State v. Howell, 2008-509 (N.H. Sup. Ct. 2009)

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Americans say that they pray to win the lottery "The prayer o f the upright is his delight" (Prov. 15:8). "Ask, and it shall be given you" (Matt. 7:7). "Call unto me, and I will answer thee" (Jer. 33:3). "The Mystery of Prayer" was the theme of a recent issue of Newsweek magazine. Th e subtitle asked, "Does God Play Favorites?" The headline on the article itself asked, "Is God Listening?" It is sad, indeed, when unbelievers try to explain what God does or doesn?t do. The utter blindness of the human heart is evident. Even more distressing are the comments by the unsaved preachers they consult. It is much like getting a man b orn blind to describe a brilliant sunset, or one stone deaf to explain a symphon y. They should call on a Bible believer to write such an article, for God says " the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are fool ishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discern ed" (1 Cor. 2:14). Instead they consulted the liberal pastor of the Methodist ch urch where the Clintons usually attend. They asked him about people actually pra ying and getting answers. He replied, "I had no idea people were doing these thi ngs!" A woman mentioned in the article had prayed without success to win the lottery, but when she prayed for a sister who needed a kidney transplant, the miracle too k place. The article also mentioned a young lady who took a shortcut home on a d ark path and was grabbed by a would-be rapist. At home her mother woke from a so und sleep, seized with fear that her daughter was in danger. She fell to her kne es in prayer. At the same time the man suddenly let the girl go and fled down th e hill. "Coincidence, luck, or divine intervention?" the Newsweek author asked. The article went on to say that 87 percent of Americans believe God answers at l east some prayers. Eighty-two percent say they pray for health or success for a family member when they pray. Fifty-one percent said they do not believe God ans wers prayers to win sporting events; 25 percent pray once a day; 82 percent do n ot believe that God plays favorites; 79 percent say God answers prayer for heali ng. The article posed questions such as: "Is God kind of a divine vending machine?" "Can we pray for a job or financial help and get an answer?" Most Americans say prayers every day but no one knows why only some are answered. Sources: http://www.f-b-f.org/WebMan/Article.asp?ID=4168&Count=true Sign in to report abuse or send a compliment newuser57985065 15 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message. newuser57985065newuser57985065 Loading stats... Loading awards... Sign in and you can: Become a friend Follow Private message

Answer from PNParamasivan Millions of people pray to win the lottery each week Assuming you've met God? I thought I was posting to an article directory.

To some extent, that s true. But there s no more value in your article than in one w hose thesis is rhubarb pie is my favorite, and you should love it, too ? Self-indul gent junk. That s insane. I ve met some people who do that. They re complete kooks. I m not one of them. The attitude you describe here is bizarre to me. I could never understand it, much less do it. And yet, here you are. Those that do that stick with it at a rate far better than one in five. But that, of course, is exactly the point. If it really ch an abysmal success rate. worked , you wouldn t have su

Discounting anybody who doesn t succeed is the easiest way to declare a high succe ss rate but it s entirely dishonest. You have to count everybody who makes an hone st try. you don t wear masks has been a repeated comment Of course, a more accurate comment would be, I cannot (yet) discern whether you re wearing a mask. Perhaps your high rate of recidivism is because eventually they d o recognize the mask. People don t like being lied to. And, of course, one of the most commonly given reason among the many young peopl e I mentioned who are leaving religion is that religious people are hypocritical . This isn t a science lab, so no, we don t run rigorous scientific experiments. But w e most certainly do pay attention to what helps our society prosper in happiness , satisfaction, and friendship and what makes us dissatisfied or causes us to wr inkle our nose at others. In other words, you perform observations, much like a scientist would, but you a void the rigor that might turn such observations into valid evidence. My guess i s because you fear the risk that rigorous observation would reveal your beliefs to be a sham. The methods of science aren t just eccentricities held in common among scientists, they represent the only method proven to consistently produce reliable evidence . In that sense, what we teach is tested. In that sense, it s effective and it works . If it doesn t, then we give up on it. And in that sense, that testing is nothing but illusion. In that sense, it s effecti veness is seriously in doubt. You really should give up on it. Nor do I ignore the fact that even honest scientists in controlled experiments a re in real danger of prejudicing the results. Yes, they are. But to pretend the situations are even remotely similar is to gro ssly mischaracterize them. The difference is one that makes all the difference i n the world like the difference between shooting a bullet, and throwing one. The scientists use their methods precisely because the sort of informal approach yo u ve describe routinely leads to incorrect conclusions. I know eyewitnesses are not as reliable as we would expect them to be.

Eyewitnesses are almost entirely unreliable, unless they re looking for something in advance. Post hoc reconstructions are almost worthless as evidence. I don t have time to hunt it down right now, but there s a video floating around of a lecturer who recounts an experiment he did with a group of students. He showed them some film footage and asked them to count some fairly common event how man y times they saw people shaking hands, for example. In the middle of the video, a man in a gorilla suit walks across the screen, eas ily seen in the background. Afterwards, almost nobody in the audience saw the ma n in the gorilla suit though most of them had a pretty accurate count of handsha kes. There s only so many things that we pray for where measurable results can be seen. Ridiculous if that were so, nobody would have any real belief in prayer at all. The firm conviction you all have in its efficacy stems from apophenia. You sensi tize yourselves to see results. But, if you can see it, you can measure it. There are not thousands and thousands. There are easily thousands. There are probably hundreds of events that could fit the vague idea of a doctor seeing god in a patient different ways he could have p hrased it, or a different member of the team making the comment, or even an enti rely secular comment about the kid s personality. All that s needed is that the beli evers can somehow interpret it as fitting the parameters of the prayer. Prayers for safety or success in any of a few thousand endeavours, prayers for m aterial goods, the list is endless. Unless you give an operational definition of success before the outcome is known , retrofitting events to the prayers becomes entirely too easy. Millions of peop le pray to win the lottery each week and many weeks, one of them does. It seems m iraculous to them as if their prayer was answered but any idiot can see that ther e s nothing miraculous about it. Sources: http://www

Christian Prayer Request

Making a Christian Prayer Request at the Holiest Place Prayer is an essential part of any Christians life. A two way communication betw een you and God. Prayer is a commandment that is spoken throughout the Bible as a way for us to come closer to God. He is our father in heaven who wants to hear from us. A christian prayer request is when you ask someone else to pray for yo u, and together your prayers are more powerful than they ever would be on their own.

The Power of Prayer It's been recorded in both the Old and New Testament how powerful prayer is. Whe n we ask for something in faith, believing that we will receive, God will open t he door to us. That is promised in James 1:5-6. God says that if we lack wisdom,

he will give us that wisdom liberally. What Do People Pray for? It's important to remember that you can pray for anything. If you are a father o r mother, imagine your son or daughter asking for anything. All you want to do i s help them with their problems. That is exactly how god feels. The more prayers we ask, the more compassionate God can be towards us. That is why a christian p rayer request is so powerful. The more people you have asking God, the more like ly he will open up to us and listen. Financial Scriptures Deuteronomy 8:18 But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giv eth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. Deuteronomy 29:9 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do. Joshua 1:7-8 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe t o do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not f rom it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou sha lt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to a ll that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and the n thou shalt have good success. 1 Chronicles uldest bless me, and that granted him 4:10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wo me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God that which he requested.

2 Chronicles 20:20 ... Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 2 Chronicles 26:5 ... and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper . Job 36:11 If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. Psalms 35:27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause : yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. Proverbs 3:9-10 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses sh all burst out with new wine. Proverbs 10:4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of t he diligent maketh rich. Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Proverbs 11:24-26 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is tha t withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul sha ll be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that with holdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of

him that selleth it. Proverbs 15:6 In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenue s of the wicked is trouble. Proverbs 22:4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and l ife. Proverbs 22:29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men. Proverbs 28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth h is eyes shall have many a curse. Isaiah 55:10-11 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and retur neth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, tha t it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be tha t goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall ac complish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent i t. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Malachi 3:10-12 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be m eat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there sha ll not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sak es, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all na tions shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts. Mark 10:29-30 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no ma n that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hu ndredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly . Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches i n glory by Christ Jesus. 3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in h ealth, even as thy soul prospereth.

Categorized Arkansas News Bureau, News S.C. studies show poor, blacks most likely to play lottery often

Posted on 26 July 2009 By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK The director of Arkansas lottery insists the games scheduled to begin this fall will not target the poor and minorities. But if ticket-buying patterns in Arkansas follow patterns in lottery director Er nie Passailaigue s home state of South Carolina, those groups will be the most lik ely to become frequent lottery players. Passailaigue attributes the frequency of lottery play by minorities to illegal s treet gambling, an assessment strongly challenged by the head of the NAACP in Ar kansas. During a public appearance last week at the Governor s Mansion, Passailaigue was a sked by audience members whether the marketing of Arkansas lottery would target c ertain groups. There will be no targeting, racial profiling or anything like that, Passailaigue s aid, inviting people to study the marketing methods of South Carolina s lottery, w hich he headed from 2001 until the end of June. In fact, South Carolina s lottery law includes a prohibition against targeting spe cific groups with advertising, a provision omitted in the new state law governin g Arkansas lottery program approved by voters in November to fund college scholar ships. But a review of demographic studies commissioned by the South Carolina Education Lottery, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows that alth ough low-income and minority groups may not be targeted in the lottery s advertisi ng, they are more likely than other demographic groups to play the lottery frequ ently. Studies conducted every year since South Carolina began selling lottery tickets in 2002 the studies were originally required by law but the lottery now does the m voluntarily show little difference between the demographics of lottery players and the state s total population. However, they show significant differences betw een frequent lottery players, or people who play lottery games more than once a week, and the general population. In the most recent South Carolina survey, Alpharetta, Ga.-based Research Inc. co nducted telephone interviews of 1,000 state residents in November and December. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percent for the total sample and 4 perce nt for groups within the sample. Among other things, the results showed: Blacks made up 19.7 percent of the state s adult population but accounted for 23.2 percent of lottery players and 38.4 percent of frequent players. People in households earning under $40,000 accounted for 28 percent of the state s population, 31.3 percent of lottery players and 53.4 percent of frequent players . People with no high school diploma accounted for 8.9 percent of the state s populat ion, 10.5 percent of lottery players and 20.8 percent of frequent players. People whose highest educational achievement is a high school diploma or GED made up 25.1 percent of the total population, 24.3 percent of lottery players and 33 .3 percent of frequent players.

People who said they have no Internet access made up 29.6 percent of the total po pulation, 30.2 percent of lottery players and 41.1 percent of frequent players. Asked for his explanation of those statistics, Passailaigue said in an interview last week, There are certain traditional lottery games that are offered that app eal more to minority populations, and those are specifically the three-digit gam e and the dour-digit game. Drawings are held daily in Pick 3 and Pick 4 games. The winning numbers in daily games often are used as the basis for illegal gambling, Passailaigue said. It s cultural, he said. It s been going on since time immemorial. In South Carolina I on t know how it is here you have two different what we call numbers games. You have the numbers games run by the South Carolina lottery, and then you have the ille gal games, the street games. South Carolina s 2008 lottery study showed that more than 50 percent of Pick 3 and Pick 4 players were black. Dale Charles, president of the Arkansas branch of the National Association for t he Advancement of Colored People, said he believed Passailaigue s assessment was f ar from accurate. The state lottery director does not want to admit the real rea son why blacks play the lottery frequently, Charles said. The reason why black people play it is because they are trying to make their live s better for themselves and their families, Charles said. But they are failing to realize (the) chances of winning aren t so great. We think, This is going to be the time, and we get hooked on it and we just keep playing and keep playing and keep playing until it becomes an addiction. Concern that the lottery would promote gambling addictions was among the top arg uments raised by opponents during debate over the lottery last year. The Legisla ture has mandated that a portion of lottery proceeds go to treatment of compulsi ve gambling disorder. Passailaigue was asked last week if he expects the lottery to bring illegal numb ers games to Arkansas. My guess is you can contact the police they re probably going on right now, unless Arkansas is unique, but in South Carolina they ve been going on before and after t he launch of the lottery, he said. Several law employment agencies contacted said they had not investigated any cas es involving numbers games in recent memory. An exception was Fort Smith police, who said they have busted two such operations, one in the 1990s and one in 2005 . Both operations were run by Asian business owners, Fort Smith police Capt. Chris Boyd said. Much of the betting was on sports events, but the participants also placed bets on the winning numbers in Illinois lottery. I haven t heard of any of that going on lately, Boyd said.

Rich Huddleston, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Famil ies, said he did not have enough information to comment on Passailaigue s remarks about illegal gambling, but he said the findings of the South Carolina studies a re not surprising. Most of the studies that have been done on lotteries over the years have tended t

o show one of two things: Either that it s regressive and that low-income families tend to spend more of their money on the lottery than other income groups, or i t tends to be low-income groups and the minorities who tend to play more, in ter ms of frequent players, he said. Despite Passailaigue s promise that lottery marketing will not target specific gro ups, Huddleston said a prohibition against targeting should be put into law. Law makers also should require demographic studies to determine who plays the lotter y and who receives the college scholarships it funds, he said. We probably made a mistake by not pushing for that in the lottery law, Huddleston said. « Poll: Health care attitudes in ArkansasBetter health care coverage for families »1 Comments For This Post

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