Hey, Wolf Blitzer! No, All Your Viewers Are NOT Praying!

[K8-EEE]

Wolfie annoyed the shit out of me with his constant refrain during the Hillary hostage thing that "I'm sure all our viewers are praying for a good end to that!"

Well, certainly I was hoping it turns out well but it annoys me this assumption that he's SURE that everybody in the world believes in God and prays. Then he turns it over to another talking head guy and he's all, "oh right you are Wolf, all our viewers are praying and prayers WORK!" "Oh they SURE DO!" Give me a break....you can pray if you want to but IMO hoping and praying are exactly the same thing and "work" exactly the same way.

If all the viewers are praying about something and it turns out badly, is Wolf gonna go "God hates us! God's mean!"

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Which reminds me - whatever happened to their "Faith & Values" correspondent...

Delia Gallagher?

[K8-EEE]

5. I vaguely remember that.....is she no longer

"part of the best team in the business" or whatever that is he's always saying?

[frazzled]

2. Loosen up--it's a figure of speech

You don't have to believe in a deity to "pray" that things will be okay, in the common parlance. Witness such expressions as "pray tell..."

You could even say, "I pray I'm right that there is no God."
Or: "I pray the Bears win the big game this weekend ... cause I've got a big bet on."
Or: "I pray these *&#@ right-wing evangelicals don't come out to vote this year."

[K8-EEE]

4. "Prayers work, Wolf!" "They sure do!"

No they don't. Just sayin', there's not evidence prayers work.

[frazzled]

6. You didn't read my post: "pray" means "hope"

No, there is no scientific proof that hope works either--but it's the civilized, polite, compassionate, and socially acceptable thing to do--to hope things turn out okay. It's the thing to say when you, yourself, have no control over the outcome.

You are so obsessed with a meaningless phrase, I'm afraid you're appearing to be uncivilized, impolite, uncompassionate, and socially abrasive.

I hoped those young-women hostages were going to be okay. What, you hoped they weren't? Or you just thought, que sera--not my problem. Either way, not very becoming.

[K8-EEE]

9. I'm not SO OBSESSED with it I'm just suggesting

that on the NEWS it might be more appropriate to use "hope" because the difference between "hoping" and "praying" is one prays to a God/Gods. You are the one freaking out over the subject, IMO!

I said in my post I hoped everyone would be OK - that's not the issue. My issue is when Wolf says "I know all our viewers are praying..." no we aren't....

Also the theocrats constantly use these little things against reason, "oh look it SAYS right on this MONEY 'in God we trust" that means this is a Christian nation" etc.

[Toucano]

8. You're correct. Everything isn't literal.

In the scope of human civilization a concept of prayer as an expression of a wish is quite common.

[OwnedByFerrets]

3. I support you this.....nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. I'm neither a viewer or a pray-er.

And, I think that any self-respecting deity would have better things to do than listen to a bunch of whiners from a minor species intent on destroying itself.