]
] Prayer:
] A Case Against "See You at the Pole"
] [http://www.hackunix.org/~derekm/case_against_syatp.txt]
] by Derek P. Moore
] May 17, 2000
]

	I was recently thinking about the whole "See You at the Pole"
movement.  I'm not sure why it was on my mind, but it's just been
something I've been pondering.  The more I study the bible, the more I'm
reminded of the hypocrisies of SYATP and other student religious
organizations (as well as the rest of Christianity for that matter, but
this essay will only focus on SYATP).

	One day every September at 7:00 AM, millions of junior high- and
high school-aged kids congregate around the flagpoles in front of their
schools to worship and pray to their God.  They pray for many things; they
pray that the infidels of their community might soften their hearts and
accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior; they pray that God might watch over
their schools to protect them from "the increasing evils of today's
society;" they pray that they might have more success in conversions and
witnessing; they pray for their friends, teachers, government, and nation.

	I honestly don't mind the movement all that much, but I do mind
the blatant and ignorant hypocrisies.  Yes; I, too, am a hypocrite; we all
are.  I suppose that ultimately my beef is with ignorance.  I have a
problem with people that claim to be something (in this case, Christian)
when ultimately they know relatively little about this something (in this
case, Christian doctrine, Jesus' own supposed words, and, most
importantly, their own holy scripture).

	The kids that participate in SYATP are only doing what they
believe is right.  What they are doing might in some respects be the
equivalent of me wishing them a beautiful day.  In some ways I respect
that.  I respect their right to believe and practice what they want.
Conversely, I do not respect their invasiveness, their self-righteousness,
their bigotry, their hypocrisies, their intolerance, et cetera.  But if
they're going to call themselves Christian, then ought they not follow the
words of their leader, Jesus?

	Let's take a look at how the whole movement got started.

	In early 1990, a small group of fanatically Christian teenagers
came together for a DiscpileNow weekend.  To quote the organizer's own
words:  "They came seeking God.  Little did they know how powerfully God
was about to move.  On Saturday night God penetrated their hearts like
never before.  The students were broken before God and burdened for their
friends.  Compelled to pray, they drove to three different schools that
night.  Not knowing exactly what to do, they went to the school flagpoles
and prayed for their friends, schools, and leaders."

	Sounds like the actions of misguided, indoctrinated, religious
fanatics uneducated in their own teachings to me.

	I find it rather funny that the bible can be used to "disprove"
many Christians' actions, especially if they believe in the literal
infallibility of it.  Using biblical passages and the words of Jesus,
we'll see that SYATP can be deemed a heresy.

	Jesus says, "Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites
[that] love to pray while standing ... on street corners so that people
can see them.  ...  But whenever you pray, go into your room*, close the
door, and pray to your Father in secret.  And your Father, who sees in
secret, will reward you.  When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like
the Gentiles...  Do not pray like them, for your Father knows what you
need before you ask him."  (Matthew 6:5-8; New English Translation [NET])

  [*Side note:  The term translated "room" refers to the inner room of a
  house, normally without windows opening outside, the most private
  location possible [e.g., a closet] (BAGD 803 s.v. tamei'on 2).]

	Believers in the bible are taught in many places to keep their
worship private and sacred.  They are told not to be like the hypocrites
and the Pharisees (read, religious leaders).  They are taught, instead, to
do their worship, prayers, and deeds in secret.  To illustrate this, let's
take another look at a few more words of Jesus.  In Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus
tells us, "Be careful about not living righteously before people in order
to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in
heaven.  Thus whenever you do charitable giving, ... [do not do] as the
hypocrites do ... on the streets so that people will praise them.  ...
But when you do your giving, ... [do] so that your gift may be in secret.
And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you."  (NET)

	He continues by saying, "...[D]o not do what [the Pharisees] do,
for they do not practice what they teach.  ...  They do all their deeds to
be seen by people..."  (Matthew 23:3,5; NET)

	It is indeed important to understand that these verses do not
outlaw all forms of public prayer.  The New Testament says that Jesus
prayed in front of large crowds on several occasions (Matthew 14:19, 15:36;
Mark 6:41; Luke 9:16; John 6:11).  This condemnation applies specifically
to praying for the purposes of showing off your piety, your righteousness,
your holiness, or your religiosity.  This condemnation applies
specifically to praying for the purposes of being seen or heard by others,
even if it is in a church!  Certianly this would include praying at a
public school football game, graduation ceremony, or in front of a
flagpole.

	There are several other biblical passages I could quote on this
one topic, but there are also several other teachings that pertain to
SYATP which Christians seem to have forgotten.  One of the most important
might be on how to pray properly.

	My younger brother, who was a sophomore in high school this year,
got stuck in a prayer circle among fellow students after a pretty bad
upset at a state concert band contest.  My brother stayed with his friends
and stayed in the circle to be polite and not interrupt or upset his
friends by leaving.  He related a few amusing stories to me.  Apparently,
today's young Christians have forgotten how Jesus told them to pray.  As
the students who wanted to pray took turns saying prayers, they all
started their prayers with "Dear Jesus..." or "Ya know, Jesus..." or
"Jesus, you're so awesome, we just want to..."  All the prayers were very
informal, utilized slang, didn't seem too reverent.  "Jesus Pappa Lord
Man" is how one girl started her prayer, referring to her almighty deity.

	There are many places in the bible that Christians are taught how
they are to pray.  The bible teaches its followers to address the prayer
to the Father, for it is God the Father that answers the prayers, not
Jesus (nevertheless, the bible does contradict itself on this point, but
we'll ignore that).  In John 16:23-24, Jesus explains that prayers should
be addressed not to him, but to the Father; "...whatever you ask the
Father in my name he will give you."  How does Jesus start his prayers and
how does he command his followers to pray?  We can find that answer in
Matthew 6:9; "Our Father in heaven..."  Christian prayer must be closed in
the name of Jesus and must also be reliant on the Holy Spirit for
guidance.  A prayer must be worded properly, said in a proper state of
mind, humbly and unselfishly, with the proper invocation and conclusion in
order to be effective; the bible tells it's followers all these things
concerning prayer and more.

	The organizers claim Ephesians 3:14-21 as the inspiration for
their movement.  Upon examining that passage we can see that, yes, it is
indeed a call to prayer; prayer for the salvation of the world.  But it
has nothing to do with praying in groups or crowds, especially groups or
crowds congregated in front of public school buildings.  This call to
prayer does absolutely nothing at all to negate the way in which Jesus has
commanded his followers to go about prayer.

	So, what have we learned thus far about Christian doctrine?  To be
effective, prayers must be given in solitude and reverence, respectfully
addressed to the Father in the name of the Son while letting the Holy
Spirit guide your words; that is, if prayers even worked in the first
place.

	Assuming that prayers did work, think of all the millions upon
millions of prayers that are given improperly, rendering them worthless!
Think of all that wasted time.  Imagine that there are only one million
Christians who pray improperly according to their doctrine.  Let's assume
that they pray relatively short prayers of 45 seconds, maybe less.  And
let's imagine that they give at least two short prayers per day.  Even if
Christianity were true, that's still a total of 20,000 man-hours of wasted
time per day, and that's a very conservative calculation!

	My proposal is this:  Instead of wasting your time praying as
Jesus would have you not, save such prayers for your privacy.  Rather than
waste time with prayers such as "See You at the Pole" (remember, even the
myth of Jesus tells us it is a waste of time), use such time wisely.  Get
to class early and learn something new.  Actually read your precious
scripture.  Counsel an old friend.  Find common ground with someone you
dislike.  Introduce yourself to someone you've yet to talk to.  Pick up
one piece of trash and throw it away (can you imagine if one million
people picked up two pieces of trash every day?).  Give someone a
compliment.  Make yourself useful!  In the words of Robert G. Ingersoll,
America's infidel, "Hands that help are better far than lips that pray."