Will God Answer This Prayer, Part 2
This weekend my Dad did visit and had his prayer session. He didn’t ask either Jon or me to pray with him, he just wanted to pray. Many predictions made by the commenters in my previous post turned out to be true. Before my Dad started praying, we asked him what he expected. We told him if Christianity were false, we would expect nothing to happen. We asked him if he expected God to act and he wouldn’t commit.
Of course nothing happened. My brother and I sat while my Dad prayed. He prayed for about an hour and 45 minutes. About then, my brother asked if he could watch a football game with the sound off. My dad said yes and I went and got lunch. After I brought lunch my Dad was ready to watch some football.
The episode did give us a chance to talk to our Dad. We tried to explain why we took this as evidence that Christianity isn’t true. Of course this episode is not proof that Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, but inductive reasoning doesn’t get to a proof. You examine data in light of one hypothesis verses that data in light of another hypothesis. The data of this past weekend fits the hypothesis “Christianity is false” perfectly. It didn’t fit my Dad’s hypothesis that “Christianity is true and God is active in our lives.”
Later we pressed our Dad for any example of an answered prayed. He talked about impressions he received while praying. He really couldn’t give any concrete examples of answered prayer. My mother mentioned that some how when some people were depressed, people called them on the telephone. Sometimes the calls were at odd hours. Needless to say, Jon and I were unimpressed.
At another point in the weekend, the conversation turned to how fear can be a great motivator. I certainly think it is in my Dad’s case. He can’t even entertain the idea that Christianity is wrong for fear of the eternal consequences. I tried to get my Dad to look at Pascal’s wager from another angle. I asked him suppose Samuel lied about God ordering the death of the Amalekites because of the sins of their ancestors (see here). Why would he accept this slander given that God had given him the ability to discern right and wrong. He had no answer.
That is pretty much where things are. Was it worth it? I did end up wasting a couple of hours, but we remain cordial. My Dad seems afraid to consider the possibility he might be wrong. I don’t think this weekend did anything to assuage his fears. I think he will merely adjust his theology. I am not unhappy that I did this. But now that I’ve gone through this exercise, it is very unlikely I am going to do this again.
The episode did give us a chance to talk to our Dad. We tried to explain why we took this as evidence that Christianity isn’t true. Of course this episode is not proof that Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, but inductive reasoning doesn’t get to a proof. You examine data in light of one hypothesis verses that data in light of another hypothesis. The data of this past weekend fits the hypothesis “Christianity is false” perfectly. It didn’t fit my Dad’s hypothesis that “Christianity is true and God is active in our lives.”
Later we pressed our Dad for any example of an answered prayed. He talked about impressions he received while praying. He really couldn’t give any concrete examples of answered prayer. My mother mentioned that some how when some people were depressed, people called them on the telephone. Sometimes the calls were at odd hours. Needless to say, Jon and I were unimpressed.
At another point in the weekend, the conversation turned to how fear can be a great motivator. I certainly think it is in my Dad’s case. He can’t even entertain the idea that Christianity is wrong for fear of the eternal consequences. I tried to get my Dad to look at Pascal’s wager from another angle. I asked him suppose Samuel lied about God ordering the death of the Amalekites because of the sins of their ancestors (see here). Why would he accept this slander given that God had given him the ability to discern right and wrong. He had no answer.
That is pretty much where things are. Was it worth it? I did end up wasting a couple of hours, but we remain cordial. My Dad seems afraid to consider the possibility he might be wrong. I don’t think this weekend did anything to assuage his fears. I think he will merely adjust his theology. I am not unhappy that I did this. But now that I’ve gone through this exercise, it is very unlikely I am going to do this again.
3 comments:
I’m 29, and I just recently lost my father who was a nonbeliever. I admit that being an atheist in a time of bereavement is of little comfort.
I do hope you and your parents can move past any differences and enjoy the time you have together. That’s what’s important.
A touching story.
My father, after I told him I was no longer Christian, had the opposite reaction, "Me neither. I think it's bullshit, but we thought it would be the right thing to raise you Christian since that's how we were raised." My mother, when I told her I didn't believe that Jesus literally rose from the dead, responded, "Me neither. Maybe we are Jewish." (At the time I didn't realize how funny my mother's reaction was).
I have had an interesting experience with atheists.
Last September, my mom was found to have a uterine tumour the size of an eggplant...the doctors words.
She is old, overweight, and not very strong...there is one hospital in the midwest that can do the surgery to help her.
Guess what, the doctor said he would do it...because her medicare would not pay enough to make it worth his while.
The previous week, he was a guest of a professor who mentors the local campus freethought group and this doctor spoke on his atheism and how it freed him.
Yeah, freed him to deny help to old people don't have enough money for his standard.
And why am suprised? The fit survive, the weak perish.
So much for atheists improving SHIT!
You hypocrites.
(And by the way, if you can label all Christians by the actions of some, I hereby label you by the actions of that ATHEIST FUCK doctor.)
Post a Comment