David Ramsey of the Colorado Springs Gazette wants to know why there hasn’t been any rain to drown out the wildfires despite all the people praying for it:
Minutes after ignition of the Waldo Canyon Fire, the call rang out for prayer. And the call was answered by millions of Christians across our nation and our globe.
Trust me on this one. I heard from dozens of friends who said they were praying for my family, my home, my city. Above all, these friends prayed for rain…
…
On Tuesday night, I was watching in terror at one of the city’s high points behind Chapel Hills Mall. Hundreds stood beside me as we watched the flames rolling through neighborhoods, consuming houses. There was an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
For me, there was also this draining realization:
God, despite the requests of millions, had not delivered rain to the Pikes Peak region.
Why?
Because — and I can’t believe I need to explain this to an adult human — rain doesn’t appear just because you ask it nicely. That’s not how rain works. Or science. I learned that when I was 8. Ramsey (and millions of Christians, apparently) still hasn’t figured that out.
Oh, and god doesn’t exist. But we knew that already.
But Ramsey doesn’t mention any of that. He just talks about all those Christians who are rationalizing what’s going on in Colorado right now:
“You can’t tell God how to respond,” [Rev. Patty] Walker said. “Even though it doesn’t rain, it doesn’t mean God isn’t showing up. God has shown up in a million other ways.”
…
“We have a very involved God,” she said. “I believe God is crying with people who lost their houses.”
I’m sure he is… Omnipotent God let the fires ruin their houses and then wept with them.
That’s like a bully who beats you up badly and then watches from a distance while the paramedics attend to you.
When’s someone going to blame God for starting the fires in the first place?
Ramsey finally makes the obvious point near the end of the article:
In the end, our view of God’s response comes down to what we expect.
I can paraphrase that: Shit’s gonna happen whether god exists or not. So it’s silly to pin your hopes on someone whose existence wouldn’t change a damn thing.
Ted Haggard‘s replacement, Brady Boyd, made the most arrogant statement of all:
Brady Boyd, senior pastor at New Life Church, has prayed without ceasing this week. God, Boyd stated with confidence in his Louisiana drawl, answered those prayers. Boyd prayed for rain, for the firefighters, for the evacuees. No one has died, Boyd said, and the firefighters performed astounding feats.
“We’ve received two out of three, and that’s been pretty amazing,” he said. “That’s a miracle.”
So the thing you needed the most didn’t happen. But even though the firefighters did their jobs and saved many lives, you’re going to give the glory to God instead. That’s warped logic. (And awful use of math… 66% isn’t a miracle; it’s not even a D+. God didn’t kill the individual mandate yesterday, either, so I guess he’s at 50% now?)
Actually, someone did die, so I guess Brady’s God is at 33%.
It’s an awful article written by someone who can’t reconcile his imagination with reality.
What’s going on in Colorado is horrible. God’s not to blame for it. But good people can work together to make things better. Give me a day or so to get a link where people who know God’s not going to help can donate to help the people in need.
That will be a much better use of your time and resources than praying.
(Thanks to Laura for the link)