dduane: The Battle of the Invisible Friends (aka "Supreme Being Smackdown")

Diane Duane (

dduane) wrote,
@ 2008-10-12 16:51:00

Entry tags:

allah, god, hindu. buddha, lone power, my head hurts, politics, prayer, religion, voldemort

The Battle of the Invisible Friends (aka "Supreme Being Smackdown")

Can things get any dumber? Don’t answer that question.

"There are millions of people around this world praying to their God -- whether it's Hindu, Buddha, Allah -- that [McCain's] opponent wins for a variety of reasons," Pastor Arnold Conrad said. "And, Lord, I pray that you would guard your own reputation, because they're going to think that their god is bigger than you, if that happens."

(eyeroll) It’s like something out of a commercial jingle. “My God’s better than your God, my God’s better than yours…” I leave it to others to tease out the five or six hilarious and possibly offensive assumptions and logical fallacies underpinning the above statements. …But the whole thing factors down to: Please, God, don’t embarrass us. Is it just me, or is there something extremely wrong with that entire line of reasoning…and this guy — a clergyman — doesn’t even see it?

Also: has it genuinely never occurred to this cleric that somewhere in America there might possibly be someone praying to the very same God he’s (theoretically) praying to that the Unnamed Opponent should win? And that (to take a slightly different tack) if it turns out to happen that way, that this would — in his theology — be because of his very own God’s will, not as the result of some sublime hyperdimensional WWF match? …No, probably if that concept crept into the guy's head, said head would explode. Was he perhaps trying to be funny? If so, FAIL.

…And here again we have this weirdness about not naming the other guy even at a distance, let alone when he’s standing six feet away. (“That one?” Tsk tsk.) I mean, surely there’s no point in not-naming even the Lone Power (click here for his version of the icon to the right) or Voldemort when they’re already sitting there waiting for you to finish speaking. Strikes me as rude.

I really, really wish I could just stop reading the news until sometime in December. (mutter) I also really wish I could email stuff like this to C.S. Lewis. Imagine the response.

ETA: I found the Ken-L-Ration jingle on this page. Check it out: there's a ton more period stuff there, on numerous pages.)

(Post a new comment)

	masonk 2008-10-12 03:57 pm UTC (link)
	"Thank you, Lord, for giving me such material to work with?" (Reply to this) (Thread)

	dewline 2008-10-12 04:39 pm UTC (link)
	Now there's a Comedian's Prayer if ever it's been written! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	wolfette 2008-10-12 04:01 pm UTC (link)
	(eyeroll) It’s like something out of a commercial jingle. “My God’s better than your God, my God’s better than yours…” Or a bunch of five year olds in the playground. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	trialia 2008-10-12 04:27 pm UTC (link)
	G See, this? This is one of the big things that makes me proud to be Unitarian. We don't do that. rolls eyes at people who do (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	geekosaur 2008-10-12 05:06 pm UTC (link)
	Yeh, noticed that right away. One G-d = One G-d, not "my god's better than yours". Hello "pastor", unclear on the concept much? (Reply to this) (Parent)

	ghotitank 2008-10-12 04:02 pm UTC (link)
	"sublime hyperdimensional WWF match" That is the kind of thought that will keep me giggling all day long (Reply to this) (Thread)

	jerel 2008-10-12 09:27 pm UTC (link)
	So that leads to the question, what do they throw in the ring? Hyperdimensional chairs? (Reply to this) (Parent)

	idonotlikepeas 2008-10-12 04:15 pm UTC (link)
	What he did actually say was 'There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way."' (Reply to this)

	randysmith 2008-10-12 04:17 pm UTC (link)
	Well, I don't disagree with you, but the whole idea of prayer seems a little silly to me. I mean, presumably my God(dess) knows substantially better than I what their will is, and what consequences will be best for accomplishing that--what's the point of petitionary prayer? But I think I'm in the minority on that opinion. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	geekosaur 2008-10-12 05:03 pm UTC (link)
	Oddly enough, the Talmud addresses that one: "of course G-d knows your heart already; the point of prayer is its effect on the pray-er." It's supposed to lead you to focus on the things you are putatively asking G-d to do. (OTOH that often gets lost under a flood of post-Talmudic Kabbalah claptrap.) (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	semiramis 2008-10-12 04:22 pm UTC (link)
	It strikes me that there's a certain lack of parallelism in that list... but I suppose I should be grateful that at least he didn't try to include "Confucius" in it. orz (Reply to this)

	"that one" actually sounded sort of affectionate... earthtomeryl 2008-10-12 04:26 pm UTC (link)
	I totally agree about the God's will garbage. What the heck made somebody think that Pastor would lead his flock in any sort of sensible direction? About the "that one" comment, though... I really don't think it was as insulting or weird as people make out. I've heard the phrase used before as a gentle tease, and from the clip I saw I'm fairly sure that's how McCain meant it. (Reply to this)

	tammy_moore 2008-10-12 04:40 pm UTC (link)
	...on a scale of one to ten, just how blasphemous is it that in my head Mary Magdalene is standing back holding Jesus' coat and screaming: "C'mon, Jez, you can take 'em. Kick 'is head in! Geroninthere!" (Reply to this) (Thread)

	trialia 2008-10-12 04:43 pm UTC (link)
	WTF FIC PLZ. evil grin (Reply to this) (Parent)

	bynkii 2008-10-12 04:51 pm UTC (link)
	BAAHAHA>... Just remembered the rest of that jingle... "My God's better 'cause he eats Ken-L-Ration, my God's better than yours! New, Ken-L-Ration Deity Chow, available at grocery stores everywhere!" (Reply to this) (Thread)

	dduane 2008-10-12 05:01 pm UTC (link)
	Yep. :) (Though there's something to be said for the way "Ken-L-Ration God Chow" scans.) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	wiliqueen 2008-10-12 04:53 pm UTC (link)
	That's not even a commercial jingle. It's a playground taunt. I've never been so glad to be staring down the barrel of tech week with its nineteen-hour days in my life. Much easier to miss all but the highlights of the news. sigh ETA: D'oh! Never mind. I had completely forgotten the Ken-L-Ration commercials... Edited at 2008-10-13 02:19 am UTC (Reply to this)

	murphys_lawyer 2008-10-12 05:11 pm UTC (link)
	God bless the King, I mean the faith's defender; God bless - no harm in blessing - the Pretender; But who Pretender is, or who is King, God bless us all - that's quite another thing. - John Byrom (Reply to this)

	zianuray 2008-10-12 05:35 pm UTC (link)
	"No, probably if that concept crept into the guy's head, said head would explode." Yes please! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	pauamma 2008-10-12 08:14 pm UTC (link)
	Easy - since he mentioned praying to Allah (SWT), just tell him about Arabic-speaking Christians. :-) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	pauamma 2008-10-12 05:53 pm UTC (link)
	There's a religion that has a deity caled "Hindu"? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	dduane 2008-10-12 05:59 pm UTC (link)
	(headclutch) In this guy's universe, apparently. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	cmdr_zoom 2008-10-12 07:57 pm UTC (link)
	These people desperately need to read the War Prayer. Or have it read to them, if necessary. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	kayshapero 2008-10-12 08:42 pm UTC (link)
	I also really wish I could email stuff like this to C.S. Lewis. Imagine the response. Oh yeah.... Y'know, it's probably 'bout time I reread the Screwtape Letters. (Reply to this)

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	kvaadk 2008-10-12 09:10 pm UTC (link)
	Oi. Christians don't do this. Clergy or not, that guy's a fundamentalist -- and every religion has their quota. I cam be pretty philosophical about them when they're giving other religions a bad name. Gotta admit, tho, I get pissed when they show up in my faith. And, for the record, I know a few dozen pastors who are praying for the opposite outcome. (Reply to this)

	tielan 2008-10-12 09:21 pm UTC (link)
	He can't have been being funny. THESE PEOPLE HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOUR. facepalms It's just...ridiculous. Insane. STUPID. ARGH. (Reply to this)

	starcat_jewel 2008-10-12 09:21 pm UTC (link)
	"Do one thing for me, Sredni Vashtar." The thing was not specified; as Sredni Vashtar was a god, he must be supposed to know. Now that was someone who knew how to pray. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	cmdr_zoom 2008-10-12 11:43 pm UTC (link)
	Another was Conan, despite his claim that he had no tongue for it. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	the_rainbow_jen 2008-10-12 10:53 pm UTC (link)
	Have you ever read The War Prayer by Mark Twain? It's exactly what you're talking about. Dead on. (Reply to this)

	stokerbramwell 2008-10-13 01:56 am UTC (link)
	It's things like this that make me DEEPLY sad that Lewis is no longer with us, because, by God, we NEED a voice of sanity in Christianity these days. (Reply to this)

	kengr 2008-10-13 05:31 pm UTC (link)
	It’s like something out of a commercial jingle. “My God’s better than your God, my God’s better than yours…” There's actually a filk. "My Ghod's Better than Your Ghod". I think it's in the NESFA Hymnal. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	dduane 2008-10-13 05:41 pm UTC (link)
	Yeppers. It's based on the song from the Ken-L-Ration commercial. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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