Irregular Times Diaries: Unfit Discussion
In a time of the spring, old paths are obscured and new growth begins.
Irregular Times Diaries: Unfit DiscussionIn a time of the spring, old paths are obscured and new growth begins.
After thousands of years of testing, it is time for religious people to face the facts about prayer. It doesn’t work. The only power of prayer is the power to keep someone trying something over and over again long after it’s proven to be ineffective.
A case in point: Yesterday, the New York Times detailed the story of the nun who calls herself Sister Mary Pia. The nun has been praying for an end to the power of Hollywood, which she calls “the Babylon of the U.S.A.”, for 56 years.
If prayer had any power to effect the world, then surely a 56 year-long prayer vigil would show some signs of success. Yet, after two generations of anti-Hollywood prayer by Sister Mary Pia, Hollywood is stronger than ever, and the sisterhood to which Mary Pia belongs has grown weaker.
Facts are facts. Sister Mary Pia’s pointless life of sitting around doing nothing but praying is just one example that proves that prayer doesn’t work.
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August 29th, 2006 at 9:25 am
“Factist” did not provide a link, so here it is:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/28/us/28album.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
And here are the exact words of the article:
“Factoid” claims the nun is praying for “an end to the power of Hollywood”, but the article says she is actually praying for “people who need prayers.” Why don’t you get your facts straight, “Factoid” ? Otherwise no one is going to believe anything else you have to say.
August 29th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
Elsewhere in the article, she’s quoted as saying after ringing loud bells early in the morning on purpose:
It’s pretty clear from context that she’s engaged in a struggle against her Hollywood environment. Factoid’s statement matches with the feeling I got from reading the article (although thanks for the link, Space Observer).
August 29th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
I don’t think she is at all aware of her environment. It is pretty clear from the text she is cloistered and the only time she is allowed outside the building is when there is a death in her family. The text states the church was required to stop ringing the bells. That says to me someone who didn’t like the bells initiated contact with the church and said something like, “excuse me, we have a problem with your bells,,,” Perhaps this indicates her Hollywood environment has a struggle with her rather than the other way around.
And yes, 7 o’clock is much too early to get up if you are not leading a God-fearing life. Ever try to sleep next to a mosque? They start at dawn.
August 29th, 2006 at 5:41 pm
I don’t believe in God. I wake up at 5.
August 30th, 2006 at 2:53 am
Well i think all of you far “lefties” are a bunch of whinny idiots. If she didnt pray (being a nun) then what would she do with her life? At least shes has commited her life time doing something that means more and is better thought out than this web site. I can tell you one thing she has a lot more going for her than you liberals with all of you propoganda and complaints. This is America, be glad for what you already have and stop complaining ,Jesus Christ knows its getting old REALLY FAST!
August 30th, 2006 at 10:56 am
Neigh! Neigh! Whinny! Gimme carrot?
Jesus should know about getting old really fast. He’s, what, like, 2039 years old or something, right? It was 33 BC, wasn’t it? Oh, I can’t remember. Reaching my mid-thirties the ol’ noggin just isn’t what it used to be. Imagine how forgetful Jesus must be at his ripe ol’ age! Maybe he just forgot all about that second coming and is just sitting somewhere playing cribbage.
August 30th, 2006 at 11:35 am
Yeah, you dumb liberals!
Every time I hear from some stupid liberal, it’s boo, hoo. We want limits on executive power. We want liberty, waah!
Shut up you dumb liberals. Be glad for what you have and stop complaining!
August 31st, 2006 at 12:21 pm
Factist based the entire premise of his argument on one nun’s prayer vigil — its laughable redundancing and utter ineffectiveness. Do any examples of answer-to-prayer exist factually? Now that deserves some Factist research; if Factist knows how to get facts. It seems it is probable that Factist hasn’t got all the facts. After all, it’s not possible, unless he is a God.
September 3rd, 2006 at 3:33 am
Actually JAY miracles have been proven. SO DO YOUR RESEARCH and learn the facts. And read up on different religions, not just Christianity. All miracles are attributed to some higher power through some sort of divine intervention from a “god” (ie Buddah, Allah, Yahweh, Jesus Christ etc…). So before you call people “factists” maybe you should do some research before you make anymore retarded statements like your last one!
September 3rd, 2006 at 3:39 am
And if you dont think that far left liberals are complainers, just look at the left side of this page ….ALL COMPLAINT CATAGORIES!
September 3rd, 2006 at 11:56 am
Yeah, “Europe” is sure a complaint! As is “Humor,” and “History,” and “Personal,” and “Liberty!”
Paul, show me the proof of miracles. It’s that simple. Show me the proof you say exists.
September 3rd, 2006 at 2:34 pm
Well tell me this. Explain the unexplained! How do you explain the unexplainable. Somethings even science can’t prove. And yes “Europe,Humor,History,Personal, and Liberty” all have some complaint reamarks in them somewhere. I have read them all and it is not hard to find complainte anywhere on this site…all you have to do is open your eyes. And if you look at documented “miracles” , in any religion, they were physical or other acts that were performed without scientific explanation. In other words they asked scientist to explain these “miracles” and the scientists basically said “well the hell if I know!”
September 3rd, 2006 at 2:46 pm
Its documented. Read articles on the Stigmata. These are open wounds on a persons hands and feet resembeling the wounds of Jesus Christ. In most cases it took years for the wounds to heal, sometimes they didn’t heal at all. Neither science nor medicine can explain these miracles. Can you? If you can completely disprove all religions then I will bow to your greatness, but until that day why not have a broader perception on the “what could be” aspect of life. Just because it can’t be physically proven, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Here is a better idea for you,…people have been studing the paranormal for years and have not had success finding out EXACTLY what they are dealing with when in contact with these “ghosts”, but it has been proven by video, audio, still pictures and other media, that the paranormal does exist! Explaine to me why it is wrong to believe in an unseen, intangable being…
September 3rd, 2006 at 3:36 pm
There is no way to prove a miracle. Just like there is no way to prove or disprove the existence
of God. Is a solar eclipse a miracle? A thousand years ago people thought so. The Native Americans
thought a dragon was attacking the sun god. The point is that just because something can not be readily
explained based on the information we have to work with at a certain point in time does not make said
unexplainable event a “miracle”. Of course, you can’t prove it’s NOT a miracle either.
As for the power of prayer? It’s a nice form of meditation and if the person praying BELIVES it will
work, then it can contribute to a positive outlook. If it doesn’t work, then hey I guess God vetoed
you. He doesn’t think you need to win the lottery that bad and he may not be inclined to wave his
magic wand and end homelessness, crime, hunger and sickness. Oh well, you tried.
September 3rd, 2006 at 8:23 pm
No, Paul, don’t bullshit me. SHOW me the proof. You say there’s proof. SHOW it to me.
September 4th, 2006 at 1:56 am
I am neither a liberal or a conservative but am familiar with the Monaster of The Angels. They are wonderful nuns who are self-wupportive, non judgmental, have a satellite convent in Pakistan, help the poor, etc.
The Monastery is Beautiful. They pray for all of us. Sr. Mary Pia is a lovely and intelligent woman. Why not visit the convent before making a decision. BTW, they also pray for those who disagree with them!!
September 4th, 2006 at 9:19 pm
No, Jim, there is no “bullshiting” you is there. If something is documented in history as “a miracle”, in any historical writings then, for now until disproven, is in fact a miracle. Are you able to prove that it isn’t a miracle when my cousin (now 18) wasn’t able to walk from birth unilt earlier this year? I don’t think so! So before you make claims like miracles don’t exist. Maybe you should open your mind and views to reasons for the unexplainable instead of being close-minded. Don’t base your whole life on the old saying “I’ll believe it if I see it.”!
September 5th, 2006 at 1:56 am
Hey, I had stimata a couple of years ago. Started itching on my hands and feet a week before Easter. Thought it was an allergy to the soap at the church, so I switched to Ivory. That helped a little, but my feet were bleeding and I had a hard time walking cuz I couldn’t get my sneakers on. Then I got some medicine from the student health service and it all went away. What happened? The hell if I know. Miracle, right?
Then, a few weeks ago Jim wrote something that really ticked me off. I was ready to kill him. Then I decided to pray for him instead. My homicidal impulses withered on the vine. Miracle? Could be. But now think of this, what if someone else was really ticked off and was praying for Jim’s demise? For that person, Jim’s survival would be the opposite of a miracle. So if Jim is still walking around, is that a miracle or not?
September 5th, 2006 at 5:40 pm
You can’t prove I’m not God. But that is not the same as proving that I am God, as you either know or really should know.
No, Paul. You go on and on about other people being cowards. Well, let me turn it on you. Don’t be a verbal coward and weasel away from your words. Are you a verbal coward?
You said there was proof of miracles. So show me the proof.
“Neat things happen sometimes that I don’t understand” is not proof.
September 5th, 2006 at 6:55 pm
Jim im gonna end this dicussion now with you because you obviously a closed-minded, bleeding heart liberal. I said nothing about anyone being a “coward” or a “verbal coward” (if there is a such thing). Im simple saying that how can you be certain there is no such thing as a “god” or things called “miracles”, thats right, you can’t! And as for “turning it on me”, well let me turn it on you. Prove to me that they is no such thing as god or miracles….Well…just as I thought, you can’t prove it either. So who is the “verbal coward now”? Oh and by the way, if God were you, there would be no “us “, because we would all be in gay and would abort our children!
September 5th, 2006 at 10:06 pm
Gay people abort their children? How can that be? The last time I checked, the way to make a baby was with an egg and a sperm. Don’t gay couples have either one or the other but not both? Oh, boy, when Paul gets married, is he going to be in for a really, really big surprise. Especially if he marries a guy.
September 6th, 2006 at 11:01 am
No. You said you could prove the existence of miracles.
So stop your conservative Christian hand-wringing and prove it.
September 6th, 2006 at 1:46 pm
The tiny purple unicorns that live in my back yard are the source of all that is good in the world.
Don’t believe in them?
Prove to me that there is no such thing as purple unicorns!
Explain to me why it is wrong to believe in purple unicorns!
If Paul were a purple unicorn, we would all be gay people getting abortions!
It makes so much sense!
September 6th, 2006 at 6:36 pm
I have an open wound on my leg that won’t heal. It’s proof of God! Surely!
It’s not a staph infection that is resistant to antibiotics. No, that could surely not be the case.
September 6th, 2006 at 8:41 pm
That annonymous person is obviously gay to use purple unicorns as their argument!
September 6th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
And Jim Im done trying to open the eyes of you LIBERAL, hippie, gay loving, abortionist, antiChrist, anti God, anti everything that can’t be seen ways. Maybe someday you will find a person (VERY doubtful) that will make you think “jeez, I spent all them years complaining about stupid bullshit that doesn’t even pertain to me, hmm maybe now I can enjoy life instead of being so bitter all the time!”. I really hope that some of you can see past media and open your eyes to the BIG PICTURE and not always use the “ill believe it if I see it” mentality that our friend Jim here has. I just encourage people to read whatever. The writings of all religions, history books, factual novels, historical accounts of all types. Don’t spend you life so closed minded like Jim, that you consider a weekend of protesting or marching on Washington a fun time. If that is what you life withers to then I feel sorry for you!
September 6th, 2006 at 9:05 pm
Here Jim, thought you would like this. Does show that I can not prove that miracles exist, BUT does show also that you can not prove that they do not. Go to this link and read about “The Burden of Proof http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/pecorip/SCCCWEB/ETEXTS/PHIL_of_RELIGION_TEXT/CHAPTER_5_ARGUMENTS_EXPERIENCE/Miracles.htm
September 6th, 2006 at 11:18 pm
Hey, who’s using my nickname, I’m the anonymous in #21.
Now Paul has decided he can’t prove that miracles exist. That’s a miracle. No, no, wait, it’s a Good Thing. Anyhow I like the link.
I think Jim is God. I can’t prove he’s not God, he has a messiah complex, he munches on those communion thingies, and you are what you eat. Also we all have some of the divine spark in us, if I can mix in a little medieval kaballah mysticism.
But wait, paul says to jim,
So why is Paul complaining about:
LIBERAL,
hippie,
gay loving,
abortionist,
antiChrist,
anti God,
anti everything that can’t be seen
Seriously, how does this stuff pertain to Paul?
Just take one thing that Paul seems so upset about–say, gays. What do gays have to do with Paul and why is he upset about it? Is he gay? Someone in his family is gay? How does this affect him? Does he want to kill all gay people? Maybe he is afraid someone will turn him gay. Yeah, that’s it. He’s afraid of getting turned on by guys. If Congress can pass a law, it will keep that from happening.
September 7th, 2006 at 2:56 am
Paul believes in what he can not see, because it is invisible, so he can not prove it does not exist, which means it does exist.
Like the invisible gay people that follow him to school every day.
It makes the children laugh and play
Laugh and play
Laugh and play
It makes the children laugh and play
Not to see invisible gay people at school
Oh, it’s all good fun, until someone loses an eye.
Paul knows, what you do not see CAN hurt you.
September 7th, 2006 at 7:42 pm
I think anonymous was taking it in the ass as he/she wrote that GAY poem!
September 7th, 2006 at 7:43 pm
I think anonymous was getting screwed in the ass as he/she wrote that GAY poem!
September 7th, 2006 at 9:10 pm
Oooh, Paul, you’re still on about the gay thing. What gives? Why so personal about it? Did you have someone who was gay take advantage of you?
September 7th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
No, silly. He’s gay, he hates himself, and he hasn’t yet figured out that there’s nothing that puts a blip on the GayDar more than over-the-top homophobia.
Paul, it’s OK to be Gay. Say it to yourself. It’s OK to be Gay.
I hope you accept yourself as you are one day. Until then, try not to hurt anyone with your theater.
September 8th, 2006 at 12:58 am
Was I? Wouldn’t YOU like to know!
September 8th, 2006 at 6:40 pm
Yeah, thats it… im gay!? Thats why I married with 3 kids. Hmmm Im gay! You guys are REALY SMART. Cna’t get anthing past ya. Man you guys realy got me this time. Leave it up to you clever Liberals to pull on over on the inferior conservative! Ouch, I hurt on the inside. *Tear*
September 8th, 2006 at 8:46 pm
No, I think Paul is terrified–of anything he can’t understand. That’s why he can’t explain his viewpoint. He doesn’t have a viewpoint, just overpowering emotions. Gays, liberals, atheists…the conservative agenda doesn’t stand for anything, they just play on people’s fears.
September 9th, 2006 at 2:59 pm
You obviously havn’t read anything in this whole post!
September 10th, 2006 at 1:42 am
No Paul, being gay is not the reason you are married and have three kids.
Denial, self loathing, and an oppressive climate of compulsory heterosexuality are why you have a Broke Back marriage and three kids.
Being gay is the reason you go on line and fantasize about the people you chat with taking it up the ass.
September 10th, 2006 at 8:38 pm
That makes absolutely no sense! You fucking moron!
September 10th, 2006 at 10:57 pm
Whether anonymous is “fucking” or whether he is “taking it in the ass,” I don’t understand why you, Paul, would be so absorbed in the copulatory habits of a man you have never met. You have been going on about this for 5 days now, but you still haven’t explained why you are so bitter about people who are:
LIBERAL,
hippie,
gay loving,
abortionist,
antiChrist,
anti God,
anti everything that can’t be seen
How does this stuff pertain to you and why are you complaining about these people.
I support gay marriage and abortion. It is the right thing to make them legal. I like atheists and liberals and people with strange religions–they’re fun and they have convictions. What’s a hippie?
September 11th, 2006 at 12:54 pm
Why would you fantasize about men taking it in the ass if you were gay?
That makes absolutely no sense!
Obviously, fantasizing about men taking it in the ass is something straight people do!
You fucking moron!
September 21st, 2006 at 7:15 pm
So you support murder!? What a fucking idiot. So what if your parents aborted you? Maybe they should have. Then you wouldn’t have an arguement. Next thing you know, you will be saying that they should legalize post-birth abortions. A single mother gets tired of her 2 year old so she goes and has it “aborted”, Yeah right! Whats the difference of murdering a child before it comes out of the womb, to when it has already come out. Are your parents still around? Maybe they should request that you be aborted!
September 21st, 2006 at 7:29 pm
Joel,
Do you kiss your sperm goodnight?
September 21st, 2006 at 8:42 pm
If an embryo has been frozen in a clinic for seven years, should we notify the local truant officer?
September 28th, 2006 at 10:19 pm
PLEASE PRAY FOR AN URGENT MIRACLE FOR BOYD AND RHONDA WITH THEIR FAMILY AND BABY ON THE WAY. HE ASKED ME TO MOVE OUT LAST WEEK. I FOUND AN APARTMENT AND MOVED OUT. HE SAID HE NEEDS TIME AND WE MOVED IN TO FAST AND WE HAD PAST ISSUES THAT REALLY HURT HIM, NO I NEVER CHEATED ON HIM, BUT I WAS TX ANOTHER LAST OCT AND NEVER TOLD HIM ABOUT IT, SECRETIVE AND DIDN’T WANT HIM TO LEAVE US OVER IT. THEN THE FIRST YEAR IS ALWAYS THE HARDEST AND WELL WE HAD PROBLEMS AND STRESS. WE HAD A BLOW OUT IN MAY AND HE HAD TOLD A GIRL HE KNEW IN FRONT OF ME HE LOVED HER JUST TO HURT ME, AND THEMN WE WENT AWAY AND A MIRACLE WAS CREATE, WE FOUND OUT I WAS PREGNANT AND STILL HAVING PROBLEM ETC. HE JUST SIGNED HIS FINAL DIVORCE PAPERS ON THE DAY HE ASKED ME TO LEAVE WITH MY FAMILY GETTING INVOLVED CAUSE IM 4 MONTHS PREGNANT AND THINGS HAVE BEEN HORRIBLE, IVE BEEN ACCUSSED OF OTHER BEING THE FATHER AND BOYD IS THE FATHER AND MY 17 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WON’T TALK TO ME, SAYS IM AN IMBRASSMENT TO HER AND BLAMING ME AND TRYING TO USE BOYD AND I AT EACH OTHER. IM TRYING TO HANDLE THIS DEPRESSION AND LOVE HIM AND DID NOT MEAN TO HURT HIM, I MISS HIM AND NEED HIM HERE WITH ME, HE SAYS ONLY TIME WILL TELL AND HE NEEDS TIME, IM GIVING IT TO HIM AND ITS HARD. IVE LOST 9 LBS AND EMOTIONALLY A MESS. MISSING AND LOVING HIM AND TRYING TO NOT BOTHER HIM. PLEASE CREATE A MIRACLE FOR LOVE AND US GETTING BACK ON TRACK, PRAY OUR LOVE IS STRONGER THEN THE WINDS TONIGHT AND PRAY ALL OTHER PEOPLE TELLING US STUFF AND GIVING THEIR INSIGHT, PLUS THE PEOPLE TRYING TO TRY WITH BOYD WILL GO AWAY AND LET US BE HAPPY. I PRAY SO HARD THAT WE WILL UNITE BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS AND MY KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR WEARING A BADGE WILL REALIZE HOW MUCH HE MISSES ME AND LOVES ME AND WANTS ME BACK BEFORE ITS TO LATE TO ENJOY THIS PREGNANCY, AND THAT HE LOVES THIS BABY EVEN THOE IT WASN’T PLANNED. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL MY LOVE AMEN RHONDA…
pray for boyd to comeback and continue the loving relationship with rhonda, pray he builds trust and faith in her and forget about vickie or others. pray he quit questioning her about chris and fills up with happiness, faith and unconditional love for her, the family and the baby, let know one take away their happiness. pray they both heal and pray and live by god words and prayers. pray he says i love you to her and suports and loves her and the baby with showers of affection and love. pray he wont quit and change his mind to stand for this relationship and her with in love, amn please send a miracle today. allmy love. keep family safe and healthy. and will stand by her through the baby and be a devoted team with her through pregnancy. pray vickie will find someone else to talk and love also and leave these two alone forever. pray also the couseling helps heal and build spirit inside each one of them..amen
September 29th, 2006 at 9:06 am
Well, now, all you atheist posters, this is your chance to show us how effective your ‘reality-based’ non-religion is. What kind of a guy throws out his 4-month-pregnant girlfriend and accuses her of cheating on him while he publicly makes time with a bimbo? And he’s getting divorced from his wife at the same time? This guy sounds like a real loser. And she’s got a teenager, too. Rhonda needs all the prayers she can get.
September 29th, 2006 at 9:04 pm
The last thing Rhonda needs is what she’s praying for–for this man (who knocked her up while he was still married and kicked her out when she was four months pregnant to run around with other women) to come back into her life.
October 16th, 2006 at 11:09 pm
I like how Joel goes right to the extreme reaction. Abortion isn’t murder. The fact remains that fetuses cannot survive outside the uterus of the mother (as far as i know). I also find it convenient that pro-lifers never care about the life of the fetus after its birth. Never mind all of that…where does life actually begin? Conception? Or no wait…how about this? Every time a man ejaculates he is killing potential children. Those sperm could have been used to fertilize a waiting egg, thus producing a child. and every time a woman gets her period she is willingly murdering a potential child, for that egg that she is bleeding out of her uterus could have been a baby had she not found some sperm to fertilize it.
And as far as prayer is concerned…whether it works or not…who cares? It’s a harmless act that makes people feel better just by doing it.
November 13th, 2006 at 10:23 pm
1-The baby is genetically complete at conception. All it needs to do is grow.
2-To know you will get an answer to prayer, you must pray in FAITH. To learn what that really means, read and study the New Testament. People think they understand what prayer really is, but most do not. It is different than the popular notion. Prayer DOES work, if you do it Gods’ way. The answers are in the New Testament.
May 29th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Better aborted while it can’t feel pain than starving in some trash can.
February 21st, 2008 at 6:03 pm
“And as far as prayer is concerned…whether it works or not…who cares? It’s a harmless act that makes people feel better just by doing it.”
i don’t pray, never have, never will. Its just how i live my life, but I’m not gonna sit around and place some sort of self-rooted, pompous and elitist scorn on some Sister because she’s spent half her life on her knees - and hasn’t made a dime or got some fame out of it. haha. but really, if she wants to pray, let her pray. if it feels right to her, or good - let her do it. and dont forget shes a nun in the first place - and inherent in that, theres a manual, if you will, that dictates to her how praying is basically within the job parameters. give her a break.
May 11th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Sounds like she has a bad habit to me.
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:58 pm
If I were a praying person -which I am not,- I would suggest that those who post comments concerning the absolute proof of the existence of miracles and power of prayer, collect together and pray for a miracle to absolutely prove beyond a shadow that miracles do exist. This will prove both points. If on the other hand their prayers do NOT produce the required miracle, then this is proof to the opposite, that neither prayer or miracles should be the subject of continuing discussion…
End of discussion.