I like the idea of someone walking up to Jilli at work and saying "I'll pray for you," and her being able to retort, "Hon, it's a crime to say so."
I have never had anyone offer to pray for me. I have been approached on college campuses by a stranger striking up a conversation, and it's always a split over whether they're likely to be from Keystone or from PIRG. I always tell them to tell me what they want -- neither party seems aware how obviously their sales pitch is quivering, hopefully, below the surface. (Also, who strikes up conversations with random strangers, if you're not, like, standing in line for something?)
A rabbi once invited me into a traveling Succoth once (it was built in a pickup truck bed). I declined politely, and in his case I think he was just so charmed to be driving around with a Succoth in his truck bed that he was talking to everybody who passed by. Certainly,
that
was a good conversation starter.
Disagree.
Care to elaborate?
I take it from the rest of your post that you think that your knowledge of being prayed for could have positive or negative effects. If so, I agree with you. But that is a social/cognitive effect. It would be present even if you received "sham" or "placebo" prayer, e.g. someone pretended to pray for you but didn't. To know if the prayer works we need to isolate the effect of prayer from the effect of knowing about the prayer. Those studies show no effect.
A rabbi once invited me into a traveling Succoth once (it was built in a pickup truck bed). I declined politely, and in his case I think he was just so charmed to be driving around with a Succoth in his truck bed that he was talking to everybody who passed by. Certainly, that was a good conversation starter.
Hey, it's a great pickup line.
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Maybe I shouldn't bring my dagger collection with me to Sydney, then. I wonder how airport security would deal with my defense of, "But I'd never use them for violence, they're too pretty and it'd get them all scuffed and dirty!"
But Madrigal, then what will you use to kill and skin the kangaroos for your dinner?
To know if the prayer works we need to isolate the effect of prayer from the effect of knowing about the prayer. Those studies show no effect.
What were the prayers? Who were they offered to? Who were they offered by?
I'm not so much atheist, not so much agnostic -- I mostly don't care about the existence of a deity. However I can't but feel that efforts to prove or disprove the existence of most gods are so incredibly flawed that I can't believe anyone spends time on them. What sorts of controls can you even use?
For the hopelessly gentile among us, what's a Succoth?
Jilli, how about looking them in the eye and saying "and I'll hope (or pray, if you do that sort of thing) that you stop judging people based on appearance"
then what will you use to kill and skin the kangaroos for your dinner?
You use a big knife for Roo killing, not some wimpy dagger.
What's that got to be like, praying for a total stranger, who has no idea you're praying? I would have a hard time taking such a duty seriously, which, you know, par for the course of me. But it's got to be easier to pray for somebody you actually know and care about, right?
Who pulls for the Milwaukee Brewers except people from the upper midwest?
What is the proper response when a complete stranger comes up to you and says, in a very earnest and friendly tone, "I'm going to pray for you."
"Okay. I'll eat a block of cheese, that you may come to know the light of our One True God, Lord Snarky. Unless.... Are you lactose intolerant? In which case, DIE, SINNER! DIE! DIE!"
