Wednesday, February 17, 2010


"Consistency is severely lacking in religion. If you believe God saved the survivors, you MUST therefore also believe he killed the victims." KT Trebor

If there are any Christians reading this blog, they will be offended no matter what, but many will be baffled when they read the title of this blog. Let me explain why I don’t want to hear, “I will pray for you” ever again!

1) Prayer does not work!

During my lifetime (I am 45 years old, so that counts as good amount of time) I have NEVER seen a prayer answered. Not one. I have never seen anyone’s prayers work any more than normal luck and life happening in its own time. So, if there is ever a time when I am ill, or dying, or some other such terrible life-event. Please don’t tell me you are praying for me. I would rather hear something like. “I love you and I am here for you.” Or “Can I take Noah for a while to help you out?” or any other kind of helpful statement that will actually help me and not make me feel like you are just saying empty words. In his book, “God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything” Christopher Hitchens says this about prayer:

…One might open the newspaper to read that the largest study of prayer ever undertaken had discovered yet again that there is no correlation of any kind between “intercessory” prayer and the recover of patients.(Well, perhaps some correlation: patients who knew that prayers were being said for them had more postoperative complications than those who did not…)

Prayers have never worked and never will, because there is no god. If there were a god, he/she would actually listen to prayers and do something about bad things that happen. Thousands of innocent kids and adults die in earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and other natural disasters all the time. What kind of god would allow that? Beautiful and innocent babies and young children die from abuse starvation and neglect every day all over the world. If god is all-knowing and can control everything, then where is he? So, if any prayers should work, it should be prayers offered up for innocent babies and children. But they don’t work.

When the local story broke about the 7-year-old girl, Somer Thompson, being missing, people began praying, holding prayer vigils and telling news reporters that their churches were praying for her safe return. Somer was found dead in a landfill in Georgia a few days later. Wouldn’t a just, all-knowing, all-loving god have prevented that from happening? Especially with all the prayers being offered up for that sweet, innocent girl? Think about it! Did they not pray hard enough? Did they pray with the wrong attitude? No, they prayed to someone who does not exist. So then, when she was found dead, do they turn to their god and question him? Nope! They say things like, “Well, it was god’s will!” or “He must have wanted her in heaven sooner than other children” WTF? Is that kind of crap supposed to make people worship god? Unfortunately there are people who are dumb enough to keep praying and worshipping this evil god.

Finally consider this quote taken from"



2) Prayer is selfish.

Often Christians pray for things like their football team to win, their daughter’s cheerleading team to make the championships or for their car to magically run again. These kinds of prayers are usually self-centered and don’t take into account the fact that there is another team, with equally wonderful and good humans on that team, playing just as hard, and putting just as much work into winning. Of all the problems and pain in the world, is their god really going to be sitting there saying to himself: Yes, you have prayed for your car to work, so therefore I will take time out of my busy day (millions and millions of prayers to “answer”) and will make sure you have a fixed starter. This is selfish thinking, if you really believe in god. I have heard people pray for their team to win over a “non-Christian” school team because they are faithful and offer up prayer. Having god on their side should be enough to help them win the game, right? ha!

3) Prayer is arrogant.

Most Christians I have met are arrogant people. They think that their religion is the one and only right one (despite the fact that there are thousands of other religions in the world) and they think that when people suffer any kind of pain or hurt in their lives they must deserve it One of the main reasons that I turned away from Christianity was the hypocrisy and arrogance that most Christians have about their religion being right and everyone else’s being wrong.
Here is a quote that I took from one of my former students. She posted it as her Facebook Status:

"WOW God is soooo good! I just witnessed a car accident with the car right in front of me! One more second and that couldve been me my sister and my god-daughter! Thank You Jesus for covering us!!"

I would like to know why god got credit for this? What about the people in the car in front of her? Don’t they matter? Are they just not good enough christians so god decided that their car should get smashed? This kind of thinking is dangerous and ridiculous! Someone was driving like an idiot and someone else (an innocent person) had to pay for it. That is how life goes sometimes. Don’t give a useless and evil “god” credit for saving you and deciding to smash up someone else! If there was a good and all-knowing god he would have seen the accident coming and prevented it!

Along the lines of arrogant christians: Just because you prayed for something (ie… a friend with cancer) and your prayers were “answered” please don’t take the credit and say it was because you prayed for them. You really don’t have any more control than any other humans over what would have happened anyway.You are not that special!

Saying “I will pray for you” puts people in a position of power. It gives people the impression that you have a hotline to god, because you are special like that, and that your simple prayer to him is going to change things because you are that important. That is just total bullshit!

4) If god is in control, then why do you have to pray?

Most christians believe that god is in control. They say dumb things like “Let go and let god” and “Jesus take the wheel.” If they believe that way, then what the hell is prayer for? Why waste your time and breath on someone who has already decided the way things are going to be? Why would you want to pray to a god who allows innocent people to be hurt or die while allowing child molesters and rapists to keep on living?

My own experience with prayer not working has been one small step in the direction of being an ex-christian. I never saw it working. I never felt like god was stepping in for me when I was in crisis in my early 20s and married to an alcoholic. Where was god? Certainly not there for me and my small children! I started to realize, not overnight, but slowly over time, that god did not exist.

P.S. There is a movie, based on a book called "Prayers for Bobby." Bobby was gay and his parents were christians and would not accept it. So Bobby prayed to god that he would not be gay. But his prayers did not help. Bobby killed himself because he was gay and god was not there to help him. I will write more in future blogs about how religion is dangerous in so many ways! Aceptance and love would have helped Bobby. Not prayers!

Here is a link to the movie:


  1. Great post, Lori. I have seen prayers 'work'...but I have also seen the power of the mind through hypnotherapy, and the power of positive thinking. I really think it has nothing to do with God, and more to do with people devoting so much of their day to concentrating on something...for example, my dad was a really big jerk before he became a Christian. He 'got saved' and started becoming a better and better person. No, he is not perfect (still a jerk in some ways) but he is a kind hearted, loving individual who means the best...not how he was before, for sure. My parents offered this anecdote to me as 'proof' that God exists. I said, "He spent hours every day studying the Bible, praying, receiving instruction on how to improve his character...of course he was improving! He spent so much time trying to better himself!"

    I agree with you that prayer is selfish. I hate when people say, "God answered my prayers and I found a job!" I always thought about the other people, the ones who applied and didn't get the job. Did they pray? Guess they didn't deserve it as much! And besides, really? God answers prayers about someone getting a job, but not about a little girl who is missing? Isn't the little girl's life worth soooo much more? Wouldn't the person who got that job give it up if it meant that little girl was not molested and killed? I bet they would...who wouldn't??

    Again, great post...I love this blog and always look forward to reading it!!!


  2. This is excellent. You're bound to get tons of hate mail from this. I'll pray for you. =p


  3. To anybody who may have connected with this post, I recommend some good reading over at "Why Won't God Heal Amputees?"

    It's a great read for those who are interested in the topic of god answering prayers (or not).

  4. The only time I like prayer is when homophobes pray. It keeps them busy using time they could be devoting to things that actually make a difference.

  5. HOLY CRAP LADY, you seem to be living a cushy life. Most people who pray truly cling to their prayers as their only hope. You are truly hateful, get a life. Be proactive.

    1. Spoken like a true "christian". Hypocritical, judgmental, ignorant, and telling her to be proactive? She is telling others to be proactive by DOING something instead of PRETENDING to do something by praying! And did you not read about what she went through in her life (which tells you her life was NOT cushy) to smarten her up to the fact that god doens't exist? Obviously not. Because just like most "christians" you are blind to the truth.

    2. Very well said, Erica. Thank you! ;) At first I got angry when I read this. Then I just laughed. I cushy life? Lol I wish!

    3. It was a wonderful read. Spot on.

    4. Thank you anonymous! It's not fair that people get to bash us, but we can't stand up for God. Sickening.

  6. Dear Anonymous,

    Why would I be living a "cushy" life because I have never seen prayers working for me? If people want to cling to prayer as their only hope, that is their chioce, I am not taking that away from them, I'm simply pointing out that it does not work. I am far from hateful, I have a life and if you call prayer "proactive" you really do not get it.

  7. Even though I agree with you on how prayer is arrogant superstition, etc... I just don't get worked up over it if someone says they want to. I know where they're coming from; I've been there too. But even as a Christian, I believed that "faith without works is dead" and that God wanted us to take an active part in making the world a better place (not just sit on our asses and wait for something to change).

    What I should probably say to people who want to rely on prayer is "thank you for your good wishes, but I think doing something practical would be the best course of action and show that person your love."

    1. No one can pray to god for me. It must be me. Anyone else's prayers don't work on other. That's why prayer groups will not and do not work. The must between god and prayer. ... plain and simple.

  8. I agree with one exception. Those really nasty evangelical/fundamentalist types are free to pray for me any time. In fact I'd love them to pray for me as much as possible. The more they pray for me, the less time they have to do things that can actually harm others.

  9. The point of prayer is not to get God to do things for you. The person praying like that will not see God or know God. That person is selfish.

    Some research studies have shown those who have a faith in God heal faster and recover more often.

    Why would God heal everyone, when a juvenile understanding of Scripture clearly shows that is not His purpose for our world today?

  10. Derek, I am not sure if you are trying to tell me that my understanding of the scripture is "juvenile." or yours is. I can tell you that- obviously- I have read more bible than I care to admit. I have also read a lot of other books that meant more to me. Atheists do not believe that the bible is evidence.

  11. @Derek (and Lori):

    Actually, research shows that people who engage in "positive thinking" regarding injury or illness tend to heal faster than those who do not, regardless of their personal beliefs. In other words, the data indicate that the healing has nothing to do with faith in any deity whatsoever, just with the quality of the thoughts.

    As for the Bible, it reveals no single purpose whatsoever on the part of God for this world or any other world; it contains accounts of supposedly divine healing as well as accounts of supposedly divine injury or blight. (And Btw, I have been teaching biblical studies courses at a relatively large university for over a decade now, so my understanding is a bit beyond the juvenile stage.)

    Good post, Lori. Hang in there.

  12. i dont exactly know how to start,.ur offended me,not really....i just felt sorry and more sorry every second i read ur a christian.pentecostal at other.its clear that u quit the religion b/c u prefer simple factual thinking. Hate to break it to u, u r wrong....scientists/atheists r the dumbest people on earth..why?b/c they created the whole fact is truth.That what they searched their whole life is actually the truth.u see.u were tested in ur life.and unfortunately, u failed.God doesnt want weak people to join Him in heaven. That person obviously will not deserve it. If u lose faith in Him, does he not have the right to Not answer ur prayers.Just b/c u pray for something and it doesn't come true, doesnt mean he is not real. that he doesnt exist. U r a fool. To be tricked like the man in one movie i recently watched where he watches the holocaust news and says how can God do this.This world is wicked. What makes u think that those children will not have turned out to be someone really bad. Plus who r u to judge Gods way. What do u know about what hes thinking about?Nothing. thats what. And because u failed Him, ..when u tap on his door he will reply "i promise i do not know u." and thats when u will realize ur mistakes, but u know what they say"a little to late>"how do u like spending the rest of ur eternity in hell?fun?dont count on it.Plus God tends to test us. Since the devil was once a beautiful angel, but tried to deceive God(which is obviously impossible since God created him) he was sent all the way to the bottom. hell.How about u praise Lord for being alive, thank him for the food and clothes u have, praise him, prove to him that u fully in ur heart believe in him, then maybe he will repay u with something beyond explanation...But if not, remember that this was not an accident, me coming here..and many others who have tried to help u.God never gives up on his people. Thats why He is love. So this is one of ur chances to go bk on ur mistakes, and do the right thing. Trust me, if u dont, u will remember this and many other mistakes u have made and regret it, but it will be to late. I feel loss for u, for doing one of the worst things in the world> putting God ur creator next to myths. And a day will come , when u will try to fix it, but u will be dead by then, and God will stand before u,,and u wont even have the guts to look up at him, because u will have sinned before him. And he will punish u for it. SO i will pray( and no i am not being arrogant..i am simply being faithful in God the Lord..something u havent is not wrong to be jealous in religion..for it will take u closet to the Lord) that that day will never come. That u will come to ur real senses, and not this scientific idiocy.Good bye and take care.

    1. So if the options are Christian or Atheist I would be a Christian. And yet I found this post more offensive than Lori's.

    2. Hahaha!!! "scientists/atheists r the dumbest people on earth..why?b/c they created the whole fact is truth"

      And what are you? Smart? I'm dying of laughter right now. You can't even spell, use proper English, punctuation, etc, etc, etc! And you are calling others dumb? Unbelievable.

    3. Sometimes I wonder if I should take comments like this off. But then I realize that they help my cause.

    4. I personally has been responded, He gave me a new life, healed my heart taking out all the hate and pain in one minute, I begged Him and He heard my crying. He set me free. That happened years ago, I am so grateful and I know He is my Lord!

    5. God did not do this. U came to inner peace. If god will let a priest molest young boy's. ... he is one s**ty god.

  13. First off Julya, I have an important word for you: paragraphs!! My eyes are bleeding after reading your long and very unintelligible rant. Second, if you are going to say atheists and scientists are the dumbest people in the world, you might want to take these suggestions: correct your grammar, come to the table with intelligent resources to back that argument up, and a second mention of paragraphs (so important to the reader).

    With that being said, the most ignorant statement (there were quite a few) you made was when you said, "Because they (atheists and scientists) created the whole fact is truth." let's take a journey on over to the dictionary, shall we?

    Fact [fakt]
    1. Something that actually exists; reality; truth: Your fears have no basis in fact.
    2. Something known to exist or to have happened: Space travel is now a fact.

    Fact and truth are synonymous; do you think the dictionary was written by the devil? When exploring the differences between your faith and science you will find these things:

    1.) Faith is not based on any credible evidence, science is.
    2.) Faith is an unchanged idea based on narratives written in cultures far different than ours, science expands through time and culture always gathering new facts.
    3.) Your faith will not admit that it is wrong, science admits when a 'theory'
    needs updating due to new information.
    4.) Your faith is for you and explains very little, science is for everyone and explains a great deal of knowledge.

    1. Way to go n8sant...Awesome reasoning!!

  14. Well done. Julya could not have stated any clearer why not to believe in the imaginary god(s) ruining life for all of us. I was just arguing today with family about how ridiculous the premise of creationism is. What a waste of my time. I highly recommend "letters to a christian nation" (YouTube it)

  15. Faith and religeon should not be mixed up - spiritual truth and scientific truth are two very different things. Large amounts of the Bible were not written to be taken literally (no one - be it Jews, or Christians, started taking it literally untill very recently). I happen to dissagree about the 'lack of evidence' for Christianity. Not just because of the Bible (wich is actually actually one of the 'safest' collections of ancient writing, integrity-wise, and in any case, why would christians be lying about there accounts of Jesus, or others accounts of Jesus at a time when they risked execution for doing so?). Also not just because of the evidence of other people's testimony - wether it b friends or other more famous examples (george Muller's is always a good one to look at, if you want some evidence), but also because of my own testimony. I wont 'harp on' (excuse the pun :p) about it now, but if anyone does want to hear it, I am more than happy to share it. I am sorry that people have had these experiences with prayer. It sounds to me like it has been very much through a lack of faith. The bible says very clearly that prayer has to be accompanied by faith to work. I have had the majority of my prayers answered - many imes in almost miraculous ways, not to mention the prophecy i have managed to give other people - but then I would say that my faith is extremely strong.
    I would not say that I have been insulted by this message at all by the way - but i would say that there seems to be alot of hate here. At the end of the day, wether Christian or not, can we not all see how much better the world would be if we could all learn to love each other? I actually think that, other than 'loving thy father', this is the ultimate christian message, and can anyone truly say that this would be bad for the world?

    1. The bible was written by man's hand.... you ever play a game as child where there are many ohter kids to play. The first child whispers something into the second child's ear. And so on and so on... 10 or 15 kids later. What the first child whisperd is nothing like the last child is whisperd.... in other words. Lost intranslation.....if it were not out written from a lie.

  16. btw, if anyone does want to see my testimony, I have just posted in on my new blog all our welcome to comment, ask questions, etc.
    Lots of love, Joe

  17. Lori--
    I'm also an atheist, after having been raised in a religious environment.

    However, I feel I should pass on to you (& anyone else reading) a disturbing trend I've noticed. It seems to me that, in recent years, the debunking of religion has increasingly been used as a justification for misandry, just as the promotion of religion has long been used as a justification for misogyny.

    Since you've declared yourself an "atheist feminist", I suggest you find out about Warren Farrell (the only man to have ever been elected 3 times in a row to the board of directors of The National Organization For Women & who's more recently co-founded The National Organization For Men). I've read several of his books & not once have I ever found even one reference to religion. In the debate book, "Does Feminism Discriminate Against Men?", Farrell elaborates on his dubious experiences with Maher's old show, "Politically Incorrect". Maher more recently hosted the documentary, "Religulous", which criticizes various religions. It's an admirable film, but I would've preferred Penn Jillette as the host.

  18. Wow, this "Please Don't Pray For Me" post is just what I was looking for. I needed some guidance as to how to get my point through to my selfish in laws who only approve of their Catholic religion and tell everyone to "pray we win the game", "pray I find a job", "pray it stops raining so my hair stays nice", etc. It is mind boggling to listen to them and if you don't want to pray or you tell them that praying is the very least they can do, they flip out. Well, they are Catholic, not by choice, they were baptized as babies and now it's a cultural thing, and they will not open their minds to see there are thousands of other religions out there. When they see why they don't believe in any other God, then they will see why I don't believe in theirs. The last thing I want is an alcholic Catholic to preach to me about going to church and praying.

    1. Catholics are just like any other cult. ...

    2. Catholics are just like any other cult. ...

  19. I will Pray for you Dum Ass

  20. I find myself reading the responses to this blog and almost... almost can I feel the heat of my blood literally boiling.

    (excuse some of my language, for I can not hold it back)
    Julya, you remind of the dog shit I stepped in this morning. It makes you want to vomit but also beat the dogs ass for taking a shit in the house! You claim to follow the faith of the "good lord". You completely lashed out at Lori for her blog, along with including some harsh words. Now if I'm correct, don't all you damn christians revoke the right to judge people? Well darn, you just did!
    Who cares if she doesn't believe in god or wants to downgrade the christians views? It's her right, not yours. Don't read the fucking blog then!

    Another BIG problem I have with your blog... you said, " is not wrong to be jealous in religion..." Damn you are ignorant. Have you ever heard of the seven deadly sins? JEALOUSLY is one of those, which according to your good lord, is not okay. My problem with all of you god followers is that you are all quick to jump back at someone judging your lord...but you leave out all rules of intelligence. Please, if you must argue back.. let's use some facts and not irrational dumb thoughts.

  21. Wow. This is so sad.
    I can tell you something you aren't gonna want to hear.
    If your prayers were not answered then you most likely
    1. Have not confessed and repented over your sins properly and are living in sin.
    You mentioned you read the Bible but the Bible says this.
    If you are not in a righteous state, God ain't gonna hear ya no matter what you pray.
    2. Nobody ever taught you spiritual warfare.
    I wonder just how many times you actually sought GOD tru fasting and prayer.
    In fact, this is probably the number one reason you never got a prayer answered.
    They were stolen, and an atheistic spirit
    Got to you as a result.
    Guess what, I WON'T PRAY FOR YOU.
    Satan fooled ya-- their ain't no Changing anybody When you choose the wrong path.
    Learn warfare, THEN say your prayers don't get answered.
    It's about learning to surrender to
    him and having peace, not meeting your whims.
    You got the wrong ideas about what God is all about.

    1. This toon is a fruitloop!!!..Sheesh!!

  22. And Julya- as a christian you are the reason why people hate Christians.
    You are clearly hateful, judgmental, and plain rude-- nothing of hoe Jesus says YOU should act. Check yourself.

  23. Dear anonymous(last 2 posts) Intersting that you say Julya makes you look bad as a "christian). Your OWN judgemental bullshit is what makes people look bad. Really? If you want to write crap like this go write your own blog. Go pray for yourself to be open-minded. Make sure you have lots of faith and fasting and shit along with your spiritual warfare. Why don't you pray we don't have any more tornadoes and see how that works for you. By the way, since I am an atheist, I guess I do have the WRONG idea about your god in your eyes. But I DON'T BELIEVE IN YOUR IMAGINARY SKY DADDY!!!!SO it is the RIGHT idea in my view. Get a clue. You are an idiot.

  24. The power of God may be distorted by Christian heretics and abused by adulterous pastors, disoriented by the astounding grammar of Pentecostal bloggers, crude judgements by those who claim they know God, or even misrepresented by those who show some intelligence- unfortunately because imperfect humans (with good intention) will never do the power of God justice.  To even fathom the power of God is a categorial fallacy- an understanding we cannot begin to proove with fact, just beyond resonable doubt due to history, witness testimony, and the miraculousness of life in itself. There will always be severe issues that will tarnish the beauty of belief, throw off the pursuit of happiness, and offend people.  But that was never the purpose of prayer, or belief, or believing in disbelief was it?- to take away someone else's joy?  Nah.

    The intelligent and ignorant, young and old, religious or sacrilegious,  people alike will attest to the power of the mind's ability to change something. It's worth the extra stride, the extra humility, the extra time, care, and fervor- to pursue truth that may seem impossible, and to seek discovery of something beyond reach; its worth it to try the old again, to chance a mental encounter with understanding beyond thought, an extremity- an existence that could be better of than this reality.  

    Keeping an open pursuit for life- not just the ideology we cling to, have settled for, or were raised with, isn't for the feint of heart. The rapists and murderers, the power-obsessed, the politically corrupt, the offensive Christianese, and the hypocritical lifestyles of American Protestantism will try and ruin our pursuits for truth. But Lori- don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

    Countless intelligible minds have fathomed the beauty of prayer and marveled at the wisdom of the Bible, while simultaneously rebelling at the wrecked churches and tragedies caused by religious people.  But to write off the deeper elements that birthed such substantially impacting doctrine and powerful inner-stability would be to miss a cornerstone of human existence. A dismissal of existance often resembles a jaded understanding, derived from the hopeless acceptance of depressing realities that seem so real, but are merely an illusion to the mind when the choice to believe becomes disregarded.  Furthermore, when the heart is numb and the eyes are closed to the behind-the-scenes experiences of life, so-called "truth," the soul's inspirational discovery of a meaningful self-actualization, and the mind's inspiration journey towards wonder are mesmorizing and even appear ignorant to the bystanders. 

    I hope this positive energy finds you well, Lori. I hope this comment cuts through some of mud above, and beckons your onward pursuit for a knowledgeable, real, and continuously full life, Lori.

    Fb: Joey Hendrickson

  25. I am a christian who beleieves in prayer. I know that many people don't pray or believe in prayer. That's ok. I wanted to respond to this article because of the broad approach taken to try to denounce or deny the existance of God. Consider these two facts:
    1. The nation of Israel exist. The fact that they exist gives credit to the Biblical reacord and storied accounts of their national and personal encounters with God.

    2. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact. The recorded fact of this was not only recorded in the Bible but also by Roman as well as Greek and Jewish historians who were not christians.

    Your not believing in Jesus Christ in no way diminish him. In the biblical record it was reported that there were those who didn't believe in him. Even so he exist. He is coming again and when he does some still will not belive....the bible teaches this. Jesus taught that when you pray say (see St. Matthew 6:5-14)...his teaching on prayer will may shed some light on what he declared prayers ought to be.

  26. Dear Anonymous,

    I have no problem with you believing in god or prayer. Your belief in him in no way diminishes the fact that I don't. You will not convince me to believe in god by coming on my blog and putting bible verses. As I tell people often, feel free to read my whole blog to see where I am coming from. I am writing this blog for my own healing and to help others who are going through the same thing. I am not trying to change the way you believe or take away from your thoughts about prayer. I am simply stating why I have come to the conclusion that prayer does not work and I do not see any proof or evidence of a god.

  27. This was interesting, ive never known that people feel this way. All i want to say, is even though there is suffering in this world, it is what makes love possible. That is the strange thing about freewill. But peiple are going to believe what they believe regardless of what people say.

  28. Are we the evovled ape or did we just "poof" come to exsistence?

  29. Please, when you refer to God can you capitalize the G? Even though you or any other person might not believe in God, the word is still a proper noun. Also, just because you believe in God does not make you better than non-believers. There have been plenty of really GOOD people that have not been saved. Plenty of our Founding Fathers were not saved, they were deists but believed in the Bibles priniciples of life. Mother Teresa, before she died, said that she doesn't know whether or not if she was going to heaven. This is coming from possibly the 2nd greatest person to ever live. I am a Christian and I don't know ALL of my facts but this is what I'm sharing with you. I believe if you don't get saved you will die and go to Hell. If you would like to learn how to get saved, here is a website that can help you. Call the number on this page . This is a church in Arkansas but they have very strong beliefs in the Bible. If you have any questions you can talk to them!

    1. motherTeresa is just about the most morally repugnant and detestable person ever from the pasr 50 yeses of history.

  30. My job is not to convince you that God is alive, my job is to live the life that He has for me. Part of that is prayer which consists of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, then supplication. I did pray for you, and that is all I can do. I hope to see you with Him one day.

    Until then, I cannot change your mind, but I do love(Agape) you,
    God Bless.

  31. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

  32. It is not to late for God to forgive you and save your soul if you can give man a second chance why not God.

  33. Wow...I did a Google search on something related to this topic and became fascinated with this conversation. "I will pray for you" used to make me feel very uncomfortable too. I used to cringe. Now I don't. I think it is nice. It is really very kind for people to care so much for you or your situation that they will take it to God. I won't pray for you but I probably should.

  34. Wow Lesley, Thanks so much. If you feel so inclined to pray for me after reading my feelings on prayer, I can't stop you. I would rather you put energy into being a good, productive member of society and actually DO something to help others. I feel helped and supported when friends/family actually show me how much they care and want to help- not when they say "I am praying for you."

    @anonymous If you read ALL OF MY BLOG you would know I have a right to be bitter and angry. You making dumb comments only makes me remember why. Since I don't believe in your god, your comments about god saving my soul really don't bother me much. They make me laugh actually... then I feel sorry for you.

  35. Jesus Loves You-Regardless if you love God or not. Jesus Christ died for the sinners, and the unbelievers,I know prayer works, somethings are not meant for us to have. For me I don't tell anyone what I'm praying for or do I tell anyone I will pray for them. I pray in secret, I pray the 'Lord's Prayer' only Also why would God give his children (whom he loves) something that would actually harm them. Even a evil person wouldn't do that to a child they love. I do know that when it's all said and done, every tongue will confess that there is a God and Jesus Christ died for everyone-Regardless.

    The Lords Prayer does Work.....Our Father in heaven,
    hallowed be your name.
    Your Kingdom come,
    your will be done,
    on earth as in heaven
    Give us today our daily bread.
    Forgive us our sins,
    as we forgive those who sin against us.
    Lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.
    For the kingdom,
    the power and the glory are yours.
    Now and for ever.


  36. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

  37. Good post...Great views..Agree 100%

  38. Must admit Lori...after reading a lot of this religious garbage quoted here..Makes me realize why Christianity is hated throughout the world..I have never been one for the favor of god..I make my own way in life and plan to till I die..The text in the Bible has cause so much pain and suffering throughout the thousands of years since it was written (and sheep like people have followed it) that it is like a badly written movie..Faith is a wonderful thing..we all have to have faith in ourselves..But religion is the damning curse of the world and will (eventually) be the end of us all..No prayers here but..
    Good luck to you lass!!!

  39. Thanks for stopping by to read my blog! :) draftrider I agree!

    1. More than welcome lass...You have my vote!! :)

  40. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

  41. Religion is for socially weak people that can't think for themselves. Lori is on the money to me. I stumbled a crossing this blog post that has some serious legs when someone told me... Real Men Pray! Well last time I looked I am a real man. don't waste my time praying to some zombie... I get out and do what is right and I think I have a pretty good moral compass.

  42. Oh and I also think that some have made NOT being religious a religion. I would consider myself to be a humanist.

  43. Lori - your very beautiful by the way. :)

  44. Thank you for being one more logical, reasonable person on the critical thinkers side. The tide is turning and people are waking up to this religious BS.

    If you take a second and observe every comment from a pro-religion child-minded fool you will see that they speak with the same conveyance as a child, writing an essay about Santa Claus in grade school.

  45. I would recommend a book called Jesus > Religion

  46. Jesus/God is love and could never be anything less. He loves all his children. Those that believe in his word know this is true. We are not to judge those who disagree but pray for them because only the holy spirit can convict the soul of the evil it holds. We were born in sin and only thru Gods grace can he help us go thru this fallen world with his peace and try every day to be better.

  47. I totally get where you are coming from...I too was raised in a pentecostal/christian home. It was far from what was preached on Sunday morning services. I was abused....mentally & physically. I wanted to literally die because of the pressures forced on me. It was unbearable as a child...but I survived by the grace of God. I went through life hating my parents and searching for an escape...a way out...literally fled to a relatives house as a senior in high school to escape....eventually returning to prison as I called it. I tried to go to have meaningful relationships in life...everyone had failed...I was broken and lost on the inside ...I was dying and tried to comfort myself in alcohol, drugs, & success...if I worked hard enough and had money to support myself I would be happy...this I truly believed. I was age 36 in 2013 and was diagnosed with breast cancer after the tragically early death of my father...who i really disn't know. I was bitter...I was furious...I was determined to beat cancer...I would not let it kill me. I had become a successful..strong...independent single mother. Nothing can stop me. I was wrong....I was beaten down and laying in my own miserable exsistance. I had been defeated. Then something happened I can't describe it...I had become overwhelming remorseful for the damage I had caused to people in my life..I started a lengthy yet ongoing process of asking for forgiveness and seeking out those I had mistreated. Very very humbling experience for this time I cried..where is this God that I was taught that heals the sick and prevents catastrophic events...where is he now?? Why ...why is my life the way it is...bad Karma...what ...I wanted answers. I returned to church to try and see if I could figure it all out...what is this thing that I am missing ...the piece that is missing from my miserable exsistance?? I did find it...or I should say that he found me! I fell into a deep soul searching experience. I knew something was tugging at me...drawing me closer ever so slightly... it would appear in tears or a closer look into the world around me..the beauty I had been missing out on in nature. I found myself trying to give ..give to those who had hurt me. Forgiveness flowed out of me in still does to this day. I don't try to say I have all the answers or that Christianity is the answer...the answer is in him Jesus...he is love...he loves us so much it's hard to put into words. I know to some I will sound fanatical and crazy...and frankly it does bother me. I weep at times for humanity...the pain that we ALL have enoured..the endless suffering of children...the sin and evil that seems to have taken over those who once were considered righteous. It's very very sad...but I have faith and hope in him. In my brokenness he is my strength...I beg you all to seek and you will find the peace, the grace, the hope, and most importantly the love that he has to give freely. I only ask that as you go on with life ...have mercy on those who wrong those who disagree or hate you. I will not pray for you as you have requested...instead I will ask God to use my words to reveal himself to you. That I love you with the same love that christ loved all of us. May you find peace in him and the understanding that he loves you more than you will ever know. With love in christ, Michelle

  48. My sentiments exactly. I'm pretty fed up with everyone telling me that they'll pray for me when I am going through the "valley of the shadow of death" . What a freaking cop out. If there is this loving god that they all believe in, how in the hell did I end up here?

  49. All these religious bastards had to pop up and say their piece. Scared to death they may be wrong, or wasted their time. Sorry to say, yes, yes you did. Their whole world would turn upside down to entertain any other thought than what was ingrained into their young, vulnerable minds. Ha! Put that in your cheerios and eat it.

  50. My heart cries out to you.. I can only imagine how Jehovah must feel about this not to say how His Son Jesus Yeshua must feel after giving His live for you to have life. But I don't judge as my steps in life was similar and I did not know the truth. Can I challenge you all like Elijah challenged the Bahl prohets on the mountain? My challenge is this and it is simple and does not take alot of the God given time you have. Please pray this out loud, Abba Father, I confess and repent of all my sins as I now know that Your Word says in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sins is death, but the gift of God is eternal life thru Jesus Christ, and I come to you and ask you in the name of Your beloved Son Jesus to open my eyes to truly see who You are and what You meant for me and planned for me in this life. Please show me that You are real and that You do hear my prayer as I open my heart now to receive You. Amen

    God is a God of love and compassion, don't mock Him but love Him with all your heart, mind, body and soul. This is my prayer for you to meant Him the true and only God Almighty. We are all sinners, cant judge but He is the only Judge and we will all stand before Him one day and explain our life's here on earth. The most important message today is that our lives on earth determines where we will spend eternity. It is only Hell or Heaven, the choice was given to us. I pray that your eyes will open and see the truth. May God bless you.

    1. My heart cries out to you, someone who believes in a fallacy.
      Why don't you quote the crazy bible verses?
      Pick and choose from one of the craziest books I have ever seen.
      Why did they make a "New" testament?
      What do you say to the 2999 other gods?
      How about the Tsunami that killed 250,000
      All powerful god eh! Lmao
      Good event: "Miracle" "Gods work"
      Bad Event: "God works in mysterious ways"
      Comical!!!!!! Hahahahahaha

  51. Dear anonymous, as usual, a coward with no name, As I have said many times before I don't believe in god. That is what an atheist is. A person who does not believe in a god. Your comments here make you sound crazy and delusional. Your silly prayers and wasted words annoy. There is no evidence of god, so stop trying to speak for your God who is imaginary. Go to a blog with other people who are as crazy as you are and leave me alone. The moon will turn green and the skies will rain diamonds before I ever believe a God exists.

  52. I've come to the same conclusion as you. I don't believe that prayer works either. But, I do believe in God ( Jesus) which just makes things confusing. Jesus seemed like a nice guy as far as not judging sinners and dying on a cross. It makes perfect sense ( to me) that there is a creator. I just wonder how a go
    d could create such a beautiful creation (flowers etc.) And be such a c**** at the same time. Maybe he has a split personality.

    1. Oh you believe in god? Which one out of the 3000+ gods?
      So you're saying no to 2999 other gods.
      I'm saying no to just 1 more.

  53. Dear Lori
    Thank you for your thoughts and thank you for sharing it with the world. I, an accidental "world" tonight, needed just that. Just had an infuriating phrase thrown at myself by the family member. It was indeed such a sad conversation.....
    I only mentioned that I didn't believe in god and there was an instant question "are you a muslim?" (I know, right? not judgemental and discriminating at all!), followed by "oh, this is so sad" (why?) - because you are nowhere, just hanging in between.... and that crap.
    Honestly. Please, all of you Christians, I don't mind. Your life, you do whatever you wish with it. Please, just please, stop invading me, feeling sorry for me, judge me etc. Just - live and let live.
    And Lori, I don't need to tell you "keep it up", because I see how strong and independent you are! :) I wish I could be as such!
    Love, Aggie

  54. Prayer works for those who believe in Jesus Christ. If you have not witnessed prayer working in your life, then it is probably due to your lack of faith in our creator. Everything that is good in this life comes from God. We will inevitably endure hardships throughout our lives that are supposed to bring us closer to God. Every hardship has a purpose for God's greater plan. There are those who remain firm in their faith and belief in God because they know who God is. Then, there are those who would rather turn their backs on God because they would much rather live their lives here on earth in comfort. They are unwilling to endure any sort of a struggle. They find comfort in their own selfish needs. Never knowing that they are just pawns in Satan's plans for their eternity. We are only here for a short time. Call it a test if you will. A test that will determine where you will spend your eternity after your body dies. God is real! His gospel is alive! Deep down inside you know that he is real. You can deny him all you want here on earth, but he is watching. Always watching. He knows your heart, he knows your every thought. He knows what motivates you and your every action. One day you will meet him. Hopefully you will have the chance to meet him before your time on this world ends. He is only a prayer, a belief, and some faith away.

  55. Allow me take up a little of your time to counter your views.

    Not in an argumentative way, more like a “hey, that may be true for you, but this may be true for me”.
    I have seen prayers work. Sometimes they happen instantly and sometimes they happen over years. They have happened to me and they’ve happened to people that I (and others who I pray with) pray for and they have happened to me personally.
    But yes, you are right. Actually doing something, like watching your Noah would be so useful as well. I personally try to do as much as I can in addition to saying “let me pray for you”. But that’s just me.

    I’ve seen the correlation between intercessory prayer. I have experienced plans that were set in stone completely broken and changed all because a few people decided that they would try to ask God to consider a different route. Of course, there are studies to prove these prayers don’t exist. But there are studies that prove they do. A search on Google would help.

    In my lifetime, prayers have work and I believe that they will continue to work. I believe there is a God and that He loves us so much, more than my heart or brain can comprehend. Yes, there are bad things, that happen in the world. Things that I cannot explain but God can. He might not be able to show us right now, but I believe when the time comes, when I meet Him face to face, He will. It is the hope that keeps me going.
    My beautiful innocent baby was born with a defect. Why did God allow it? What did I do wrong? I don’t know these questions but He does and one day He will reveal it to me. He does tell me that He loves me. He tells me that He loves my baby more than I can possibly love her.

    I think people who say that disaster happen because it was “God’s will” or that “He must have wanted her in heaven sooner than other children” are trying to cope. It’s not easy being faced with terrible news when you’ve done all that you can do to stop it. I don’t believe God wants some people in heaven sooner or that bad things happen because it was His will. I believe bad things happen because He gave us a will. A choice to make bad decisions. A choice to be kind to one another. A choice to accept Him.

    I believe Science and God go hand in hand. Some may believe that we discovering new things that disprove the existence of God my experience tell me that sooner or later, we prove that there has to be a God for all these information and wonderful things to exist. I suppose it’s up to an individual, when they read research papers and studies, and if that person is willing to look at the supporting documents as well as the disproving ones.

    Prayer is selfish. I pray selfish prayers, for myself, my family and people I know. But sooner or later, I find myself praying for others as well. I pray for a day that child molestation and child sex trafficking will no longer exists. I pray for people to be healthy and happy so that the suicide rates will go down. It’s amazing how God has changed the way I look at things through prayer. It started out as selfish, God knows where it might lead me.

  56. The former student might have been insensitive. She might have wanted voice out her gratitude but like you mentioned, she came across as arrogant. I don’t believe God chose her over the person in the car in front of her. If God saw the accident coming, He could have prevented it. Or we could have chosen to drive carefully instead of texting. God can’t give us the ability to choose but then take away all the potentially wrong choices we are free to make (and not make)

    We pray because it’s like talking to God. Prayer (for me at least) doesn’t have to be a formal declaration in a formal setting. Every time I talk to God, I consider it prayer. I think “let go and let God” was in reference to worrying. Also, “Jesus take the wheel” might be about trying to stop controlling every detail of your life and let the Creator of the Universe guide you instead. Let Jesus show you the right turn instead of the left you were thinking of taking. That’s my understanding anyway.

    I personally think that there are things that happening because we pray. I feel that there are unseen disaster or tragedies that are avoided because we pray. The bible tells us this. A quick search on Google will also tell us that the bible is not fiction but it tallies with other historical documents.

    Regarding the movie “Prayers for Bobby”. God does not hate gays so I don’t know why his Christian parents did not accept him. In the bible, we are given rules but we are also told not to judge. If God did not condemn a woman who was caught in adultery, I don’t think God would condemn Bobby.

    I feel that you were hurt and I am terribly sorry. I do not know you but from what you wrote, you reminded me of myself when I was hurt by Christians.
    If that is true, I am terribly sorry. We do things in the name of God that are wrong and instead of representing His unconditional love, we hurt you.
    I am so so sorry.I did not pray for you.But I do hope for you.

  57. faith is gulability and stupidity combined. ok you believe in God(gulability) but your act of prayer imply that you know better than an all knowing God. Why would you suggest or ask for anything if God loves us all and can do anything wouldnt he already know what is best?

  58. I have been an a non-Theist for over 50 years. I've had to live with this as a secret out of fear of condemnation, retribution and alienation from family and friends. I'm so tired of having to hide a part of who I am, lest I be judged, ridiculed and condemned to hell by a faction of society that has grossly overstepped their boundries and insist that only they have a right to their beliefs.

  59. I live in the Southeast where overly religious people are prevalent. I actually had a neighbor tell me she would pray for me about a cut finger. That is absolutely ridiculous and I told her so. Stupidity in my opinion.

  60. You appear to be overly exposed to overly religious people. Might I suggest you try to limit your exposure as much as possible, even if those people are family members. You can never win with these people, especially if you are telling them you are gay and an atheist. They will just look at you with pity and say they will pray for you. If possible consider moving to a more liberal state and larger city. If that is not possible just try and ignore those people and only surround yourself with like minded friends. I am not a people person myself. I tolerate people, but like my own company better than anyone else's. However if you are the confrontational type, start talking to them about Israel and politics. That's where they really show their ignorance! Good luck.

  61. You may never read my comments since the last comment was a year ago, but I have one last piece of advise. Ditch the blog. I am sure your friends mean well by encouraging you to write, but you are really just reinforcing the negativity you are feeling about people and things you can't control. If you want to write try writing a poem or a short story about things that are positive and uplifting. Try concentrating on nature and wildlife. Go for long walks alone and be at peace with nature. Talking to other people about your feelings may seem a good idea but it will always just reinforce the negativity and anger. In other words try to be happy. You only live once and it goes by very quickly. So enjoy your life and forget things and people out of your control. They are not worth one minute of your time.🤪

  62. One last comment and that will be it for me, as I am doubting you will read these or if you do it may be a long time from now. If you don't have a Twitter account, give it a try. You are much more likely to find people who will back you up 100%, and they will be as angry and confrontational as you are on the subject of religion period, not just Christianity. Do a search on Twitter, say for example gay atheists,and then you can enjoy tons of people who feel exactly the same as you. It's a lot of fun, and you won't be wasting time defending yourself with overly religious people. I am anti Zionist, especially Christian Zionism, and I had a ball talking to like minded people. What you are doing now with the titles of the blogs you are using,is just inviting comments from people who are religious and trying to defend their positions. Is that what you really want?? Anyway whatever you do good luck.


Love The Sinner, Hate The Sin
