If anyone asks me to pray in public, they might be surprised. My sincerest prayer would be: "All gods, we ask your help. But, if not, we'll do it ourselves! Thank you." Van Rijn tells Coya:
"'You better hope, you heathen, and I better pray, the supermetals what the agents of Supermetals is peddling do not come out of a furnace run by anybody except God Himself.'" (p. 655)
Petitionary prayer focuses hopes and wishes by addressing them to a deity or a "higher power," as some say. A Lancaster street vendor told me that the whole Muslim world was hoping and praying for peace. Some leftists would have argued that praying is futile. Such an argument is a divisive digression. My response was to add: "...and act." That can unite us - if we have clear common objectives, of course.
How do we know that praying is futile? Some people claim from their experience that it is not. We need both empathy and continued dialogue. There is one small political group that asks any enquirer whether they have any religious beliefs and refuses them membership if they say yes. This is the perfect way to remain a small and ineffective group.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And I don't believe that street vendor one bit! It would be more accurate to say many Muslims are hoping and praying for the conquest/unification of the world under the theocratic domination of Islam, preferably under a caliph. What a nightmare that would be!
Happy New Year! Sean
Sean,
I could indeed have pointed out that not all his co-religionists want peace but I preferred a positive message, adding action to hope and prayer.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Which I have no objection to, as long as we remain realistic about what is more likely.
Happy New Year! Sean
Sean,
A world caliphate is extremely unlikely given all the forces ranged against it. Britain will become 100% Muslim only in the highly improbable event that everyone who is not already Muslim converts to Islam and, if that were to happen, then we would all have wanted it to happen!
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
But I never said such a horrible thing would be likely. I do believe many fanatical Muslims dream of setting up such a caliphate. That is, after all, the ambition of terrorist organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood and its spin offs (such as Hamas). Determined, intelligent fanatics can do enormous, bloody harm trying to achieve that goal. See Andrew McCarthy's book, THE GRAND JIHAD, analyzing the theology, ideology, methods, aspirations, etc., of current day jihadists.
Some too easily ignore, minimize, or pooh pooh the threat posed by the current waves of jihadism within Islam.
Happy New Year! Sean
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