Recently I spent time with a relative who is a self-proclaimed super Christian. One thing I noticed was her constant use of the word "pray."
I seems like this word had taken the place of the verbs "to hope", "to want", "to wish", "to dream". She no longer used these words - substituting 'pray' instead. For example: I pray that my IRS refund check arrives before my bills are due. I pray that Jimmy can find a good job. It seems like she thinks this is a sign of righteousness, having the holy spirit. As if paring down you vocabulary, erasing your subjective agency and destroying the nuance will get brownie points for heaven.
Second, when talking more with her, it seems like everything positive or convenient that happens is a "miracle". For example: My application went through in 2 days instead of 3. It's a MIRACLE!. My client didn't cancel their appointment. Miracle! I made it through the yellow traffic light before it turned read. Miracle! God is great! It seems like the word miracle is now a cheap throwaway for any regular thing that happens. A decent bowel movement is now the equivalent of parting the Red Sea or restoring sight to the blind. Now it seems like this is a cheap hackneyed word that means almost nothing.
The opposite corollary to this is that when something bad or inconvenient happens, responsibility is fully internalized and relevance is blown way out of proportion. Example: The application was late. Now we will have to pick it up on Tuesday instead of Monday. : "How could I make such a terrible mistake?" (tears) To me, this is the kind of mental process that results in or contributes to depression, which seems to be something of a problem with many of the hyper-religious Christians I know.
Last is "blessing". Christians are not responsible, lucky or fortunate, they are blessed.
Car starts: Blessing.
Kids don't fail school: Blessed.
Waiter doesn't forget to bring the mayonnaise. B-lessing.
Again, it's cheap and ridiculous.
Don't have to use critical faculties. Blessed.
Don't have to expose yourself to anything mildly uncomfortable. Blessing.
Still living on stolen Indian land, making hay off the exploitation of minorities, immigrants and the indigent, living in an institutionalized white supremacist wonderland, paying taxes to a government that openly tortures, spies, invades and stokes horror around the world and you don't have to see or admit or take responsibility for what's happening on in front of your face. Boy you are blessed.
It also seems that twisting your vocabulary in this way is a sign of membership in the "group" and an indication of how committed you are to the program. The more you do it, the more you are showing off for the invisible CCTV camera and making brownie points with the cop who gives out E-tickets to heaven that follows you around in your head.
Cheers
I seems like this word had taken the place of the verbs "to hope", "to want", "to wish", "to dream". She no longer used these words - substituting 'pray' instead. For example: I pray that my IRS refund check arrives before my bills are due. I pray that Jimmy can find a good job. It seems like she thinks this is a sign of righteousness, having the holy spirit. As if paring down you vocabulary, erasing your subjective agency and destroying the nuance will get brownie points for heaven.
Second, when talking more with her, it seems like everything positive or convenient that happens is a "miracle". For example: My application went through in 2 days instead of 3. It's a MIRACLE!. My client didn't cancel their appointment. Miracle! I made it through the yellow traffic light before it turned read. Miracle! God is great! It seems like the word miracle is now a cheap throwaway for any regular thing that happens. A decent bowel movement is now the equivalent of parting the Red Sea or restoring sight to the blind. Now it seems like this is a cheap hackneyed word that means almost nothing.
The opposite corollary to this is that when something bad or inconvenient happens, responsibility is fully internalized and relevance is blown way out of proportion. Example: The application was late. Now we will have to pick it up on Tuesday instead of Monday. : "How could I make such a terrible mistake?" (tears) To me, this is the kind of mental process that results in or contributes to depression, which seems to be something of a problem with many of the hyper-religious Christians I know.
Last is "blessing". Christians are not responsible, lucky or fortunate, they are blessed.
Car starts: Blessing.
Kids don't fail school: Blessed.
Waiter doesn't forget to bring the mayonnaise. B-lessing.
Again, it's cheap and ridiculous.
Don't have to use critical faculties. Blessed.
Don't have to expose yourself to anything mildly uncomfortable. Blessing.
Still living on stolen Indian land, making hay off the exploitation of minorities, immigrants and the indigent, living in an institutionalized white supremacist wonderland, paying taxes to a government that openly tortures, spies, invades and stokes horror around the world and you don't have to see or admit or take responsibility for what's happening on in front of your face. Boy you are blessed.
It also seems that twisting your vocabulary in this way is a sign of membership in the "group" and an indication of how committed you are to the program. The more you do it, the more you are showing off for the invisible CCTV camera and making brownie points with the cop who gives out E-tickets to heaven that follows you around in your head.
Cheers
