France Needs Your Prayers!

They’re suffering.

The country is being overrun by the atheists! They comprise 30% of the population! Damn minority groups!

And Muslims? There are “over 6,000,000” of them! (Which, at best, is under 10% of the population.)

So the country needs your prayers.

Not yet, though.

Not until February 6^th.

Then you must pray for 40 days straight.

And don’t you dare start praying on February 5^th. You’ll just ruin everything.

I signed up for it.

There were only 7 people registered and I felt kinda bad for them… I mean, we all know you need at least 9834782903 people praying to make a difference.

(Not sure who did the math for the site, but after I registered, it told me, “Every person interceding for France makes an exponential difference.” Exponential? Really?! Well, we know how good some Christians are with their exponents…)

Oh, and by the way, if you want to throw in $3.50, they’ll send you a PDF of the “2008 Prayer Guide.” A PDF! In other words, if you send them money, they’ll give you something that anyone else serious about this project would’ve just given you for free.

Hell, I’ll save you some cash. Here’s the 2007 Prayer Guide (PDF). Just recycle the words. God won’t mind.

[tags]atheist, atheism, Christian, Jesus, Catholic[/tags]

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Jeff

Wow Hemant, by registering at that site, you single handedly increased the number of participants by 14%. No one else will subsequently be able to help them out (percentage wise) so much by a single registration!

I for one stood by France and ate french-fries when so many others were eating “freedom fries”. 😉
Stauffenberg

The ‘friendliness” of the “friendly” atheist is so amusing. Now some atheists really are, but not this guy.

The sarcasm is always seething just below the surface, and his heavy use of ridicule, even in his book, seems to be apparent to everyone but him.

In fact, it is so apparent that I am beginning to realize that his use of the term “friendly” atheist is a colossal joke.
Sue

I’m an atheist and I moved to live in France. If there were any justice in the world, I’d be sent back to my own irreligious country.
brian t

I like the line about “the revival fires that had to leave France 300 years ago”. This is a reference to the Huguenots: they were persecuted and emigrated en masse, to Holland, South Africa and North America, and elsewhere. They were a major factor in the development of South African culture, and many modern South African names are French in origin e.g. the actress Charlize Theron is a descendent of Huguenot settlers.

Of course, that site makes no mention of who was persecuting the Huguenots. Hint: they were Protestant Calvinists in an officially Catholic country. Their French citizenship was revoked, just because of their religion; is it surprising that atheists are concerned when politicians make statements to the effect that “America is a Christian country, and atheists are not citizens”?
richard

Is it wrong that I signed up the Pope for this? I’m sure Ratzi would approve of such a project…
grazatt

Stauffenberg You need to get with the program! There are many Christians here and they all love Hemant!
Mriana

There were only 7 people registered and I felt kinda bad for them… I mean, we all know you need at least 9834782903 people praying to make a difference.

Actually, Hemant, you only need 2 or more people. Matt 18:20~ “For where two or more are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”

So you need not feel sorry for them, Hemant, because they have more than enough people to pray for France. You signed up for nothing. 😆

One problem though, Muslims believe in Jesus too. No, he did not die on a cross, according them, but went on to live out his life, married, had a family, and THEN ascended into heaven to one day return BUT like Christians no one knows when Jesus will return.

So, to really make it friendly, why don’t they all pray together for something worth while and it would be a step in the right direction- Pray together for peace. 😆

You don’t need that $3.50 prayer guide either. You’re wasting your money there. Nah, the guide is right there in the NT too. So, if you REALLY want a prayer guide, then just save your money, ask the Gideons for one of their free new NT. You’ll find all you need to know about praying [the Christian way] right there. 😆

BTW, I think Feb. 6th is the beginning of Lent- something not only Catholics observe, but Episcopalians and Lutherans do too. Thing is, I don’t have a new 2008 calendar yet to really know. IF it is, well then you’ll end up praying in your dreams before it’s over, because literally it’s 40 days and 40 nights. 😆

One more thing Hemant… That’s exactly what they do with the Liturgical calendar- recycle it and reuse it. 😆 You’re on the ball, Hemant! You’re making a fine start as a Christian. 😆 Now too bad more won’t take that same advice and recycle material things.
Iztok

Bit off topic… I subscribe to feed, but what is URL for comments feeds for this blog?
Hemant Mehta

Iztok — The link for comments RSS feed:

http://friendlyatheist.com/comments/feed/
scott gray

it is sad that only 7 people are signed up.

i hate girl scout cookies, but i always feel sorry for those poor girl scouts, so i buy a couple of boxes of cookies.

but the girl scouts never made a claim like this: “Pastor John Mulinde in Kampala, Uganda, received an urgent call from the Lord that the people of France should humble themselves, pray and seek His face on behalf of their nation.” [2007 calendar]

perhaps if they gave away cookies instead of recieving urgent calls from god, they’d get more than 7 people to sign up.
stogoe

i hate girl scout cookies

Blasphemer! Thin Mints and Samoas are among the world’s finest confections (a gigantic list to be sure, but still). As an added bonus, nontheists are allowed to be Girl Scouts, unlike the homobigots at the BSA.
scott gray

see? if the boy scouts gave away cookies instead of drawing ‘us’ and ‘them’ lines in the sand, they’d be better liked. it’s the hospitality that matters; you can always catch more flies, regardless of religious preference, with honey. or cookies.
Iztok

Thanks Hemant! It works great 🙂 Now it is easier to follow more blogs 🙂

You going to post some about Benazir Bhutto?
Mriana

scott gray said,

December 27, 2007 at 12:18 pm

it is sad that only 7 people are signed up.

Why is it sad? They have more than enough people to do that thing.
Gabriel Brawley

Is this a joke? I just glanced over the sight and it has a very Andy Kaufman feel to it.
Billy

What if I pray for less religion, open-mindedness, rationality and spanking guinea pigs? Would that help?
Anatoly

Well if this has the same effect as the heart attack patients study then please do, pray away! France could always use more atheists.
David

I’m flattered that you’re all intrigued by the site. I have modified it to explain exactly where the money is going for both the PDF and the printed version since that’s an extremely valid point.

And, of course, since I’m here I’d welcome any questions about the site. I’ll try to answer to the best of my ability.

And thanks Hermant for your blog. I’m fondly reminded of my three month stint in one of the Atheist chat rooms on AOL back in ’99. As a former agnostic I enjoy a lot of the intelligent conversation (and fun Girl Scout banter) that exists in anti-faith groups.
Mriana

I also see it as a scam too. Why charge $3.50 for a prayer guide? This is laughable. Atheists feeling sorry for a charleton group trying to get money out of people? Legit prayer is free and you don’t need no stinking guide to pray.

MikeC, tell ’em, please! Before I laugh so hard I fall out of my chair. Come on, guys, this is a scam. I wouldn’t be making so many jokes if I didn’t think it wasn’t.
David

Hi Mriana,

Thanks for your question. The prayer guide is 40 pages and costs $3.15 to print. With PayPal processing it comes to right around $3.50.

And, prayer is free – no question about it. That’s why we don’t say you can’t pray without the guide. THAT would be a giant scam!

In fact, if thousands of people didn’t ask for the guide year after year, I’m sure Objectif France would have stopped printing it years ago.