Don't Pray For Me

[keiramarcos]

Hi, my name is Keira Marcos, and I'm intolerant. Really. I'm intolerant. Late last night I posted on Facebook how I wished I could get unmedicated sleep. Okay, what I said was: "Dudes. I would cheerfully murder someone for unmedicated, natural deep sleep." I was mostly joking. I suffer bouts of insomnia, even when I don't drink half a gallon of coffee. They mostly pop up around my cycle. It's what I have to deal with and have been dealing with since I started menstruating. Also, it doesn't help that my foot is broken and it's been raining for two days. Oddly enough -- broken bone + humidity = throbbing pain.


Okay, so I get this email from someone saying this:

"I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble sleeping. Many prescription sleep medications are habit forming so I'm going to pray you don't develop a problem in that area."

Right.

I'm sure you meant well. Mostly. I mean, the assumption that I need your God's interference to keep me from developing a drug addiction is rather insulting but whatever. I'm sure you mean well and I'm not mad at you.

In fact, I'm rather stunned at myself because -- I was outrageously offended by the mere idea that you would PRAY for me. Then I realized that my teetering on the cusp of being anti-religion is over. I'm completely, utterly anti-religion. I don't want people praying for me. I don't want to hear any crap about praying for others either. Thanks to the religious zealots sticking their noses in politics and attempting to subjugate practically everyone but themselves in the name of their god -- I'm precariously close to hating organized religions as a whole not just in part. 

I'm sincerely tired of hearing how someone's religion isn't being respected because their children aren't instructed to pray in school. I'm disgusted by all of these pro-life, anti-woman, anti-gay laws being passed on a state level. I'm tired of the men and women in government so invested in their own financial wealth and ensconced in their allegory filled holy book that they can't bother to learn science and demonstrate some fucking common sense. I'm tired of so-called Christians cherry picking the rules and laws of their holy book in order to ram their social agenda down the throats of everyone else in their efforts to shoulder their own spiritual burden.

I have to wonder how many other people have been forced to turn their backs on established religions just because the intolerance and the foolishness of those few in the public eye. I can't even drive past a church these days without scrunching my nose up in disgust. 

So, please don't pray for me. 

Comments

[flitter-and-fly.livejournal.com]

I have... too much in agreement with what you just said. We'll leave it at that.

[seadragonlady.livejournal.com]

As a long time sceptic I promise to never pray for you. I am of the opinon the world is going to hell in a hand basket and I'm just going along for the ride.
On the sleep front I gave up on that years back. I grab about 4 hours a night but once I wake that's it. So I study. Got my degree that way and now on my second. So my old lady bladder is finally good for something *lol*
Hope the weather improves for you soon.

[goddessmaat.livejournal.com]

Totally with you there. I was brought up catholic but have been completely anti-religion for quite a few years. There are many reasons for the views I have but they do include those mentioned.

[lynalar.livejournal.com]

I walked away from my church when woman and children were being "disciplined" in the "name of God" by their husbands/fathers and the Pastor of the church condoned it. Especially when that "discipline" was putting them out into the freezing cold of an upstate NY winter in only their pajamas during the wee hours of the morning.

My then best friend was one of the kids put out into the cold and nobody in the church saw anything wrong with it.

I walked away and never looked back.

[fanarts-series.livejournal.com]

Lucas is again at the hospital, fighting to be better and a woman cames for preach the good god in his room with all the blablabla he made her run away so fast, saying his mind, well done sweetie
I don't believe at someone who let my baby suffers for 2 years and half.

[theshadowpanther]

/lurk

All of this. It's gotten to the point that if someone even mentions the word God to me, I'm instantly disinterested in them.

I mean, the assumption that I need your God's interference to keep me from developing a drug addiction is rather insulting but whatever. Like you couldn't do it yourself if the habit ever started. Pfft.

Also, I'm in complete agreement with you about the third to last paragraph. We have a separation of church and state for a fucking reason, assholes, and you've just demonstrated it, yay for you. Now go back to the holes you crawled out of and leave the governing to the *proper* politicians.

*returns to lurking*

[myjadedhavok.livejournal.com]

I wasn't raised around any religion. My father is an atheist and my mother didn't bother taking us to church, mostly because no one in my family could be convinced to wake up early on a weekend. I was, however, taught to be very considerate to other people's religions: I understand how important a person's faith can be and that religion can give them something (hope, peace of mind, whatever) that makes their life better. I always expect to be given the same consideration. If I respect your religion, you should respect my lack there of. Right?

Yeah, apparently I'm a heathen, with the way I am respectful and kind and open minded and the type of person to carry someone's groceries and help little old ladies across the street.

faith and spirituality

[keshan.livejournal.com]

I´m born in a country where religion and state is seperated, even though Christian ideal is part of or norm (Sweden). Many people from my country have a hard time to understand why american people vote as they do and how some part of religion plays such a mayor role. For us the democratic party is like our right wing party. So even Obama is to way to the right (political speaking). I understand your frustration and agree. Even here we have a "religion influenced party" that don´t want gay marriage, abortion or really gender equality. Me, I am not religious, but I belive in "something" and it´s NOT organized religion, no matter which belief. People can belive whatever they want as long as it don´t hurt anybody else. My POW.
(Me = insomniac)

[jodine16.livejournal.com]

I'm completely opposed to organised religion. It's destructive and accomplishes nothing except more destruction. My mother's spiritual, but doesn't go to Sunday church beg for forgiveness for being human and I respect people like her. I also make it perfectly clear to people I bump into that I have no interest in your faith or donating to charities that are faith based and no amount of bible thumping will change that. I prefer to stick to the other charities like Doctors Without Borders 'cause for some strange reason they're welcome in 90% percent of the world. :)

[alainia.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with you. Sadly, the people I have to deal with all the time are religious and I have to avoid stepping on their toes. I am completely guilty of thinking more of people that aren't religious then those that are, especially if they use it as reasoning for STUPID behavior and thought patterns like the shit coming out of politics right now.

[garnettac.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with everything you said here. Most of all I am amazed at the level of disgust I have reached over the past 5-6 months over the things you touched on in your second to last paragraph. I really have no words.

[vasaris.livejournal.com]

Okay, I and my non-organized religion won't pray for you. Instead I'll offer Tony Stark/Steve Rogers UST and an army of flyiny, sentient roombas (http://archiveofourown.org/series/18228), in case you haven't seen them yet. Because I want my own army of flying roombas, darn it, even if it makes me a potential super villain. Doesn't everyone?

[keiramarcos]

I love that 'verse :-)

[kraymond24.livejournal.com]

I am a Christian, but not very good at going to church because 1) I am lazy and 2) the pastor/congregation inevitably say something really dumb that pisses me off. I have purposefully made a habit of never saying that I am going to pray for someone. Instead, I offer my sympathy/support and tell them I am thinking of them. Honestly, I am not a big believer in the "power of prayer," and sometimes it irritates me when people use it as an excuse to never work to change their own lives. The current trend of politicians inserting their religious "values" is ridiculous, and I have to avoid so many conversations with most of my Christian friends because I can't resist telling them they are very wrong. Anyway, sorry for the ramble, but I mainly wanted to say that the phrase "I will pray for you" can be irritating even to a Christian.

[iamaslashaddict.livejournal.com]

I grew up in a heavy Pentecostal church (though there was no snake handling so at least that's something). My mother passed away when I was 19 and when she did it was like an awakening. I just started to really think about my own views on god, religion and everything about it and came to the realization that it had absolutely no value for me. So now I define myself as an agnostic who thinks maybe there could be something out there, but I seriously doubt that if there truly is that, that being gives two craps and a sickle about whether or not abortion and gay marriage are legal or whether I go to church and worship it like a good little Christian. I despise the fact that religious people use their god as a mean to oppress and dehumanize those who they think are sinners or heathens and it may me sick that it is so prevalent in our society. I have an adverse reaction whenever one of my old childhood going friends or family "pray" for my heathen ways or just "pray" for me in general. I make no bones about how I read and write homoerotic slash, approve of homosexuality and even define myself as bi-sexual, how I despise organized religion and all of it's hypocritical practices, how I swear like a sailor, have sex outside of marriage *gasp* and believe that no man has the right to tell me what to do because of some antiquated religious law about the man being the head of the household.

Most of those people who I grew up with and went to church with see me as some kind of heathen and sinner who has embraced everything that they hate, but I could give a shit what they think at this point. I won't let some old book written by a bunch of men thousands of years ago define who I am, what I do and what I believe! *swipes brow* Whew! And now I'll get off my soap box. *g*

[azurehart.livejournal.com]

While I cannot promise that I will never pray for you, because seriously if I could see the future I'd rather use it to pick the winning lottery numbers, I do promise to keep whether I do or do not to myself.

[auntbijou.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm not the only one. When I'm not fuzzed on lack of sleep and pain, I'll elucidate, but for now, I'll just say I'm right there with you.

[goddess47]

::Leaves sacrificial cookies at your altar of awesomeness and runs away and hides::

[serpentlady69.livejournal.com]

Livejournal needs a like button already.

[xocoatldreams.livejournal.com]

Right after I read this (and agreed by the way), my aunt posts on my FB status that she prays the therapist knows what he's doing. All I could think was 'wow, it's contagious!'

[pclu2004.livejournal.com]

I definitely won't pray for you. I have no problem with the idea of God. (I know--caps) but I do have a lot of problems with her fan base.

[keiramarcos]

Word.

[serpentlady69.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have to second pretty much everything you said. And my mother wonders why I'm atheist/agnostic (It depends on the day really) and most sincerely not Christian.

[rabidfan.livejournal.com]

None of those people understand that being Christiam means being Christ Like...hence the name. Hateful speech and attitudes can hardly be considered "Christ-like".

Mostly I just want to hit them...

...bail me out if I give into the urge??

[calanor.livejournal.com]

We should pass a plate... take offerings...for the cult of Keira

[silentflux]

I have always believed that faith is a personal issue - not one to be flaunted or shoot off your mouth about. Demonstrating your faith through acts of compassion, living the tenets of your faith - that's how you honor your beliefs. I've never understood the fetish of throwing prayers at people in a way that is so amazingly condescending and unwanted, or wielding your beliefs like a weapon to attack those who are different or don't believe as you do. I just... yeah. *shrugs*

This is what turns people away from religion and with good reason - I agree with everything you posted above about how those who claim their religion loudly and use it to their political advantage. They often demonstrate very little of that supposed faith through their acts and are so hypocritical it makes me ill. I just wish that the loudest and most obnoxious among those who claim their faith weren't the only ones heard.

[syble4.livejournal.com]

I have never believed in "Organized Religion". Those two words created the biggest oxymoron I know of. Religion is a private thing between ones-self and the universe. It should be a guide to live in "harmony" with others, not used to discriminate and give a reason to hate.

[mist-walker.livejournal.com]

you just said everything I wanted to and wasn't able to get out! Totally this for me.

[1taintedsoul.livejournal.com]

As an atheist of 27 years I congratulate your anti-religion stance.Mine gets more passionate every year and I would be horrified if someone prayed for me.
If I knew of a way to get you to sleep I would tell you,but you've probably tried every trick in the book and then some!

Keep up the good work - I do love your fic.

[polly-b.livejournal.com]

I have to wonder how many other people have been forced to turn their backs on established religions just because the intolerance and the foolishness of those few in the public eye.

*waves hand* Hating Christianity as a religion since 1975...