Don’t Pray For Me

Like many atheists, I often have Christians who threaten to physically assault me. I even get Christians who threaten send me to “meet God.” But they love me. They really love me. In fact, after all the threats, they are sure to let me know that they are praying for me. But what does that really mean anyway?

It seems to me, that when a Christian claims that are praying for me, they are telling me that they are asking God to save me. They are saying that even though I deserve to be tortured for all eternity, they would like God to spare me out of grace.

I think the important part here is that they actually think I deserve to be tortured. They believe that I deserve to be tortured not just for five minutes or an hour, but for all eternity (which I understand is sort of a long time). So at best, when they are saying that they are praying for me, it is really a backhanded compliment at best. They are saying that I am a wretched person who deserves to be tortured!!!

In fairness, they believe everyone deserves to be tortured, but that they deserve it slightly less because they have been forgiven by God — forgiven for the ultimate crime… being human.

And yet, many Christians have the audacity to claim that atheists are the big meanies because we criticize their religious beliefs as being ridiculous and call them out on their hateful actions and attitudes.

I don’t need their prayers. If they believe that I truly deserve to be tortured, then so be it. It isn’t like they are going to change God’s mind with their prayers anyway. For one thing, he doesn’t exist so he doesn’t have a mind. But even if he did (and he doesn’t), then they still couldn’t change God’s mind with their prayers. Doesn’t God have a perfect plan? Well? Is it perfect or isn’t it? If it is perfect, then any change in that perfect plan would mess up the whole damn thing. Plus, if I really deserve to be tortured… and no one does, then fuck it.

The reality is that the very fact that a Christian is praying for me is good reason not to be a Christian. If they are praying for God to save me from being eternally tortured, then God is the meanie because no one deserves to be tortured – not for five minutes and certainly not for all eternity.

Don’t pray for me, Christian. Think about the type of God you choose to worship. Do you really want to worship a deity that has set up a system that allows for the infinite torture of billions of people for finite transgressions of being human for 0-110 years? Yeah, the system that God has set up according to Christianity allows for children and babies to be tortured for all eternity! Think about it.