QotD: Prayer

And what's up with the people who pray for material things? If you believe that God answers prayers for merchandise, it means the gap between the Almighty creator of the universe and Walmart is closing. God still has the lowest prices and widest selection, but how long can that last?

I have to say that I wasn't surprised to learn that praying for sick people didn't help. If praying worked, convenience stores would have lines of monks down the block every time the lottery reached $100 million.

But I was delighted to learn that I can hurt people by praying for them. Now when I get mad at someone, I no longer need to say that I wish he was dead. I'll just say, "I'll pray for your health," thus killing him.

Scott Adams, "Praying for Sick People", The Dilbert Blog, 2006-07-03