Journal #16: Mark Twain, Part II

"He prays to Him and thinks He listens...Fills his prayers with crude and bald and florid flatteries of Him... He prays for help, and favor, and protection, every day; and does it with hopefulness and confidence, too, although no prayer of his has ever been answered."

Mark Twain: Letters From the Earth

It's a satirical look at the Bible, blind faith, prayer, the Christian man's idea of heaven... narrated by Satan, who doesn't come across as such a terrible guy (or archangel, I should say). In fact, he seems to be the one with all the common sense. He presents all the things that man believes in without question, and pokes holes in them by calling attention to the absurdity of it all. He doesn't necessarily mock God, except for the part about him being a jealous God, who basically wants to be the center of attention. Or the fact that after mankind is basically screwed up, God decides the only thing he can do is destroy it and start over, but should leave behind one man and his family and have him build a big boat to survive the flood while everyone else dies... etc.

No doubt, Christians are offended by Twain's Letters, or can write it off as just a ridiculous piece of fiction. After all, everything in it can be explained away, by a true Christian, and if it can't, well then... he can just have faith and don't ask questions, and just trust in God, and pray. Everything will be just fine, and if it won't, then God didn't intend it to be... And even that's okay, because if one must end his life here on Earth, he'll go to heaven, if he believes in God, and live eternal life in "bliss" up there, with all the immutable singing and the incessant playing of harps, and people of every race and creed living harmoniously amongst one another, going to church all day, every day, and NEVER, EVER, having sex again-- but praying instead.
Indeed, everything will be just... fine...as long as you believe.