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<\/a><\/div>\nThanks to everyone who weighed in on last week\u2019s <\/em>Santa Claus debate<\/em><\/a>. \u00a0I was very amused by how many other people had also tried to test Santa\u2019s existence as children. \u00a0As always, if you\u2019d like to respond to a Monday Call to Arms in longer form as a guest blogger, please email me at leah (dot) libresco (at) yale (dot) edu.<\/em><\/p>\n The debate over whether Christians should pray for Christopher Hitchens in his fight against cancer has been raging across the blogosphere<\/a>. Prayers seem to fall into two categories: prayers for his recovery from cancer and prayers for his recovery from atheism, and everybody wants to know what atheists make of the whole business.<\/p>\n I had a personal encounter with this question, when I once found out a conservative Christian friend occasionally prayed for me to cease to be bisexual. I was a little discomfited, and joked about getting my more theologically liberal friends to counter-pray to balance out her efforts. Ultimately, of course, I did nothing of the kind, since I don\u2019t believe that prayer does anything.<\/p>\n It makes no sense for atheists to be intimidated by rituals we believe are empty. The ridiculous debaptisms<\/a> conducted by an atheist provocateur only bolster the other side. You can only profane something you believe to be holy. When atheists embrace blasphemy for the sake of blasphemy, it merely reinforces the idea that whatever we are mocking is something truly powerful.<\/p>\n This is why I remain baffled by the behavior of everyone in what must be one of the most theologically bizarre conflicts of the 20th century: the controversy over Mormons baptizing Holocaust victims<\/a> in absentia. Do Jews believe the baptisms will take? The only danger seems to be that the Mormon Church\u2019s bizarre practice of baptism by proxy<\/a> will continue to be held up to ridicule, possibly further damaging Mitt Romney\u2019s 2012 chances. This is a concern for Romney, not the Jews.<\/p>\n Look at it the other way. If a Wiccan friend told me that she planned to put a hex on me, I wouldn\u2019t start stocking up on rock salt<\/a> and other forms of magical protection. I don\u2019t believe she can make good on her threat, so I don\u2019t need to be worried about the consequences of her magical actions. What does worry me is the attitude that this threat reveals. Whether or not my friend has a connection to the Lord and Lady, it\u2019s clear she has a problem with me that needs to be patched up.<\/p>\n The same goes for concern expressed through prayer. My boyfriend, unsurprisingly, prays for my conversion, as well as strength for me whenever I\u2019m going through tough times. As I would in the Wiccan case above, I take his actions as they are meant\u2013 an expression of love.<\/p>\n The only reason I am ever put off by prayer is if it is taken as a substitute for action. Prayers for the poor ought to be coupled with donations to charitable organizations or political advocacy groups pushing for necessary reforms. If prayer is viewed as sufficient in itself, it is an analgesic numbing us to our own ability to act and do good.<\/p>\n Are other atheists in agreement?<\/p>\n How do you react when someone says they will pray for you?<\/em><\/p>\n Does a simple \u2018thank you\u2019 for their intentions connote tacit approval of their faith?<\/em><\/p>\n How should people of all beliefs work to avoid accepting prayer as a substitute for other action?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One final note: for me, the strangest thing about Mormon proxy baptism has always been the way it completely subverts Pascal\u2019s Wager<\/a>. Mormonism<\/a> is the one religion you absolutely shouldn\u2019t bet on, since you can always course-correct after death. The whole practice seems demeaning to the practice of Mormonism on Earth. Any thoughts?<\/em><\/p>\n Thanks to everyone who weighed in on last week\u2019s Santa Claus debate. \u00a0I was very amused by how many other people had also tried to test Santa\u2019s existence as children. \u00a0As always, if you\u2019d like to respond to a Monday Call to Arms in longer form as a guest blogger, please email me at leah […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[107,134,90],"class_list":["post-381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-baptism","tag-evangelism","tag-mormons"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/tracker\/4256452356987023523-7786239000055770487?l=www.unequally-yoked.com\")