The world is a tragic place. Accidents and tragedies occur all over, all the time. Why is it as soon as something happens in the US, be it the unfortunate event at the recent football game, a weather event, your Aunty Mabel has to visit a Dr etc there is an outpouring of calls for prayers. If this was occurring in other countries/ cultures it would be classed as religious extremism. As an outsider I just don’t get it.
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> If this was occurring in other countries/ cultures it would be classed as religious extremism.
It’s an expression of sympathy, get a grip.
>If this was occurring in other countries/ cultures it would be classed as religious extremism.
Try to be less dramatic. I mean really.
For some people they really are encouraging and requesting prayers. For others its more a general feeling of positive sentiments and encouragements.
What country would call it extreme?
Because it doesn’t hurt anyone, some people (like myself) genuinely believe in the power of prayer, and sometimes there’s not anything else you can do, especially for a stranger.
It’s confirmation bias. It’s best defined as:
*the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one’s prior beliefs or values.*
Also, Australians are well known for their xenophobia towards Americans. It doesn’t matter what Americans do, you lot will find a reason to have issues with it, even when expressing sympathy, for example.
Surely religious people in Australia also say prayers? I feel like I saw a lot of religious lamentation after the ChristChurch attack in the neighboring NZ but maybe that was global coverage of the tragedy.
>If this was occurring in other countries/ cultures it would be classed as religious extremism
almost every major religion involves prayer. and if you don’t belong to a religion that believes in prayer, that’s where the “thoughts” come in.
asking people to pray for something in their own religion if they believe in one is not even close to what religious extremism is. it’s a common expression containing a completely optional request.
>If this was occurring in other countries/ cultures it would be classed as religious extremism.
Today I learned that praying for people is religious extremism.
*Young man suffers cardiac arrest in front of millions of people*
“Hey, if you’re religious, keep this guy in your prayers!”
You: “This is no different than the Crusades”
>there is an outpouring of calls for prayers.
Because religious people often pray.
>If this was occurring in other countries/ cultures it would be classed as religious extremism.
No it wouldn’t – unless those countries/cultures are extremely intolerant.
If you think asking for prayers or suggesting that people pray is an expression of extreme religiosity, I’m not sure you grasp what extremism is.
Grapp is that you?
A lot of people are Christians in the US. By the way it would in no way whatsoever be classified as “religious extremism” by any intellectually honest person. If that sounds like religious extremism to you, then you’re a different kind of extremist.
Yeah no. Religious extremism is when you use violent or coercive acts in an attempt to force your religion on others. Calling the outpouring after Hamlin’s or any other’s life threatening events as “religious extremism” makes light of actual religious extremism.
Yes accidents and tragedies occur. When a loved one’s life is hanging in the balance, and they’re already in the hands of the highest medical professionals available and there’s nothing more you can physically do for them, many people don’t know what else to do, so they pray. I get that you don’t think it does anything. Probably a lot of the people doing it also don’t actually think it’ll do anything, but in that moment they’re desperate.
I get it, I’m agnostic. But when I had family members in medical emergencies and their lives were out of my hands, I prayed too cause I didn’t know what the hell else to try.
We have freedom of religion here and actually mean it. We don’t force people to behave a certain way. If someone wants to pray or wear a burkini on a beach we let them.
And if you feel that’s religious extremism we also have freedom of speech and that’s okay to have that thought or to express that opinion too.
What is morally wrong is suppressing people’s free thoughts, speech, and expressions at the point of a gun by government forces.
You seem very obsessed with this subject
I’ll pray for you 🙏
You must have never experienced religious extremism in person.
[In a speech in Albury last month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told his audience that he was praying for rain in drought-affected areas.
](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-17/thoughts-and-prayers-miracles-christianity-praying-for-rain/11610942)
[Merkel asks religious leaders for prayers to help get through eurozone crisis](https://www.reuters.com/article/idUK88854846920110913)
That search took 10 seconds. Seems like it occurs in other places too. Religion has a place in the US, you can choose your own experience with it.
>If this was occurring in other countries/ cultures it would be classed as religious extremism.
People saying they’re praying after a tragedy would not be classed as religious extremism, come on now.
I’m sometimes annoyed by “thoughts and prayers’ too, but you’re being weird about it
I think you are putting a little too much thought into it. I’m not religious, but it’s a nice sentiment to keep people in your thoughts.
It’s easier and more universally understood to say “thoughts and prayers for ______” than it is to say “I acknowledge this suffering/tragedy/worry/pain and am trying to show my vocal or social media support for this person/cause/belief/friend/family/group”.
…wait this is coming from an Australian? A member of the commonwealth? Isn’t the whole belief around the royal family that god put them in place? You seem fine with that whole song and dance. Sounds weird to me.
Didn’t your previous PM just a couple of years ago get in some trouble for offering “thoughts and prayers” to people affected by the wildfires rather than actually doing anything? I remember there was some infighting in the country between people thinking that was insensitive and people thinking it was respectful.
Sounds like a pretty religious extremist country to me. That’s just my opinion as an outsider though.
> The world is a tragic place. Accidents and tragedies occur all over, all the time. Why is it as soon as something happens in the US, be it the unfortunate event at the recent football game, a weather event, your Aunty Mabel has to visit a Dr etc there is an outpouring of calls for prayers.
To those who pray, its comforting, a sign of well-meaning unity. To those who don’t, it doesn’t bother us.
> As an outsider I just don’t get it
Nobody is asking you to.
Ok so…prayers.
It’s a way for people who feel helpless to feel like they’re making a difference. They’re asking their sky daddy to watch over someone. That’s it. There’s nothing extreme about it.
When people suggest prayers as an alternative to actually *doing something useful* (looking at you, politicians) that’s being a dick. But when all they can do is pray? That’s people being thoughtful.
I appreciate the sentiment.
OP apparently hasn’t ever heard of the Catholic Church who quite literally does this *all over the world*
If you don’t believe in it, then it shouldn’t bother you. If someone is hurt there is little we can do. Offering prayers is a way to share empathy with others. There’s medical literature that suggests that positive attitudes are correlated with better recovery rates.
For others it is faith. It doesn’t require the subject of prayer to partake. But it is a way for them to express their sympathy.
I had a sweet, older, Southern black church lady offer a prayer for me when she noticed I was going through things. We had very little in common. She didn’t know me. I’d never visit her church, and yet her first thought was of me. I felt incredibly grateful for her to share that with me. My mood was lightened.
This is not uniquely American. I’ve had discussions with friends and strangers in the Middle East, India, and Latin America and faith has come up. I don’t care the faith they practice, but I consider myself blessed when they’re willing to share it with me. When a Muslim says, “May Allah bless you,” I’m not bothered or threatened. I’m thankful for the sentiment. Their sharing brings us closer in humanity.
That the OP considers this religious extremism speaks more to their biases and insecurities than anything else.
>religious extremism
With all due respect, get a fucking grip.
I don’t have a problem with prayer. What I have a problem with is when it becomes performative.
Heck, just read the Sermon on the Mount (Or the Beatitudes, depending on your faith tradition). Christ instructs us to not pray in public. He instead advises us to go into the most private place one can find to pray, for God already knows what we’re praying for before we even give words to it.
That being said, I do offer prayers for the player’s full recovery.
Religious people think prayer works. What’s so hard to understand about that?
It’s just a way of saying “I’m sorry this terrible thing has happened and I am hoping things improve for you soon so I am going to intercede on your behalf to my deity of choice.”
It’s generally just a nice thing to say, especially on social media, that relates your sympathy and support. Whether or not you *actually* pray is inconsequential.
>If this was occurring in other countries/ cultures it would be classed as religious extremism.
Someone has never heard of the Islamic world, most of Africa, South America, or India. The world is bigger than Western Europe.
It’s just asking for people to send good thoughts. That’s literally all anyone can do in certain situations.
simply praying for people who experienced hardship is considered “religious extremism” in the “rest of the world/other countries” (aka, western europe, canada, and anglo oceania lol)? glad we aren’t them then
Americans are *largely* Christian in one sense or another. Plus, after the 50s America put a lot of “god” in our mottos as a middle finger to the “godless” Russians during the cold war. Ever since then, thoughts and prayers, are just the default setting. I’m not a believer myself, but I accept that I’m part of a minority, albeit a growing one.