which is of course, not acting).
It is increasingly evident that human endeavours alone will not save our planet from the current climate crisis.
No, it is increasingly evident that the only way to save the planet is through human endeavours.
We need a miracle, which God alone can give through the power of prayer.
Do you realise just how terrifying that comment is, particularly if your view is reflected in many other religious people, which sadly it is. If people think thank that the way to solve climate change is to sit around praying and wait for a miracle while taking no action then we really are screwed. And sadly (I think a much stronger word is needed) this is the attitude amongst too many religious people - note not all religious people but there is a strong stand of laissez faire attitudes amongst many religious communities around the world when it comes to climate change.
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What we need to do is what the science is telling us. Primitive superstitions are not going to help, and suggesting they might is dangerous nonsense.
The idea of collective consciousness is not superstition. It may be speculative as far as science is concerned....but it is a well established truism in philosophical terms.
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When large number of people pray or meditate together they go beyond the individual ego mind and enter the collective unconscious mind. When this mind is activated in a certain way, it can have profound results for all humanity.
Complete non-sense - the only thing that might be achieved by people praying (regardless of how many do so) is that they might feel galvanised into taking action. But I have to ask what kind of mind-set requires prayer to recognise the problems we are facing and the need for action.
Without action prayer will achieve exactly nothing, in fact it is worse than that as it may create a false sense of security that prayer will achieve something to improve climate change.
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Complete non-sense - the only thing that might be achieved by people praying (regardless of how many do so) is that they might feel galvanised into taking action. But I have to ask what kind of mind-set requires prayer to recognise the problems we are facing and the need for action.
Without action prayer will achieve exactly nothing, in fact it is worse than that as it may create a false sense of security that prayer will achieve something to improve climate change.
With you there. James - the one in the Bible - wrote:"Faith without action is dead".
It's fine and dandy sitting looking holy, and praying. It might make you feel better, but, unless we put that faith into action and live what we pray, then, well, all we get is a sore, but holy, backside.
That's why i still count myself as a semi-detatched member of the Iona Community.
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Our actions are also necessary...but they are insignificant compared to the complex issue involved. Prayer and meditations work through the collective consciousness and create suitable conditions over which we have no control.
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Without action prayer will achieve exactly nothing,
...... unless you get a reply. That's why I'm in the middle of building an ark.
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Our actions are also necessary...but they are insignificant compared to the complex issue involved.
They may be insignificant on an individual basis, but far from insignificant if we act collectively.
Prayer and meditations work through the collective consciousness and create suitable conditions over which we have no control.
No - prayer without action achieves nothing. Action without prayer achieves exactly the same as action with prayer.
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With you there. James - the one in the Bible - wrote:"Faith without action is dead".
True, and action without faith is the same as action with faith.
It's fine and dandy sitting looking holy, and praying. It might make you feel better, but, unless we put that faith into action and live what we pray, then, well, all we get is a sore, but holy, backside.
Actually it isn't fine and dandy at all. As you imply there is a real danger that prayer, particularly public and collective prayer, becomes the worst form of virtue signalling. Something that produces no action whatsoever, distracts time and effort from real action and whose purpose is to make people 'feel better' (without actually making any change happen), not least because they think it makes them look all concerned and good.
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You vastly underestimate the power of prayer.
It is increasingly evident that human endeavours alone will not save our planet from the current climate crisis.
We need a miracle, which God alone can give through the power of prayer.
Presumably if only enough people aboard the Titanic had prayed(in the right way, of course) a miracle would have happened and it wouldn't have sunk at all. ;)
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Presumably if only enough people aboard the Titanic had prayed(in the right way, of course) a miracle would have happened and it wouldn't have sunk at all. ;)
Quite.
I was struck by something on the reporting of a totally different news item which was about the Australian case of a young girl who was found safe and well after being abducted.
The BBC reporter said "the prayers of people across Australia have been answered". Unbelievably crass. Why?
Because in many of these sad cases the result is quite the opposite and the child is dead/abused/never found.
Has any reporter ever said "the prayers of people have not been answered" because if that is the benchmark for reporting surely they should?
Or did people not pray hard enough or in the correct way?
Or was the child who died/never found/abused not worthy of saving.
It was such a fucking lazy, insulting way of reporting.
And some of you may say it was just a turn of phrase, well it's still lazy, unfeeling, cruel reporting.
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True, and action without faith is the same as action with faith.
Actually it isn't fine and dandy at all. As you imply there is a real danger that prayer, particularly public and collective prayer, becomes the worst form of virtue signalling. Something that produces no action whatsoever, distracts time and effort from real action and whose purpose is to make people 'feel better' (without actually making any change happen), not least because they think it makes them look all concerned and good.
I'll have to differ.
From my experience inthe IC, my morning prayer...when I can follow the 'rule', is something like;
Praise.
Silence.
Prasy over things on the news.
Ask what I can do about it.
Try to find what Scripture says...
Silence.
We bit of intercessory prayer...
Then up and at 'em, putting what I learned in the silence into action.
Whether it involves overtly 'holy' stuff doesn't really matter.
It's the doing in conjunction with the praying that matters.
'Laborare est orare'
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I'll have to differ.
On what? I thought you agreed that actions were more important than prayer.
From my experience inthe IC, my morning prayer...when I can follow the 'rule', is something like;
Praise.
Silence.
Prasy over things on the news.
Ask what I can do about it.
Try to find what Scripture says...
Silence.
We bit of intercessory prayer...
Then up and at 'em, putting what I learned in the silence into action.
Whether it involves overtly 'holy' stuff doesn't really matter.
It's the doing in conjunction with the praying that matters.
'Laborare est orare'
Thanks for telling us about your personal approach. A few points.
First, why is it necessary for you to spend a bunch of time in prayer in order to motivate you to action. If that is the case, what does that say about you. If not then the prayer is irrelevant to the action.
Secondly - how much time is spent on this - time which you could use in action.
Thirdly - It's the doing in conjunction with the praying that matters - what, at the same time. If someone was helping me - for example if I'd been injured and they were conducting first aid, I'd hope that they were entirely focussed on the job in hand, not being distracted by prayer.
But the broader point is that regardless of your own personal routine there are plenty of people for whom prayer, and being seen to pray, seems to be as far as they go in terms of engaging with issues. So they feel that it is 'job done, prayed for the planet, makes me feel a whole lot better' - pure lip service and ineffectual virtual signalling.
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Do you realise just how terrifying that comment is, particularly if your view is reflected in many other religious people, which sadly it is. If people think thank that the way to solve climate change is to sit around praying and wait for a miracle while taking no action then we really are screwed. And sadly (I think a much stronger word is needed) this is the attitude amongst too many religious people - note not all religious people but there is a strong stand of laissez faire attitudes amongst many religious communities around the world when it comes to climate change.
God answers prayers in many ways.
The answer could be a cooling down of the sun.
Or it could be in motivating the governments of China, Russia etc to take whatever action is needed.
Most people are not in a position to motivate governments, but we can all pray.
And I am certain that prayer will achieve much more than glueing oneself to a road.
Prayers cannot be answered if they are not made.
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God answers prayers in many ways.
Yeah, pray, then see what happens, and whatever it is, call it an answer.
Most people are not in a position to motivate governments, but we can all pray.
We can all do far more practical things than indulging in silly superstitions.
And I am certain that prayer will achieve much more than glueing oneself to a road.
Your certainty is not in the least bit convincing.
Prayers cannot be answered if they are not made.
So your cruel bastard of a god will just kill people because they didn't grovel enough.
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God answers prayers in many ways.
The answer could be a cooling down of the sun.
If that would work then why hasn't your 'God' done this already: and if it is considering doing this I do hope it takes into account what the consequences would be for the planet, such as precipitating a 'snowball Earth' situation - seems a bit radical to me.
Or it could be in motivating the governments of China, Russia etc to take whatever action is needed.
Most people are not in a position to motivate governments, but we can all pray.
And I am certain that prayer will achieve much more than glueing oneself to a road.
Prayers cannot be answered if they are not made.
Don't be silly.
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On what? I thought you agreed that actions were more important than prayer.
Thanks for telling us about your personal approach. A few points.
First, why is it necessary for you to spend a bunch of time in prayer in order to motivate you to action. If that is the case, what does that say about you. If not then the prayer is irrelevant to the action.
Secondly - how much time is spent on this - time which you could use in action.
Thirdly - It's the doing in conjuncti on with the praying that matters - what, at the same time. If someone was helping me - for example if I'd been injured and they were conducting first aid, I'd hope that they were entirely focussed on the job in hand, not being distracted by prayer.
But the broader point is that regardless of your own personal routine there are plenty of people for whom prayer, and being seen to pray, seems to be as far as they go in terms of engaging with issues. So they feel that it is 'job done, prayed for the planet, makes me feel a whole lot better' - pure lip service and ineffectual virtual signalling.
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On what? I thought you agreed that actions were more important than prayer. Thanks for telling us about your personal approach. A few points. First, why is it necessary for you to spend a bunch of time in prayer in order to motivate you to action. If that is the case, what does that say about you. If not then the prayer is irrelevant to the action. Secondly - how much time is spent on this - time which you could use in action. Thirdly - It's the doing in conjunction with the praying that matters - what, at the same time. If someone was helping me - for example if I'd been injured and they were conducting first aid, I'd hope that they were entirely focussed on the job in hand, not being distracted by prayer. But the broader point is that regardless of your own personal routine there are plenty of people for whom prayer, and being seen to pray, seems to be as far as they go in terms of engaging with issues. So they feel that it is 'job done, prayed for the planet, makes me feel a whole lot better' - pure lip service and ineffectual virtual signalling.
Why do I pray? Well, firstly because I am both commanded and advised to do so, and because I like spending time in prayer. When? Well, as posted earlier, I try to follow the 'rule', a set routine of prayers and worship from the Iona Community, which starts as soon as I wake up, and ends when I jit the sack. Thirdly, do I pray if I'm involved in doing something in my daily life? Yes, if I need to - though you needn't haveyour eyes closed, your mind closed or even your mouth open when you're doing it.
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God answers prayers in many ways.
The answer could be a cooling down of the sun.
Or it could be in motivating the governments of China, Russia etc to take whatever action is needed.
Most people are not in a position to motivate governments, but we can all pray.
And I am certain that prayer will achieve much more than glueing oneself to a road.
Prayers cannot be answered if they are not made.
Why should people have to pray? Doesn't God notice what's going on?
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Why do I pray? Well, firstly because I am both commanded and advised to do so, and because I like spending time in prayer. When? Well, as posted earlier, I try to follow the 'rule', a set routine of prayers and worship from the Iona Community, which starts as soon as I wake up, and ends when I jit the sack.
That's sounds like an awful lot of your day spent praying when you could actually be taking action to improve things.
Thirdly, do I pray if I'm involved in doing something in my daily life? Yes, if I need to - though you needn't haveyour eyes closed, your mind closed or even your mouth open when you're doing it.
Which means you cannot be giving your full attention and concentration on the thing you are supposed to be doing. Good job your aren't a surgeon - I doubt many patients would have much confidence in a surgeon who whose concentration on the surgery they are performing is distracting because they are also praying.
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God answers prayers in many ways.
The answer could be a cooling down of the sun.
Or it could be in motivating the governments of China, Russia etc to take whatever action is needed.
Most people are not in a position to motivate governments, but we can all pray.
And I am certain that prayer will achieve much more than glueing oneself to a road.
Prayers cannot be answered if they are not made.
The sun will get hotter over time not cooler.
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The sun will get hotter over time not cooler.
The suggestion was though that God would answer people's prayers by cooling the Sun, I think. Why God couldn't just do that without the need for prayers is my question.
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Why should people have to pray? Doesn't God notice what's going on?
"God knows your needs before you ask".... Jesus
Matt 6 6:8
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"God knows your needs before you ask".... Jesus
Matt 6 6:8
So won't do anything unless asked. Even though God loves us all, apparently.
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So won't do anything unless asked. Even though God loves us all, apparently.
I hope that one day you will come to know just how much God has done for you - even though you did not ask.
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The sun will get hotter over time not cooler.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/solar-energy-fluctuations-detected
from the above link:
The entire history of humankind, lived out in the last several million years, has occurred during abnormally cold times. There is evidence that the Earth has been growing colder for about 90 million years, and scientists believe the average global temperature may drop ten or more degrees in the next several million years.
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I hope that one day you will come to know just how much God has done for you - even though you did not ask.
In that case I must remember to thank 'God' for giving me prostate cancer without me asking,
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In that case I must remember to thank 'God' for giving me prostate cancer without me asking,
You should know by now, God only takes credit for the good things that happen. Funny that.
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https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/solar-energy-fluctuations-detected
from the above link:
The entire history of humankind, lived out in the last several million years, has occurred during abnormally cold times. There is evidence that the Earth has been growing colder for about 90 million years, and scientists believe the average global temperature may drop ten or more degrees in the next several million years.
https://usm.maine.edu/planet/sun-getting-hotter-if-so-why-will-earth-eventually-become-too-hot-life
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https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/solar-energy-fluctuations-detected
from the above link:
The entire history of humankind, lived out in the last several million years, has occurred during abnormally cold times. There is evidence that the Earth has been growing colder for about 90 million years, and scientists believe the average global temperature may drop ten or more degrees in the next several million years.
Hmm. That article is rather out of date, it is over 40 years old after all. Earth has cooled very significantly over the 55 million years (not 90 million) since the Paleocene/Eocene thermal maximum and particularly over the last 40 million years, but this not due to a reduction in solar output but rather due to severe drop in atmospheric CO2 levels to an unprecedented low around 20,000 years back, and this drop in CO2 is linked to the rise in the Himalayas due to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates causing a massive CO2 drawdown. There might be a slight drop in solar output this century, a run of unusually quiet years is leading to speculation the Sun may be entering a Grand Solar Minimum, but even so, this would not be sufficient to offset the projected temperature rise from a business-as-usual emissions pathway.
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I hope that one day you will come to know just how much God has done for you - even though you did not ask.
So why did you suggest that people need to pray for God to do something about climate change?
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So why did you suggest that people need to pray for God to do something about climate change?
Try thinking of it as the relationship between parent and child.
The parent will do many things for the benefit of their child which the child will not be fully aware of.
A loving parent will also be open to specific requests from their child.
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Try thinking of it a the relationship between parent and child.
The parent will do many things for the benefit of their child which the child will not be fully aware of.
A loving parent will also be open to specific requests from their child.
Any chance my 'loving parent' would make my prostate cancer go away? I'd rather like that, and so would my family and friends.
Somehow I suspect I'll be disappointed.
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Try thinking of it a the relationship between parent and child.
The parent will do many things for the benefit of their child which the child will not be fully aware of.
A loving parent will also be open to specific requests from their child.
And your god murders children with leukaemia. And chooses to do it. You worship a psychopath.
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Try thinking of it a the relationship between parent and child.
The parent will do many things for the benefit of their child which the child will not be fully aware of.
A loving parent will also be open to specific requests from their child.
That isn't an answer. God is supposed to love mankind and must know that climate change will lead to suffering and death but you are saying that for God to do anything about it man has to pray. That's different from being open to specific requests from a child. So how many people have to pray? If one does is that enough? if not, will that one person who prayed suffer due to others not praying - so God will decide not to help that person because not enough people asked?
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That isn't an answer. God is supposed to love mankind and must know that climate change will lead to suffering and death but you are saying that for God to do anything about it man has to pray. That's different from being open to specific requests from a child. So how many people have to pray? If one does is that enough? if not, will that one person who prayed suffer due to others not praying - so God will decide not to help that person because not enough people asked?
In the new Testament, Jesus claims that He was unable to perform miracles because of people's lack of faith. (Mark 6:5-6)
I believe that prayer is the essential key to unlock God's power here on earth.
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Any chance my 'loving parent' would make my prostate cancer go away? I'd rather like that, and so would my family and friends.
I will make the request on your behalf, Gordon.
And I sincerely hope it will be successful.
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I will make the request on your behalf, Gordon.
And I sincerely hope it will be successful.
your thug god created prostate cancer. You worship a malevolent mass murderer.
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I will make the request on your behalf, Gordon.
And I sincerely hope it will be successful.
Thank you anyway for the good intentions in trying - but aren't you taking a risk here in that if I'm not miraculously cured it means that either: 'God' wants me to have prostate cancer, prayers have no effect on 'God', 'God' can't actually cure me even if it wanted to, or that there is no 'God' listening to prayers?
I have a bone scan on the 15th, a CT scan on the 23rd, and I'll get the results on the 30th - I'll let you know if they show that I am cured: which, if so, will no doubt be a major surprise to the people looking after me since they clearly don't see 'cure' as being an option in my case.
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In the new Testament, Jesus claims that He was unable to perform miracles because of people's lack of faith. (Mark 6:5-6)
I believe that prayer is the essential key to unlock God's power here on earth.
I understand that that is one interpretation of Mark 6:5-6, but are you saying that God cannot act without being asked to? Who asked him to create the Universe etc? How many people have to ask - you haven't answered my questions about how many people need to ask God to intervene on climate change. What stops God acting on earth without people asking?
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Moderator:
This thread had been created from posts originally posted in the 'Climate Change is Upon Us' thread.
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You vastly underestimate the power of prayer.
No, I see no evidence for any 'power' in prayer beyond perhaps a certain meditative individual psychological effect. There's no evidence that prayer has any demonstrable effects outside of the invidual.
It is increasingly evident that human endeavours alone will not save our planet from the current climate crisis.
It does seem likely that we are beyond the point where we can undo what's been done in the any short term sense; that said, it's just as evident that there is no other recourse than changing human endeavours, given the lack of alternative influences, or we can accept the damage runaway climate change will have on our cultures and environments.
We need a miracle, which God alone can give through the power of prayer.
People spent millenia praying for salvation from diseases; if God did choose to act, he did so through the human endeavours of germ theory and hygiene, vaccinations and antibiotics. Even if you think this is down to God, why presume the methodology would change this time, why would the action not be through human endeavour? God seems to have gotten out of the miracle business a long time ago.
O.
Edited to correct formatting error
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I understand that that is one interpretation of Mark 6:5-6, but are you saying that God cannot act without being asked to? Who asked him to create the Universe etc? How many people have to ask - you haven't answered my questions about how many people need to ask God to intervene on climate change. What stops God acting on earth without people asking?
The concept of God is very tricky. In religions he is imagined in various ways. But philosophically speaking, God is seen as our own inner Self. There are several levels of Consciousness with human consciousness being at the lowest microscopic level. Different higher levels of consciousness have different spheres of influence.
Humans can influence certain higher levels of consciousness through collective effort. It is not really about God himself.
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The concept of God is very tricky. In religions he is imagined in various ways. But philosophically speaking, God is seen as our own inner Self. There are several levels of Consciousness with human consciousness being at the lowest microscopic level. Different higher levels of consciousness have different spheres of influence.
Humans can influence certain higher levels of consciousness through collective effort. It is not really about God himself.
I don't think Alan Burns thinks that.
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The concept of God is very tricky. In religions he is imagined in various ways. But philosophically speaking, God is seen as our own inner Self. There are several levels of Consciousness with human consciousness being at the lowest microscopic level. Different higher levels of consciousness have different spheres of influence.
I don't think that is how christians traditionally see god - I think they consider god to be an entity outside of ourselves rather than a manifestation of our inner self.
Humans can influence certain higher levels of consciousness through collective effort. It is not really about God himself.
in which case god isn't required for collective effort.
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The concept of God and a superior power outside oneself, is very important to subdue the ego consciousness. Even some Christians consider God as within oneself....
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Look what happened the last time our nation (the UK) was called to a day of prayer by King George VI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8vyfp0aVHk&t=4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulgEkXcXtd8
I fear that the Cop26 conference missed a great opportunity in not calling for a world day of prayer to solve the climate crisis.
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Look what happened the last time our nation (the UK) was called to a day of prayer by King George VI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8vyfp0aVHk&t=4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulgEkXcXtd8
I fear that the Cop26 conference missed a great opportunity in not calling for a world day of prayer to solve the climate crisis.
So soon after Remembrance Day, too...
Brave men and women accomplished the Dunkirk evacuation. Fishermen, recreational sailors, ex-Royal Navy and any number of others. God didn't lift the soldiers from one place, there was no 'miracle' in the divine sense, there was blood, sweat, toil, fear and thousands of deaths.
Eighteen ships and over two-hundred of the small ships were sunk, taking crew and evacuating soldiers with them.
This was not an act of any god, this was desperate men in the face of an entirely human evil doing what they could.
Don't cheapen it by taking away that accomplishment for your fairy godfather.
O.
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Look what happened the last time our nation (the UK) was called to a day of prayer by King George VI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8vyfp0aVHk&t=4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulgEkXcXtd8
I fear that the Cop26 conference missed a great opportunity in not calling for a world day of prayer to solve the climate crisis.
Why should people need to pray? You haven't answered that question.
No reason to think that Dunkirk was anything other than a result of human bravery rather than divine intervention.
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So soon after Remembrance Day, too...
Brave men and women accomplished the Dunkirk evacuation. Fishermen, recreational sailors, ex-Royal Navy and any number of others. God didn't lift the soldiers from one place, there was no 'miracle' in the divine sense, there was blood, sweat, toil, fear and thousands of deaths.
Eighteen ships and over two-hundred of the small ships were sunk, taking crew and evacuating soldiers with them.
This was not an act of any god, this was desperate men in the face of an entirely human evil doing what they could.
Don't cheapen it by taking away that accomplishment for your fairy godfather.
O.
I am not denying the immense human effort and bravery involved in Dunkirk.
But it would all have been in vain if -
* Hitler had not diverted the bulk of his ground troops south
* A freak storm had not prevented many German fighter planes from taking off
* A once in a generation calm had not allowed many small vessels to cross the English channel
* A thick fog had not formed to protect the vessels from air attack
* Millions of people had not answered the call from King George VI to pray for God's help.
You may try to write it all off as coincidence, but it has happened before -
https://www.churchpop.com/2016/10/06/rosary-saved-christendom-extraordinary-miracle-lepanto/
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I am not denying the immense human effort and bravery involved in Dunkirk.
But it would all have been in vain if -
* Hitler had not diverted the bulk of his ground troops south
* A freak storm had not prevented many German fighter planes from taking off
* A once in a generation calm had not allowed many small vessels to cross the English channel
* A thick fog had not formed to protect the vessels from air attack
* Millions of people had not answered the call from King George VI to pray for God's help.
You may try to write it all off as coincidence, but it has happened before -
https://www.churchpop.com/2016/10/06/rosary-saved-christendom-extraordinary-miracle-lepanto/
I specifically didn't write it off as coincidence, I put it down to the efforts of people.
Hitler's strategic and tactical ineptitude was demonstrated innumerable times throughout the war itself, and in some of the political and social decisions in the lead up to the war - it was not something unique to the Dunkirk evacuation.
In the early years of the war the capability of German air power to function in all weathers was limited - slightly more so than the allies. The forward base areas they were trying to operate from were in areas where the inclement weather was more likely, again these were not unique events to the Dunkirk evacuation.
The weather was fortuitous, but not 'once in a generation'; the particulars of the operation were conducted in response to the weather, in at least some instances.
And the millions of people who answered the call - they were defending their way of life, stepping up when called upon. Maybe some of them - most of them, given the era - were believers, but that doesn't suggest that God had anything to do with it. If they were praying, how many of them were praying for Hitler to fall to a heart attack, or to die in the 20th July Plot, or to have a building collapse on him during a bombing run... and none of those happened.
If you want to claim responsibility for the Dunkirk evacuation for your god, you need to take responsibility for the Holocaust for your god, too. I'm more inclined to see both of those as the result of the range of human behaviour, from the laudable to the deplorable.
O.
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I am not denying the immense human effort and bravery involved in Dunkirk.
But it would all have been in vain if -
* Hitler had not diverted the bulk of his ground troops south
* A freak storm had not prevented many German fighter planes from taking off
* A once in a generation calm had not allowed many small vessels to cross the English channel
* A thick fog had not formed to protect the vessels from air attack
* Millions of people had not answered the call from King George VI to pray for God's help.
You may try to write it all off as coincidence, but it has happened before -
https://www.churchpop.com/2016/10/06/rosary-saved-christendom-extraordinary-miracle-lepanto/
Your god wanted the Holocaust, chose for it to happen, and bathed in the blood. You worship a psychopath.
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Try thinking of it as the relationship between parent and child.
The parent will do many things for the benefit of their child which the child will not be fully aware of.
A loving parent will also be open to specific requests from their child.
Do you think there are no people praying to God to help us out with the climate change thing?
How many of us need to pray before God will step in and save us?
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Do you think there are no people praying to God to help us out with the climate change thing?
How many of us need to pray before God will step in and save us?
Clearly not enough!
Now, if everyone with a (per capita) carbon footprint greater than that of, currently, an average Indian, spent half the day praying, I reckon global warming would slow down enough to be sustainable.
:)
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Do you think there are no people praying to God to help us out with the climate change thing?
How many of us need to pray before God will step in and save us?
I asked that earlier but didn't get a response.
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Clearly not enough!
Or, perhaps, too many. If the Evangelical American politicians advocating for praying to God INSTEAD of taking action themselves are anything to go by, perhaps we could do with a few less people praying.
Now, if everyone with a (per capita) carbon footprint greater than that of, currently, an average Indian, spent half the day praying, I reckon global warming would slow down enough to be sustainable.
On the basis that they'd be praying for 12 hours, and sleeping for (on average) 8 I suppose that would reduce the time they could spend on activities that contributed to climate change... I don't see any other way in which it's going to have an impact.
O.
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Or, perhaps, too many. If the Evangelical American politicians advocating for praying to God INSTEAD of taking action themselves are anything to go by, perhaps we could do with a few less people praying.
On the basis that they'd be praying for 12 hours, and sleeping for (on average) 8 I suppose that would reduce the time they could spend on activities that contributed to climate change... I don't see any other way in which it's going to have an impact.
O.
Exactly. Praying instead of driving around in gas guzzling pick ups would certainly help. We could go back to a middle ages level of consumption.
More meditating, fasting and stationary lives in monasteries or nunneries might help too.
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I am not denying the immense human effort and bravery involved in Dunkirk.
But it would all have been in vain if -
* Hitler had not diverted the bulk of his ground troops south
* A freak storm had not prevented many German fighter planes from taking off
* A once in a generation calm had not allowed many small vessels to cross the English channel
* A thick fog had not formed to protect the vessels from air attack
* Millions of people had not answered the call from King George VI to pray for God's help.
You may try to write it all off as coincidence, but it has happened before -
https://www.churchpop.com/2016/10/06/rosary-saved-christendom-extraordinary-miracle-lepanto/
It's very easy to look for and find such links if you have a belief in such things. It's possible to find supporting evidence for virtually any belief I would say.
I ask again though, why should it need people to pray for God to intervene in this way?
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I ask again though, why should it need people to pray for God to intervene in this way?
It is a sad fact that many people of the current generation are drifting away from any form of religious belief, with dreadful consequences.
Our need to pray is what keeps us close to God and awareness of what is most important in our earthly lives.
https://www.trumpetsounds.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Wartime-Miracles-Leaflet.pdf
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It's very easy to look for and find such links if you have a belief in such things. It's possible to find supporting evidence for virtually any belief I would say.
The two links I quoted were profound examples of answers to a call for prayer for God's help in what seemed to be hopeless situations.
The answers to these two calls for prayer were world changing events.
Had the British army been annihilated at Dunkirk, Nazi occupation of Britain would have been inevitable.
Had the battle of Lepanto been lost to the Ottoman fleet, the whole of western Europe would have fallen under Islamic rule.
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The two links I quoted were profound examples of answers to a call for prayer for God's help in what seemed to be hopeless situations.
The answers to these two calls for prayer were world changing events.
Had the British army been annihilated at Dunkirk, Nazi occupation of Britain would have been inevitable.
Had the battle of Lepanto been lost to the Ottoman fleet, the whole of western Europe would have fallen under Islamic rule.
Not only is this an example of people crediting god for all the fortuitous events, while overlooking all the terrible things that happen despite prayers, it would also be an utterly pathetic response from an omnipotent god. Just look at all the suffering that such a god could have prevented, if it could be bothered to get off its lazy, omnipotent arse, and make more of an effort.
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It is a sad fact that many people of the current generation are drifting away from any form of religious belief, with dreadful consequences.
Our need to pray is what keeps us close to God and awareness of what is most important in our earthly lives.
https://www.trumpetsounds.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Wartime-Miracles-Leaflet.pdf
You seem very inclined towards confirmation bias and pish-poor websites peddling infantile nonsense.
If 'God' was active during WW2 how come it could intervene in the case of Dunkirk but not in the case of Belsen?
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It is a sad fact that many people of the current generation are drifting away from any form of religious belief, with dreadful consequences.
Dreadful consequences like marriage equality, social acceptance of variant behaviour, multicultural societies... terrible, terrible things. ::)
Our need to pray is what keeps us close to God and awareness of what is most important in our earthly lives.
And where it's most prevalent we get homophobia, misogyny, genocide, poor health care, infant mortality and corruption at higher rates. I'm not suggesting religion causes it, but it's certainly proving to be ineffective at fixing it.
https://www.trumpetsounds.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Wartime-Miracles-Leaflet.pdf
Go explain to Jewish diaspora where God was in the autumn of 1940. Go explain to the survivors of the Indian famine where God was when people were praying in 1943. Go explain to the families of those lost in predominantly Eastern Orthodox Leningrad in autumn of 1941 where God was. Go explain to the predominantly Catholic German peoples were God was during the summer of 1945. Go explain to the Japanese where God was on August 6th 1945.
'We' won (or, at least, we lost less than others did). Equally religious people, fighting with equal faith and religious justification lost (or, at least, lost more than we did).
O.
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Exactly. Praying instead of driving around in gas guzzling pick ups would certainly help. We could go back to a middle ages level of consumption.
More meditating, fasting and stationary lives in monasteries or nunneries might help too.
Yes, but I like living in the 21st century.
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It is a sad fact that many people of the current generation are drifting away from any form of religious belief,
That's not a sad fact.
with dreadful consequences.
What? You mean the fact that, in the 1980's, I decided Christianity was a load of nonsense and that I wasn't going to believe in God anymore means that now we have global warming.
Sorry everybody. I guess God should have done better at convincing me he exists.
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Had the British army been annihilated at Dunkirk, Nazi occupation of Britain would have been inevitable.
That's highly insulting to all the people in the Royal Navy and the "Little Ships" who were the ones that actually rescued the British Army at Dunkirk.
Had the battle of Lepanto been lost to the Ottoman fleet, the whole of western Europe would have fallen under Islamic rule.
Again, attributing that victory to God instead of the men who risked their lives to fight the Turkish fleet is highly insulting to their memory.
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Not only is this an example of people crediting god for all the fortuitous events, while overlooking all the terrible things that happen despite prayers, it would also be an utterly pathetic response from an omnipotent god. Just look at all the suffering that such a god could have prevented, if it could be bothered to get off its lazy, omnipotent arse, and make more of an effort.
If God had made Hitler a talented painter, the Second World War would never have happened and Dunkirk would not have been necessary.
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The two links I quoted were profound examples of answers to a call for prayer for God's help in what seemed to be hopeless situations.
The answers to these two calls for prayer were world changing events.
Had the British army been annihilated at Dunkirk, Nazi occupation of Britain would have been inevitable.
Had the battle of Lepanto been lost to the Ottoman fleet, the whole of western Europe would have fallen under Islamic rule.
'Profound examples of answers to a call for prayer for God's help'? You either have to be joking or your mind has been corrupted so much by your faith that anything goes, no matter how ridiculously unlikely it is. As you like pushing your own links, try casting your peepers over this one.
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/freethoughtnow/hurricanes-expose-the-futility-of-prayer/
I personally wouldn't want to worship such a god who, if it existed, shows such a lack of compassion and concern for suffering. You're welcome to it/him/her.
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It is a sad fact that many people of the current generation are drifting away from any form of religious belief, with dreadful consequences.
Our need to pray is what keeps us close to God and awareness of what is most important in our earthly lives.
https://www.trumpetsounds.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Wartime-Miracles-Leaflet.pdf
What does God need to have people praying before intervening?
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The two links I quoted were profound examples of answers to a call for prayer for God's help in what seemed to be hopeless situations.
The answers to these two calls for prayer were world changing events.
Had the British army been annihilated at Dunkirk, Nazi occupation of Britain would have been inevitable.
Had the battle of Lepanto been lost to the Ottoman fleet, the whole of western Europe would have fallen under Islamic rule.
As I say, that's what you believe because that's what you want to believe. No reason to think prayer had anything to do with them as far as I can see.
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It is a sad fact that many people of the current generation are drifting away from any form of religious belief, with dreadful consequences.
Our need to pray is what keeps us close to God and awareness of what is most important in our earthly lives.
https://www.trumpetsounds.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Wartime-Miracles-Leaflet.pdf
The people of Afghanistan are facing a growing humanitarian crisis, the women and children in particular. No sign of any divine intervention for them, despite Afghanistan being one of the most religious countries in the world where daily prayer remains very much part of life. So God intervenes on the side of the Allied forces in WWII but the plight of Afghans remains ignored. Is it because they are praying in the wrong direction ?
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That's not a sad fact.
What? You mean the fact that, in the 1980's, I decided Christianity was a load of nonsense and that I wasn't going to believe in God anymore means that now we have global warming.
Sorry everybody. I guess God should have done better at convincing me he exists.
The evidence for God's existence is truly overwhelming. As is the evidence for the existence of evil.
Sadly many people have convinced themselves that neither God nor evil exists.
If you search for reasons not to believe, the Devil will provide them in abundance.
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The evidence for God's existence is truly overwhelming.
Why have you never, ever managed to produce even the slightest hint of the smallest morsel of that evidence, then?
As is the evidence for the existence of evil.
Which, of course, would contradict the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent god.
If you search for reasons not to believe, the Devil will provide them in abundance.
As has been pointed out to you, many, many times, this is just plain idiocy. Nobody needs a reason not to accept the existence of something, if there is no reason to take it seriously in the first place.
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The evidence for God's existence is truly overwhelming. As is the evidence for the existence of evil.
Sadly many people have convinced themselves that neither God nor evil exists.
If you search for reasons not to believe, the Devil will provide them in abundance.
It's certainly not unless you are searching for reasons to believe.
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The evidence for God's existence is truly overwhelming.
I don't think that word means what you think it means - maybe you're autocorrect didn't understand 'underwhelming'?
As is the evidence for the existence of evil.
The presence of evil is one of the most compelling arguments against the sort of omnibenevolent deity Christianity alleges.
Sadly many people have convinced themselves that neither God nor evil exists.
No, although there a number of people that realise the two are incompatible.
If you search for reasons not to believe, the Devil will provide them in abundance.
That would be the devil that we also don't believe in, right? The devil that is, according to canon, not a God, and as susceptible to the omnipotent God's power and authority as the rest of us?
O.
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The evidence for God's existence is truly overwhelming. As is the evidence for the existence of evil.
Sadly many people have convinced themselves that neither God nor evil exists.
If you search for reasons not to believe, the Devil will provide them in abundance.
You provide people with sufficient reason to not believe with pretty much every posting. If the christian god exists, as in being both being almighty and benign, then evil cannot also exist because an omnipotent and benevolent god would not tolerate that. The two concepts are mutually contradictory. Posting up obviously irrational ideas is the way to go if you want to put people off religious faith.
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The evidence for God's existence is truly overwhelming.
Overwhelmingly absent is what you mean.
As is the evidence for the existence of evil.
How do you define "evil"?
Sadly many people have convinced themselves that neither God nor evil exists.
If you search for reasons not to believe, the Devil will provide them in abundance.
I used to be a Christian. I'm not one now because all the evidence that was revealed to me as I learned more about the world was that God is not necessary. If God had just once revealed his existence to me, I'd still be a Christian.
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It would appear that divine intervention will be the only feasible option to save the civilised world
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/warning-that-thawing-permafrost-poses-triple-threat-to-planet-170647274.html
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It would appear that divine intervention will be the only feasible option to save the civilised world
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/warning-that-thawing-permafrost-poses-triple-threat-to-planet-170647274.html
One could argue that a culture that can't cooperate to counter an existential threat isn't that civilised, in the literal sense, at all. Certainly I'd question the commitment to civilisation anyone who wanted to let the salvation of their culture rest upon the questionable intentions of an unevidenced supernatural 'benefactor'. They'd be so uncivilised they'd be eligible to site as a Republican Senator https://time.com/4800000/tim-walberg-god-climate-change/ (https://time.com/4800000/tim-walberg-god-climate-change/).
Only collective action by humanity, for our mutual benefit, offers a realistic hope of preventing further lasting damage; only collective action can hope to mitigate the damage already done and try to spread the pain widely but thinly. I fear the first of those is significantly more likely than the second.
Sitting around waiting for Allah, Zeus, Buddah, Odin, Yahweh, Zoroaster or Tiamat to suddenly take an interest is abrogating our collective responsibility, and there are enough people doing that already.
O.
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It would appear that divine intervention will be the only feasible option to save the civilised world
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/warning-that-thawing-permafrost-poses-triple-threat-to-planet-170647274.html
. Any evidence that the issue is not actually itself a result of divine intervention?
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. Any evidence that the issue is not actually itself a result of divine intervention?
God surely must have intervened to cause the great Permian Extinction millions of years ago. He obviously thought evolution wasn't going quite according to plan in order eventually to produce his most treasured species - humankind. A massive re-write was needed.
Sarcasm aside, it may seem to some that by drawing attention to the Permian Extinction, I am suggesting that all climate change is always down to the whims of nature, and that we are powerless to modify anything ourselves. Not at all; I think the present climate conditions are predominantly human-caused, and their modification is our responsibility.
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On what? I thought you agreed that actions were more important than prayer.
Thanks for telling us about your personal approach. A few points.
First, why is it necessary for you to spend a bunch of time in prayer in order to motivate you to action. If that is the case, what does that say about you. If not then the prayer is irrelevant to the action.
Secondly - how much time is spent on this - time which you could use in action.
Thirdly - It's the doing in conjunction with the praying that matters - what, at the same time. If someone was helping me - for example if I'd been injured and they were conducting first aid, I'd hope that they were entirely focussed on the job in hand, not being distracted by prayer.
But the broader point is that regardless of your own personal routine there are plenty of people for whom prayer, and being seen to pray, seems to be as far as they go in terms of engaging with issues. So they feel that it is 'job done, prayed for the planet, makes me feel a whole lot better' - pure lip service and ineffectual virtual signalling.
In fairness to Anchorman, who in many ways is a very wise soul, it seems to me that a lot of his 'prayer' is akin to eastern meditation, or the Quaker practice of simply sitting in stillness and silence. I don't go along with any concept of intercessionary prayer, but this latter practice I'm sure is beneficial. You rightly say that sometimes immediate action and focus on the job in hand is essential, but being 'geared for action' all the time is a recipe for making catastrophic mistakes.
A lot of this is common sense, since we all know that time for relaxation and mental stillness is beneficial to the whole organism, whether that involve some form of meditation, listening to music, fishing or bagging Munroes.