Sir, – It's fascinating to see how powerful the animus against religion has become in this country. Gerry Moloney (May 24th) is agitated simply because The Irish Times carries a report that Midwest Radio is broadcasting a special Mass for good weather. One would presume that, even for those who do not believe in petitionary prayer – as I do, despite Mr Moloney's incredulity that such people can exist – this would be a rather harmless and well-intentioned activity. Could secular intolerance reach any more absurd levels?
As for the various objections Mr Moloney makes to the validity of petitionary prayer, all that can be said is that those who wish to make God a performing monkey or a divine slot-machine have a pretty banal conception of the Deity. In any case, if the weather were to take a sudden turn for the better immediately after the Mass, you can be sure that Mr Moloney and those of a similar mind would dismiss it as a coincidence.
Personally speaking, I pray because the evidence of a benevolent Providence in our world seems overwhelming to me, and because (more specifically) the historical and other evidences for Christianity are so compelling. I am not keeping a score-card on God’s “performance” in answering my prayers. Besides, since people can (and do) argue endlessly about the exact causes behind pretty much everything that happens in the word, ruling out divine intervention seems arrogant in the extreme. – Yours, etc,
MAOLSHEACHLANN
O CEALLAIGH,
Sillogue Gardens,
Ballymun,
Dublin 11.