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

[dianeduane]

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.)

Comments

[masonk.livejournal.com]

"Thank you, Lord, for giving me such material to work with?"

[wolfette]

(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.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

It does seem a little strange. Presumably he thinks there are other gods, and that they are on Obama's side, and that it matters that his god beat them. That's him out of the Christian church, then. As far as I remember they still frown on Manichaeanism and such like.

But I have no problem with McCain or Palin referring to their opponent, Senator Barack Obama, as "the other guy." Because it makes them look as if they can't remember his name. It makes them look addled. It makes them look dotty. And even if it didn't make them look any of those things, it would still be a stupid idea.

Frankly, if that's the calibre of the advice they're getting, I'm a lot less pessimistic about this election than I was.

[ghotitank.livejournal.com]

"sublime hyperdimensional WWF match"

That is the kind of thought that will keep me giggling all day long

[idonotlikepeas]

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."'

[randysmith]

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.

[semiramis.livejournal.com]

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

"that one" actually sounded sort of affectionate...

[earthtomeryl.livejournal.com]

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.

[trialia]

*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*

[dewline.livejournal.com]

*rolls eyes at those people who would demand that we start doing so*

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Now there's a Comedian's Prayer if ever it's been written!

[tammy-moore.livejournal.com]

...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!"

[trialia]

WTF FIC PLZ. *evil grin*

[trialia]

IKR? =P

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I didn't understand that abbreviation...?

[bynkii.livejournal.com]

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!"

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

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...

[trialia]

Ah, sorry. IKR = "I know, right?"

Don't apologize.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

After all, I learned from this. No worries.

[csi-tokyo3.livejournal.com]

Obviously your Mary Magdalene's from somewhere in Seven Dials, London. :P

[dduane.livejournal.com]

Yep. :)

(Though there's something to be said for the way "Ken-L-Ration God Chow" scans.)

[geekosaur]

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.)

[geekosaur]

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?

[katerinfg.livejournal.com]

*grins* I recognize that quote.

[murphys-lawyer.livejournal.com]

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