h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Repeatedly, we hear, after awful events, that some commentator / politician / friend / family member, will say that they are praying for the victims. I suspect that much of the time, they don't carry this through in practice though. However, they are suggesting that they are attempting to invoke some divine intervention which will alleviate the suffering of the victims.

I can't pray, having no faith.

So what can I do?

(I am also unable to sing the national anthem - it falls over twice in the first line so far as I am concerned).

PP.

Do what everyone else does. Like them on Facebook.

Now that is a tough one, you could just bimble along and do nothing, or you could voice your feelings to the force of nature that put us all on the planet.
Its that or sent a letter to the "Times" or other journal to register your feelings.

Not that this was much help perhaps others have a better idea.

Send warm regards and best wishes?

I'm not sure that people who have been affected by fire or floods would be particularly impressed to learn that someone in the UK is singing the national anthem on their behalf anyway...

Alternatively you could donate your small change to a charity that is actively doing something to alleviate the suffering and/or raising money for a memorial for the victims.

<BB<

I like Bluebottle's suggestion about giving to charity, though you might want to vet charities carefully to make sure the bulk of
your gift isn't going to pay the CEO's huge paycheck.

Sharing likes, well wishes, thoughts, & prayers... All are literally the least one can do.

Perhaps becoming an activist?Writing to your representative in government?Setting up or signing a petition?Protesting?

Basically getting involved directly in pushing for a change..and making sure victims and heroes are recognised and remembered.

I never offer to send "up" prayers for anyone or anything. At most, I express genuine sympathy - and if possible, I try to contribute financially to any means of offering relief.

I'm still intrigued by the mention of singing the National Anthem. Do people really do this?
If it is a small disaster, do you just need to sing the first verse, and do you only need to sing the oft-forgotten fifth and sixth verses if it is a huge disaster? If lots of people are killed in Scotland, should you still sing 'And like a torrent rush, Rebellious Scots to crush'?

I can understand atheists objecting to singing the National Anthem as they don't believe in God, but let's say there's a tsunami somewhere and lots of atheists want to help by singing patriotic songs. What good would thousands of people singing 'Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves' actually do, or would it be in poor taste?

<BB<

We Yanks are lucky in that we only have four verses, not six.

http://www.dictionary.com/e/star-spangled-banner/

You're lucky to have only six verses. La Marseillaise has seven.

I wasn't suggesting that singing the national anthem was an alternative to praying - just that as a person without religious faith (and a republican to boot), it was a song that I don't sing. And not just because it is a joyless dirge.

(What Billy Connolly has to say about the national anthem - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9nnnM-__JQ)

There are a number of other closed books for me too.

I don't think that I can be sworn in as an MP. I can't serve as a magistrate since I would have to swear to serve the queen.

PP.

If you want a political career but can't be sworn in as an MP, have you considered standing for Sinn Fein?

<BB<

There are many sorts of prayer - not just supplication (request for action) but also intercession, lament, praise, commitment, consecration and so on. Indeed, there are as many type of prayer as there are Evangelical Christian websites asking for cash donations.

If you have no faith in God, do you have faith in something else - politics, charity, hard work returning benefits to the worker? (I personally have problems with the last one but a lot of people place a lot of faith in it.)

If so, most types of prayer still make sense. Instead of getting down on your knees and hoping for a supernatural force to do the heavy lifting, you work with others (through requesting, collaboration, asking around on behalf of the people you are trying to help etc), providing cheer when all is dark, confirming to those you that you are intend to help that you are in it for the long run (not just while it is fashionable) etc.

There 9s heaps you can do without going to the scene and without believing in spooky action at a distance.

If you believe that what God has done [i.e., create the universe] reveals something about God, then perhaps you could direct a message toward Nature. Nature is basically neutral. Not many people can think of anything bad to say about it. Scientists are at peace when they talk about it.

To some scientists, Nature is God, without the bad parts. Whether praying to Nature would be a productive thing to do is up to you.

This is a good question, and one I ask myself quite often when I hear of misfortunes happening to people I know. Perhaps on facebook someone will say that their mother is seriously ill or their child has been involved in a serious accident, and there's an outpouring of "praying for you all" type comments. As I have no faith I can't lie & say I'm praying for them, and commenting "thinking of you all" or "you're in my thoughts" seems a bit lame.

If I know them well I can say something like "let me know if there's anything I can do to help", but if I just know them casually that feels a bit empty.

Incidentally I would have no problem with singing the national anthem if the occasion called for it, in the same way I have no problem singing hymns at a funeral. Just because I don't believe there's a god doesn't mean I'm offended that other people do. I also don't believe in santa or dragons, but would have no problem singing along with "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" or "Puff The Magic Dragon".

Deb

My theory about Santa Claus is that he was devised as a tongue-in- cheek response to the improbabilities of the gospel nativity events. Trying to come up with something even less likely than that, but also fun for the young and the young at heart.

Smile and nod at the other people who have their eyes open / aren't singing.

I rather like hymns. It's unlikely that they've kept their popularity for up to five centuries by accident. But "Onward Christian Soldiers" rankles me. I prefer the parody version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRsWpmdcWpg

sorry,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRsWpmdcWpg