Prayer is a deadly menace to society. Therefore Western Society has opted to regulate its’ use and practice. While there are some who wish to ban it completely, most of us know that such prohibition usually leads to an increased usage of any thing made illicit by the law. So many people who wish to have prayer regulated argue for its’ use in social contexts and cite health reasons for keeping it available.
The argument for banning prayer is that it is ineffective. There is no purpose to prayer. It is like talking to an imaginary friend. And it would be dishonest to teach people the imaginary friend exists. But, then what if the friend is not imaginary? There is no dishonesty. True, claim the prohibitionists. But, does it help to give in or even to encourage a delusion? So, those who would prohibit prayer do so for the sake of public mental health.
The regulators of prayer claim that there is something healthful and helpful to the individual and the public in prayer. Public events, meetings, sports matches, and picnics are special times for prayer to promote good feelings and attitudes that contribute to social cohesion. If there is a delusion involved it is harmless in these small doses.
The third group are deregulators who believe prayer is meant to be a menace to society. When an individual prays, the person knows he is not alone. The prayer can be in a group of other people doing the same or alone in a “prayer closet” situation. If the person praying believes the words or meditations are being heard or shared how can that person ever be stopped. A person may pray out of compassion. A person may pray for courage to perform a right action. A person may pray because every aspect of a given situation is outside the person’s power. We deregulators ask where is the harm?
The response of regulators and prohibitionists is that people who pray could become dangerously disobedient and disrupt the engineering of society. As an advocate for the deregulation of prayer, I respond I hope so. As a prayer practitioner I have learned many things (some good and some bad) about myself. I have learned I am not bound by anything other than my loyalty to truth. I have learned while praying I can become a Self and not a cog in the machine of production and consumption.
Learning these things makes the use and practice of prayer a menace to the society which only wishes for ordered movement of money, goods, and services with no question about spiritual wealth. Prayer is a menace to society because it helps liberate the person from the grind of society.
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