Delugeions

"The governor of Georgia held a public prayer vigil and asked God for rain to relieve the state's drought. This is at least the third time a Georgia governor has tried it. Governor's quotes: 1) Georgians haven't conserved water enough, so the drought is God's attempt to "get our attention." 2) "We come here very reverently and respectfully to pray up a storm." 3) "God, we need you. We need rain." 4) "God can make it rain tomorrow, he can make it rain next week or next month." Ministers' quotes: 1) "Oh God, let rain fall on this land of Georgia." 2) "We are entrepreneurs for you, dear God." Results: 1) The vigil "ended with the sun shining through what had been a somewhat cloudy morning." However, 2) Wednesday's forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of showers. Critiques: 1) "Hail Priest-King Perdue." 2) "God is not an ATM machine." 3) God is not an extortionist. 4) God is already aware of the drought. 5) "You can't make up for years of water mismanagement with a prayer session." 6) Less faith, more works. Defenses: 1) It's "worth a shot." 2) It worked last time. Human Nature's view: Intercessory prayer is an experimental failure." (Thanks D.)

Link is here.

I love this, D. sent it to me and she always has cool stuff. They do this prayer thing throughout the Muslim world and it is called "Salat al Istisqa'", the watering (?) prayer. It is frowned upon by local euroamericanized intellectuals who consider it a sign of backwardness and obscurantism. I don't think it is a sign of anything other than religion and faith, and I share Richard Dawkin's views on that matter: delusions. But I still think we should send the euroamericanized intellectuals to live in Georgia. Then salat al istisqa' will suddenly become the ultimate sign of wisdom and modernity.