National Day of Prayer is on, despite court ruling

It's cool bro.

Keep on shining.

But I'll say this much, your terrible, illogical rants regarding the Texans are starting to make a lot more sense now.

 

You should see his taste in movies.

 

Though prayer does entail some sort of belief in a higher power or transcendent being, it doesn't really require religion.

And I don't think "National Day of don't pray or be religious" is analogous. Would you have a problem with "National Day of Skeptical Inquiry"? I wouldn't.

 

Nah, National Day of Non-Prayer is pretty much spot on analogous.

A National Day of Skeptic Inquiry doesn't implicitly have anything to do with religion/spirituality/God, unlike a National Day of Prayer.

The opposite of "praying" is "not praying", IMO. The opposite of "praying" isn't "skeptic inquiry". What would you say the opposite of prayer is?

 

The reason I don't think its analogous is because "National Day of Don't Pray" is discouraging an activity while "National Day of Prayer" is promoting an activity. To me, those are very different morally.

There is nothing offensive about an organization promoting and celebrating a cultural activity I don't engage myself in. Let others enjoy it.

On the other hand, it is offensive if a cultural activity I do engage in and which I have deep respect for is expressly discouraged.

 

Consider that encouraging people to pray (i.e. be religous/spiritual) is virtually the same thing as discouraging them from being non-religious/spiritual.

The two are inexorably tied to one another, and cannot co-exist within a single person. You either are spiritual/religious/a person who prays or you aren't.

This is why you cannot have a government promoting EITHER way of thinking, because it is theocratic. The government cannot take a stand for or against religion or religious practices which do not violate the law.

"Cultural activity" is an absolutely misleading and inaccurate choice of words. In some places it is an "cultural activity" to kill/maim people ritualistically or for fun. Prayer is not a cultural activity. It is a religious/spiritual activity, and the government has no business promoting it or discouraging it.

Encouraging people not to pray carries the opposite, but equal implication as encouraging people to pray.

 

You blindly follow a perennial losing football organization, but when the government implements a menial, insignificant holiday, you start asking questions, ha

 

It may discourage people from being anti-prayer (that is, going out of one's way to mock others that pray). I really don't see how it discourages people from being non-religious.

In what way will a National Day of Prayer make you feel bad for not praying? I don't expect I will be praying on this day, and I'm not in any way ashamed of that.

 

If I encourage you to pray, that the exactly the same as if you discouraged me from NOT praying.

It is a 1 to 1 relationship. For every bit that you encourage prayer, that is a bit that you are discouraging not praying.

For the government to encourage people to pray, that is giving credence/promotion to religions and religious behavior, which is in direct contrast to my "belief system" of not praying/believing.

Don't get tripped up on the double negatives, it works both ways.

 

I agree with the second paragraph, not the first. It is very different to say "the government is not encouraging not praying" and "the government is discouraging not praying."

There are an infinite number of things the government is "not encouraging" at any given time. That doesn't mean the government is discouraging all those things.

Edit: missed your edit. Alright, well I think you get my point (though you disagree with it, evidently).

 

If you agree with the second paragraph, then you must, by logic, agree with the first.

 

lol so don't pray. im not sure what naming a day for prayer actually does, but prayer is a personal engagement with god, people need to stop getting mad at things just to get mad. if you dont like STFU there is nothing forced here, no one will look at you weird if youre not standing on the side of the road looking to the skies calling out for god, praying is personal and usually alone (unless with others praying) so why o WHY do people care about this shat?!

maybe i just dont see the world the same way, i dont care about much of anything. things bother me alot, but i keep them to myself because every time i think of what someone is doing as ridiculous, i think to myself about all the weird f'd up things i do that others may declare taboo and i immediately stop caring abt whatever he/she that is annoying me is doing.

any one else understand what im saying?

 

OK, let's have a national day of not-praying to balance things out.

Feel free to go ahead and pray.

Hope you don't mind the government promoting people not being religious.

 

If it's a meaningless event then why have it?

 

What's funny about the appeal to those early days of prayer is that the language always including "fasting." There would be violence in the streets if anyone even suggested that current Americans should fast for a day. Lincoln called for a day of "national humiliation, fasting and prayer." Yes, that would go over real well today. He'd be drummed out of the Republican Party by the radio wing for suggesting America should be "humiliated" before the world... not to mention he'd be asking Limbaugh to swear off food for a day.

 

E.g. I am not encouraging you to become a Vegan. Does that mean I'm discouraging you from becoming a Vegan? No.

The negation of encouragement (not encouraging) and opposite of encouragement (discouragement) are different notions.

 

Your logical layout, while correct, doesn't apply to this discussion, as it was never used:

I never said that not encouraging people to become religious means you're discouraging them from becoming religious.

Just the same as I never said that not encouraging people to become non-religious means you're discouraging them from becoming non-religious.

The logic employed is that:

Encouraging people to become religious discourages them from becoming non-religious.

Encouraging people to become non-religious discourages them from becoming religious.

There is no negation of an encouragement used in this logic, so your example is invalid.

One cannot encourage religion without discouraging non-religion. And one cannot encourage non-religion without discouraging religion. These two things are in direct opposition/competition to each other and are not logically compatible. For each unit you have of A, you have one less of B, and vice versa.

 

Since today was my birthday, all your prayers benefited me. I feel honored. Nay, sanctified. om

 

lol they arent forcing you to pray, a national not pray day would be forcing non religion. just because it is a national day doesnt mean everyone HAS to pray, it just recognizes that a majority of the citizens in the country worship or at least acknowledge a higher being who has a substantial relationship with humans.

 

honestly, i don't see that big a difference from the president celebrating national prayer day from him celebrating Christmas.

Do you believe Christmas should be cancelled as well because it's "encouraging" people to celebrate a religious holiday?