"I'll pray for you"? No thanks!

17 September 2010

Video | ZJ on YouTube | Subscribe

ZJ: Have you ever been involved in a discussion with someone who happens to be religious? And, once they've given up on arguing with you, they leave you with the promise that they'll "pray for you"? I get that a lot. And I always wonder: What, exactly, are you going to pray for? Within their model of the world, prayer is considered a communication to their god. In this context, it would likely take the form of a request of some sort. And given the issue at hand, it's reasonable to assume that they're asking their god to do something that would make me find their arguments more agreeable.

To me, this seems to be a really interesting approach, and almost certainly outside the acceptable boundaries of a debate. Even if we did agree, for the moment, that praying for a god to change someone's mind could conceivably work as intended, why do they consider this a valid method of persuasion? After all, the very purpose of a debate is to establish certain positions as being more or less well-supported and correct, by making a case for or against them. But if you instead decide to invoke some kind of occult forces to magically change your opponent's mind, that doesn't count as an argument. Even if such a tactic did somehow succeed, it still wouldn't make you right, and it's not fighting fair.

If I sprayed a mist of nanomachines in your face prior to a debate that would subtly rewire your brain so that you agree with everything I say, that doesn't mean I won, and it doesn't mean I'm correct. You see, unlike those of you who ask your gods for help, I'm certainly not going to try and put a hex on you so you'll think I'm always right. My argument stands, or falls, on its own merits. Either I make my case, or I fail. And if you have to resort to tagging in a supernatural entity to convince someone for you, then isn't that just a concession that your own arguments are inadequate and can't stand on their own?

Beyond that, it's also flagrantly disrespectful that you would even attempt something like this, regardless of whether it works or not. Sincerely praying in this manner means that you're making an honest effort to override the intellectual autonomy of anyone who disagrees with you. Even if your model of the world is inaccurate, even if there is no god to do your bidding, it's still very unsporting of you.

We do not live in the Harry Potter universe. You do not get to cast the Imperius curse on everyone who doesn't share your views. If you are interested in having a discussion, let's leave the magic out of it.

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