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Popular art teacher dies after fasting for two weeks
It's not clear why clear why she was fasting, but the young woman once told friends she often slept during the day so she could pray through the night. (Suburban Chicago Beacon News)
November 15, 2007 | Permalink
Comments
International House of Prayer? She should have been at the International House of Pancakes.
Bada-bing!
Posted by: Jack | Nov 15, 2007 12:47:46 PM
I always wondered why an omnipotent god would want you to pray to it, wouldn't the god already know what you wanted?
Well, she is from Missouri. The state with towns banning 'baggy pants'. Not a lot of win down there.
Posted by: Sean, Torrington CT | Nov 15, 2007 1:00:41 PM
Sounds like a suicide.
Posted by: Cherie | Nov 15, 2007 1:01:34 PM
Another fine example of why organized religion is bad.
Posted by: buddy | Nov 15, 2007 1:17:32 PM
That's bogus. Something else must have been going on.
I know plenty of people who have fasted longer than that and been fine. I myself did a juice fast for longer than that and was fine. IF she was taking medication she should have talked to a doctor before fasting, but if a person is healthy two weeks won't kill them.
Posted by: connie | Nov 15, 2007 1:43:36 PM
"I always wondered why an omnipotent god would want you to pray to it, wouldn't the god already know what you wanted?"
I already said, Sean. He gets off on it. It's like phone sex to Him. The longer and harder people pray, the longer and harder He gets.
Posted by: Dave | Nov 15, 2007 1:44:49 PM
Aaaaaannnnndddd, Jack get the Laugh Out Loud Award of the Day!
Dude, you made me spit pop through my nose-that hurt really bad.
Posted by: pnwgal | Nov 15, 2007 2:17:05 PM
Well, she is from Missouri. The state with towns banning 'baggy pants'. Not a lot of win down there.
Posted by: Sean, Torrington CT | Nov 15, 2007 1:00:41 PM
I bet you are really just a shit head in real life! More reasons for the old bumper sticker "Have you kicked a yankee today".
Note: This is not for regular yankees, just shit heads like Sean.
Posted by: | Nov 15, 2007 3:09:40 PM
Actually, Sean, the prayer isn't for God, it's for us. Natuarally, He already knows what we're going to ask.
Armor on.
Posted by: pnwguy (no relation) | Nov 16, 2007 6:49:50 AM
pnwguy, well said.
Posted by: Kghoti | Nov 16, 2007 7:03:25 AM
"Actually, Sean, the prayer isn't for God, it's for us. Naturally, He already knows what we're going to ask."
This is the sort of confused logic I expect from religious apologists. When called on the carpet, the response is always pleasant sounding nonsense.
So what does this mean, exactly, that the prayers are "for us"? I thought the whole point of prayer was to speak to God. Are you or are you not speaking to God? If in fact you're not, then do you enjoy talking to yourself? Is prayer simply a form of meditation? If so, then that's fine. But that's not my understanding of what prayer is. If on the other hand you are indeed speaking to God, and He already knows what you're going to ask, then why bother with this exercise in redundancy? Do you feel you need to reiterate your request to Him in case maybe he's a little thick, and didn't understand your thoughts the first time around? Or is He just obstinate, and in need of some convincing?
Either way, it matters not, since prayer has no discernible effect. Unless the result is the general feeling of well-being one might derive from speaking with an imaginary friend.
Armor on? More like blinders on.
Posted by: | Nov 16, 2007 9:40:23 AM
pnwguy you'll need to speak for yourself on this, as prayer is a very personal thing, but I can explain for myself.
***Preachy alert - you may want to skip this post*** My apologies, I can't resist a rhetorical question, it's a grave fault that I'm working on...I promise.
Anonymous
You're looking at it like prayer is always asking "for" things. "Dear God, please give me a million dollars." "Dear Lord, I want a pony." I suppose we do treat prayer that way sometimes but it's more important, personal and much more complex than that.
Personal prayer (unlike writ or group prayers) for me is a little like counseling with someone who you can absolutely trust. Someone who knows all the secrets of your heart so there is no point in trying to hide anything from him or from yourself so you might as well be honest and open about everything. You also know that God loves you in spite of all of your faults so you don't have to be afraid to speak about your faults, needs, sorrows, joys, problems or even about the silly things that happen during the day. I guess prayer for me is almost a taking off of the blinders because I often come out of it not only more at peace, knowing that the burden has been shared, but also with a better understanding of my own motivation.
When I do ask for things, and I do, I recognize that just because I ask, doesn't mean I'll get what I want the way I want. I believe the saying is "God always answers, it's just that sometimes the answer is no."
Prayer is also my way of participating in a conversation that is always going on. It is VERY impolite to neither listen nor speak when someone who loves you is trying to talk with you. That may sound condescending, but you should hear some of my prayers, they're pretty ummm conversational.
Posted by: Kghoti | Nov 16, 2007 2:13:45 PM
connie, this woman ingested only water for two weeks. If you don't think that can seriously compromise someone's health, you're off your gourd.
Juice contains calories. Water does not.
Posted by: WZ | Nov 19, 2007 12:42:15 AM
"Is prayer simply a form of meditation? If so, then that's fine. But that's not my understanding of what prayer is. If on the other hand you are indeed speaking to God, and He already knows what you're going to ask, then why bother with this exercise in redundancy?"
Just because you misunderstand it doesn't redefine what prayer is. It is, in fact, a type of meditation and is one method of communing with God. Not all prayers are requests.
"Armor on? More like blinders on."
That would be on your part yes. Making irrational statements in response to legitimate questions to prove a point is about the same as putting a blinder on.
Posted by: Naga Please! | Nov 20, 2007 7:15:48 AM
