Xtians tried to pray Irma away

[Minimalist]

Except in that passage fucking "god" was bragging.

[Anomalocaris]

My cousins tried to stop the eclipse. They claimed "victory for God" when it got a little cloudy.

Some god, can't defeat a lump of inanimate rock that's been doing the same thing over and over for 4.6 billion years.

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My thoughts on why people pray, or think they can do faith healing, is that they want to feel like they have control over the world around them otherwise it's too scary. A lot of human activity comes down to the perception of control and trying to get it back. Stress comes from not being in control.

.....

It allows people to freeload because they feel that they are contributing when in reality they aren't.

Much of the anti-science sentiments amongst the uneducated denizens of evangelical churches also comes down to an opportunity to deny their own inferiority to those who are demonstrably more capable. It allows them to not regret bad choices in life, not having to feel the need to catch up, and having been left in the dust, not having to respect those who through judgement and ability have become ahead.