The Power of Prayer!

I'm sure most of you have heard of The Western Wall ( הכותל המערבי‎), or as The Goyim ( גוים or גויים )  Non-Jews, sometimes inappropriately call it  "The Wailing Wall" One of the most sacred sites in all of Judaism. The Wall is actually only a remnant of the original wall that once surrounded the Jewish Temple, and is located in the old city of Jerusalem at the foot of the Temple Mount  it has been a site for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage for centuries.


A female CNN journalist heard about a very old Jewish man who had been going to the Western Wall to pray, twice a day, every day, for a long, long time.



So she went to check it out.  When she got to the Western Wall, there he was, alone and walking slowly up to the holy site.

She watched him pray and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, using a cane and moving very slowly, she approached him for an interview.

"Pardon me, sir, I'm Rebecca Smith from CNN. What's your name?

"Morris Feinberg," he replied.

"Sir, how long have you been coming to the Western Wall and praying?"

"For about 60 years."

"60 years! That's amazing! What do you pray for?"

"I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews and the Muslims."

"I pray for all the wars and all the hatred to stop."

"I pray for all our children to grow up safely as responsible adults, and to love their fellow man."

"How do you feel after doing this for 60 years?"

"Like I'm talking to a fu*king wall."

"Atheists and Agnostics Know More about Religion than Religious Do!"

On a Recent Knowledge and Understanding of Religion Survey Atheists and Agnostics Scored the Highest!

And Interestingly Enough, U.S. Catholics Scored the Lowest!

Finally I Have Proof!  This study from The Pew Research Center verifies what I've always known to be true.  Most religious people are clueless as to what their faith officially believes in.  It's always been the only plausible explanation to me as to how, or why people continue to practice and/or supposedly believe in their respective faiths. 

Take Catholics, for example...

According to the  Survey  more than five-in-ten Catholics in the United States do not realize that their church teaches the bread and wine used in Communion do not merely symbolize but literally become the body and blood of Christ when the priest blesses them. Catholic dogma calls this the Transubstantiation, and I have  Blogged  about it in the past.  Most Catholics don't even know this, but 87% of Atheists surveyed did!

The Protestants didn't do much better...

53% cannot even correctly identify  Martin Luther  as the person whose writings and actions inspired the Protestant Reformation, which is what made their religions possible in the first place.

Now let's look at the Jews...

Moses Maimonides a/k/a Rambam

While generally speaking Jews fared a bit better in the survey, still however more than four-in-ten (43%) did not recognize the name or image of  Maimonides  or Rambam as he sometimes called, even though he is one of the Most Preeminent, Respected and Venerated Rabbis in the History of Judaism.  And his fourteen-volume  Mishneh Torah  first published in the twelfth century, still carries canonical authority as a codification of Talmudic Law

This however was no surprise to me.  I've had many Jewish friends over the years and while their knowledge of Yiddish vocabulary and expressions may have far surpassed mine their understanding of Jewish teachings and theTalmud usually did not. 

Although in fairness it should be noted that most of the friends I speak of were not particularly religious or observant Jews.  But we're rather Jewish more by heritage and tradition than anything else.  My two Orthodox friends (you know who you are) would be the obvious exceptions.


The study also revealed that most religious people know even less about religions outside of their own.  Surprisingly few people know that the  Dalai Lama  is a Buddhist, Martin Luther inspired the Reformation, or that  Joseph Smith  founded the Mormons.  Most Atheists however, were very knowledgeable about all of these facts. 
 
This obviously begs the question, why are Agnostics and Atheists so much better informed?
 
One of the Pew researchers presents the following theory...

"American atheists and agnostics tend to be people who grew up in a religious tradition and consciously gave it up, often after a great deal of reflection and study" said Alan Cooperman, associate director for research at the Pew Forum.

"These are people who thought a lot about religion," he said. "They're not indifferent. They care about it."

So, as Mitchell Landsberg of the Los Angeles Times explains  "If you want to know about God, you might want to talk to an Atheist."

Heresy? He asks? Perhaps, he explains. "But the survey found that Atheists and Agnostics knew more, on average, than followers of most major faiths. In fact, the gaps in knowledge among some of the faithful may give new meaning to the term "Blind Faith." 

I certainly couldn't have said it better myself.
 
Also interesting is that some of the most fervent believers such as Black Protestants and Latino Catholics scored at the bottom of this survey.

Every time I see someone with a Bible.  I have to ask myself, Have They Ever Actually Read That Book? !!

And if they have.  Why would anyone want to follow a God like that? 

The God of the Bible (The God of Abraham)  is, whether they know it or not, the God of every Christian Muslim and Jew!  And, He's a Mean, Ornery, Vicious, Vindictive, Spiteful, Self-Centered, Egomaniacal Son of a Bitch!

If you don't believe that, or you think that's some kind of blasphemy. 

Then You Have Obviously Never Read the Book!


Agnostic Thinking... Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comments if the panel is not open) or you can e-mail me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted. And don't forget to check out my original blog   Just Thinking 

Another Homophobic Pastor Bites the Dust!

Four young men have accused evangelical pastor Eddie Long of coercing them into homosexual relationships.

Long is facing allegations that he sexually abused the four men who received his mentorship as a "spiritual daddy."  They allege that Long encouraged them to join the church's elite youth group, so he could groom them for sex; in exchange, Long gave them money, new cars, housing and took them on exotic sexual rendezvous's.
There is an irony to the sexual allegations by the four men. Since Long, like many conservative black preachers, has routinely and repeatedly openly condemned homosexuality.

He holds "sexual reorientation" conferences, which are aimed at "curing" gay men and lesbians. A 2007 article in the Southern Poverty Law Center's magazine called him "one of the most virulently homophobic black leaders in the religiously based anti-gay movement."

As I've always said, show me a homophobe and I'll show you a latent homosexual.

BTW - did you notice the jewelry and the ostentatious gold watch?
The good pastor, you see, preaches the "Gospel of Prosperity" a philosophy that says, follow God's word and wealth and riches will follow. Great wealth is surely a sign of God's love. - So I guess that means "the invisible man in the sky" God,  must hate the poor.

Pastor Long himself drives a $350,000 Bentley, bought a $1.1 million home in 2005 and tends to favor gold necklaces and Rolex watches.  - I'm sure the Lord is very pleased.



Did you happen to notice in the video above, that he never actually denies the charges.  True, a denial may have been vaguely implied.  But at no point did he actually come out and say it never happened.  Perhaps that was also on the advice of his attorneys.

Agnostic Thinking... Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comments if the panel is not open) or you can e-mail me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted. And don't forget to check out my original blog   Just Thinking 

President Obama Supports the Mosque at Ground Zero - and Calls It a Freedom of Religion Issue!



AP – President Barack Obama stops to
answer a reporter's question about his position
on the mosque at ground zero.

Pretty safe position right?

Don't most of us support freedom of religion?

Most Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists support this basic American Freedom. 

Hell, Even Agnostic/Atheists like Me Support Freedom of Religion, provided that,  "Freedom"  includes the right to practice it and/or be Free of It!  In fact, most clearheaded progressive thinking people support this "Constitutional Principle" with the possible exception of religious fanatics.

You know - like, Right-Wing Christian Fundamentalist Extremists, and Muslim Fundamentalist Jihadists. (Two groups that have more in common than either side would ever like to admit.)

While 60% of Americans polled agree that Muslims have a right to build a mosque anywhere they want, a whopping 70% of Americans are against the notion that it's okay to build a Mosque adjacent to the World Trade Center Catastrophe.  Especially when the Funding and the Motive for said mosque are in question.  Questions that the mosque builders have repeatedly evaded.

Given that Muslims have had a history and long-established tradition of building mosques on or near the sites of so-called Jihad Victories, I think America's skepticism, in this case, may be justified.

Even the architecture of the proposed mosque has been called into question.  Apparently, a mirrored front will be angled in such a way as to cast its reflection onto the site of the World Trade Center Memorial. That does make their motive sound suspicious, doesn't it?

While anyone certainly has the right to build a Mosque, Church, Synagogue, or Temple where ever zoning permits.  The timing and choice of location, in this instance, does seem a bit insensitive.  Either way, though.  I don't personally much care where or if they build their mosque.

I am however very concerned about the political implications of Obama weighing in on this issue.  As an Obama supporter, I wish he would have just left it alone.  He has nothing to gain by this, and in this heated political climate, much to lose.
 
I can't help but think,  Our President made a fatal error, both politically and emotionally, when he recently spoke in support of this mosque.  Make no mistake about it, despite his recent back pedaling, the president's speech on Friday was a definite endorsement, an  enthusiastic endorsement  at that.  If you don't believe me, I suggest you  read the text. 


Agnostic Thinking... Please feel free to comment below,

The Andy Rooney "Prayer" E-Mail Is a Hoax!

Perhaps some of you have received the following viral e-mail...

Subject: Andy Rooney and God

or as it's usually sent,

Subject: Andy Rooney and Prayer

Andy Rooney says:  (so the email claims)

I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin , but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his Theory of Evolution.

Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire Book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.

But it's a Christian prayer, some will argue.

Yes, and this is the United States of America , a country founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect -- somebody chanting Hare Krishna?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem , I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer....

If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad , I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.

If I went to a ping pong match in China , I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.

And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit.. When in Rome .....

But what about the atheists? Is another argument.

What about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer!

Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep. Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying.

God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you, well, just sue me.

The silent majority has been silent too long. It's time we tell that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard that the vast majority doesn't care what they want. It is time that the majority

Rules! It's time we tell them, 'You don't have to pray; you don't have to say the Pledge of Allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right; but by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away'. We are fighting back, and we WILL WIN!

God bless us one and all ... Especially those who denounce Him , God bless America, despite all her faults. She is still the greatest nation of all. God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God.

Let's make 2010 the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions . And our military forces come home from all the wars.

Keep looking up.  If you agree with this, please pass it on.

If you are among the many out there who believe this, agreed with this and took the time to pass it on than I'm sorry to have to tell you this (well not really) but this e-mail you've chosen to forward is actually a Hoax. Whoever wrote this e-mail is, at the very least, committing fraud, and I might add, obviously having a good laugh at the expense of the religious right. 

I knew it had to be a joke the moment I started to read it since, as any good atheist knows, Andy Rooney is a well established and well known Agnostic/Atheist.

May I suggest you read his book, "Sincerely, Andy Rooney" published in 1999. Or just Google Andy Rooney-atheist, or check out the discussion on this subject at snoops or click on the following Wikipedia link...  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Rooney  and scroll down to the section titled "Views" where they discuss the fact that Andy Rooney has been a self-proclaimed Agnostic most of his adult life and has more recently, as of 2008, declared himself to be a full-fledged Atheist.

This whole situation is so outrageous that it begs the question, is the Christian right so hard up to have a credible spokesperson that they actually have to make one up?  I guess they are when their best-known representatives are the likes of the barely educated Sarah Palin (Miss I went to Five schools in Six years and Finally got a Four year degree).  Or Rush Limbaugh who never finished school at all.  Or even better still, the Reverend Pat Robertson, who seems to believe, preach and teach that earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and disease only visit the sinful and the wicked.

Yes, I guess when that's the best you've got, you'd do anything, even commit fraud - if you had to;  just to claim that a bright, clever, educated and insightful man like Andy Rooney  shared your point of view.  Even when it's so obvious that he doesn't, couldn't and wouldn't. 

Even without taking the time to research this viral e-mail for errors. It should be obvious to most people that it's filled with inaccuracies.

For instance, China Is a Communist/Atheist State and as such does not permit prayers to Buddha or any other deity at its public events. I should think most people would know that, unless of course they are ignorantly confusing mainland China with its bitter enemy Tibet.

As I reread the e-mail, it becomes increasingly apparent that rather than endorsing prayer. It's actually Mocking it while it trivializes religion in general. Take for example, the whole thing about Christians should stop turning the other cheek; Meaning what?

Christians should stop being Christian??

"Turn the other cheek" after all, was taught by Christ himself and is and always has been one of the basic tenants of Christian belief.

As in, Matthew chapter 5 verse 38-39 "You have heard that it was said, 'An Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."

While I have always understood why some religious people might pray for the safety and well-being of a loved one at war. I have never understood those who insist on praying for the defeat of one side over the other, when Christ was so obviously a pacifist.

When it comes to praying about war.  I think Mark Twain said it best in his brilliant piece "The War  Prayer"  http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/twain1.html   

It's also worth noting that the lawsuit concerning prayer before football was actually a dispute between two Christian groups and had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with atheists versus Christians.  It was in fact, more like Catholic versus Protestant since it was a Catholic group that first objected to the Protestant sectarian nature of a Christian chaplain's prayer. The Mormons ended up joining forces with the Catholics in support of their cause.   http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/99-62.ZS.html 

Finally, for those of you so-called religious people who insist on propagating this propaganda by forwarding this e-mail, that Andy Rooney so obviously did not write; may I suggest you reread your 10 Commandments and pay particular attention to the one that talks about bearing false witness against thy neighbor.

Agnostic Thinking...


Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comments if the panel is not open) or you can e-mail me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted. And don't forget to check out my original blog   Just Thinking