Clarifying my position
PZ Myers, unarguably the most famous UMM internet celebrity, nails down in half a sentence the very same thing I was thinking about as I got ready for work this morning:
…when Christians back off and don’t make their ridiculous superstitions a prerequisite to participation in politics and everyday life, they are entirely tolerable.
To which I may add my thoughts on the aforelinked stories on prayer to deter crime and lower gas prices: as a means of personal comfort, or even as a vehicle to assemble and inspire people to action, prayer is fine, if sometimes a bit humorous. Whatever floats your boat.
But to cede personal responsibility and thought to the workings of a supernatural force – such as believing that prayer will save an 11-year old girl from “spiritual attack” – is lazy, dangerous, and, in this example, perhaps even criminal.
