Amid drought, Utah governor declares weekend of prayer for rain

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

Capital Weather Gang

Amid drought, Utah governor declares weekend of prayer for rain

Gov. Spencer Cox pleads for ‘divine intervention’ as an exceptional drought covers nearly two-thirds of the state.

By Matthew Cappucci
June 4, 2021 at 2:23 p.m. EDT

Amid a devastating drought, Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (R) declared this Saturday and Sunday a “weekend of prayer,” inviting residents of the Beehive State to join in “collective and collaborative” prayer for rainfall. In a video posted to social media on Thursday, the governor pleaded for “divine intervention,” noting that current rainfall “is not enough.”

{snip}



Drought continues to engulf Utah, with nearly two-thirds of the state in top-tier, “exceptional” drought. (U.S. Drought Monitor)

{snip}

By Matthew Cappucci
Matthew Cappucci is a meteorologist for Capital Weather Gang. He earned a B.A. in atmospheric sciences from Harvard University in 2019, and has contributed to The Washington Post since he was 18. He is an avid storm chaser and adventurer, and covers all types of weather, climate science, and astronomy. Twitter https://twitter.com/MatthewCappucci

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/06/04/utah-governor-rain-prayer-drought/

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“By praying … we may be able to escape the deadliest aspects of the continuing drought," said
@GovCox
:

Link to tweet

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I gotta tell you, I think I'd be trying just about anything myself.

Another link:

Utah Governor Declares “Weekend Of Prayer” For Rain
June 4, 2021

https://www.joemygod.com/2021/06/utah-governor-declares-weekend-of-prayer-for-rain/

[Midnight Writer]

1. Well, he got me to say "Good Lord!" out loud.

[zuul]

4. Ha! I said "Jesus Christ, what an idiot!"

[Dustlawyer]

21. Yup! Texas did this same thing in Reliant stadium, remember?

It did not begin raining until much later.

Perhaps doing something to address climate change and better water management might be better than “giving it up to God.”

[Mr. Evil]

42. GMTA!

My first thought (other than WTF) was that he should get some indigenous people to do a dance to make some rain. But, then that would acknowledge that indigenous people have a power that his precious god doesn't have and that wouldn't work out for him so much. With that said, what a fucking tool.

[lapfog_1]

2. well, that ought to do it.

rain for days coming.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

3. The science behind it is unassailable

[PSPS]

5. This should do the trick. And, it's so easy!

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Are you ready for a miracle?

[PortTack]

7. Maybe they should pray for a pipeline like AZ wants to lay from the Mississippi River

Throw science out the window..we have a gaaawd

[Crowman2009]

16. States with more water should just retort back:

We could relieve you of your drought concerns by transferring excess businesses and people from your state to ours.

[roamer65]

62. No thanks.

We don’t need either in Michigan. Both destroy natural resources enough as it is.

[jalan48]

8. I Need a Miracle

[tinymontgomery]

55. +1

[LiberalFighter]

9. Will he be okay with a flood?

[TexasTowelie]

10. Seems like a good place to drop this song.

[airplaneman]

11. Tots and Pears n/t.

[Evolve Dammit]

12. Yeah that oughta do it. JHC.

[NCjack]

13. A perfect opportunity for a confidence man, e.g., Bill Starbuck ("The Rainmaker" movie)

[IronLionZion]

14. Pray for some of the east coast storms to head west nt

[Grokenstein]

15. Like the saying goes:

"Pray in one hand and shit in the other; see which one fills up first."

[oldsoftie]

29. Its actually "wish in one hand..."

Urban Dictionary

[Grokenstein]

60. There are many variants to every phrase.

I posted the one I learned in my youth, long before UD even existed.
The point remains the same.

[DiamondShark]

71. Your wish is someone else hope, and another one's prayer. n/t

[murielm99]

17. So what?

Let people pray for rain if they like. I would be doing the same thing if I lived there.

People are entitled to their beliefs.

Sometimes this place is so childish and catty.

[RussBLib]

18. no one here is stopping them

just pointing out how useless it is

[murielm99]

19. You have a right to be nasty and snide about prayer.

But it says more about you than it does about them.

[RussBLib]

22. does it really?

I think it says all I need to know about those who advocate for this kind of nonsense. This is pathetic leadership.

[Auggie]

36. "Pathetic leadership:" +1,000,000

[paleotn]

34. No, it just says it doesn't work....

It's been studied ad nauseum. The affect is no better than random outcomes.

[ripcord]

73. But for some reason it is always Christians

Native Americans are praying and dancing for rain across the west but for some reason no one makes fun of their ridiculous fantasies.

[tanyev]

26. It's one thing for people or churches to offer prayers for rain.

It’s quite another for the governor of a state to declare a weekend of prayer and act like that will solve the problem.

[mdbl]

53. It's one thing for people or churches to offer prayers for rain........

It's another bigger stupid thing to vote for morons who don't want to do anything about climate change. That is what they did after the prayers.

[FreeState]

40. It's not childish to point out the obvious

The Mormon Church (the Governor and the majority of Utah are members) held two world wide fasts to stem COVID, March 26, 2020 and April 10. We all know how well that worked out.

Better yet I was told to pray and fast that I would become straight by the church for YEARS. I am still gay.

The Mormon cult is abusive and miss-uses prayer to control it's members. Your prayer didn't work? You must be looking at porn. (Yes the leaders say this among other gaslighting practices).

I have no problem with people praying. I do have a problem with people telling me I must respect it.

[Griefbird]

20. I'm certain this will be as effective

as the prayers for the victims of gun violence.

[Grins]

23. Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (R-OfCourse)

You should ask Rick Perry how that worked out when he was Governor of Texas....

[paleotn]

24. That's really not going to help.

[oldsoftie]

28. Well, it certainly wont HURT either.

But maybe after they gather for prayer they could discuss ways to save more water

[paleotn]

33. If they figure all they have to do is pray and nothing else....

then it does hurt. That's how evilgelicals think. Mormons may be different, but I doubt it. It's a complete waste of time when they could be doing something actually constructive.

[Jedi Guy]

54. "That's how evilgelicals think."

Not necessarily. I grew up in a very religious household. One of my dad's favorite sayings is, "Pray for rain all you like, but dig a well while you do it.".

There's no harm in prayer in and of itself. There is harm in praying while refusing to take any steps toward resolving what you're praying about, as you pointed out. There are plenty of evangelicals who think like my Dad does.

[paleotn]

56. So did I. Southern Baptist born and bred....

To some, digging the well shows a lack of faith. Thus, they trust God only and wait for the rain. Not saying prayer in and of itself is necessarily harmful, but, if one takes one's religion literally and decide not to dig, but to just trust God, that's a problem. Particularly since there's zero evidence that prayer itself is any better than random events.

[LanternWaste]

69. Unless of course, it's reducing time, effort and money spent on actual policy.

"There's no harm in prayer in and of itself."

Unless of course, it's reducing time, effort and money spent on actual policy. Then, as in this case, it becomes problematic. There are plenty of evangelicals who don't think like our dear parents do.

Skoal!

[Mr.Bill]

25. Now, why didn't we think of that in California?

Those Utah people are way ahead of us, alright.

[roamer65]

65. Well...ur a bunch of godless secular humanists in California...

So you deserve it.



But the poor widdle God fearing Utahns don’t deserve it.



That’s how those christofascist fuckers think.

[Marrah_Goodman]

27. Well that will fix everything..........

[Journeyman]

30. Nothing like a lot of hot air to stir up a little precipitation . . .

I hope it works for 'em.

Meanwhile, I think we should al conserve as much as we can and keep agitating for new technologies in water management.

[Roc2020]

31. They did the same in Georgia for draught

somewhere around 2006-07. Didn't rain a lot but we got a few sprinkles the same night.

[OnlinePoker]

32. Yah, that'll work. n/t

[NickB79]

35. The Republican plan to solve the manmade climate crisis, everybody!

Fuck that science shit. Carbon reductions and electric cars are for suckers.

Just pray the climate collapse away!

Up next: prayers to refreeze the glaciers, and regrow the rainforest.

It's shit like this that really reduces my sympathy for the residents of the Southwest when the day comes that we have to abandon entire cities and millions of Americans become climate refugees.

[roamer65]

59. Build that wall!!!

Right around the Great Lakes region...

...sort of...

I have been telling people here in Michigan to get ready, people eventually move to the where the fresh water is and we may need to control the influx.

https://freshwaterfuture.org/policy-memo/a-great-lakes-water-war-nestle-the-great-lakes-compact-and-the-future-of-freshwater/

[softydog88]

37. These guys and their preferred political party should have their own Marvel movie.

Guardians of the Fallacy.

[Aristus]

38. It rains: "Our prayers worked! The Lord favors us!"

It doesn't rain: "We didn't pray hard enough!"

[BlueIdaho]

39. More interestingly - if it doesn't rain

Does that mean God hates Republicans as much as the rest of us?

[roamer65]

63. More.

[Permanut]

41. So if it doesn't rain..

Means the prayers weren't answered, for some or all of the following reasons:

- It wasn't in God's will.
- God wants them to be independent.
- The timing is wrong.
- God is telling them to be patient.
- Lack of righteousness.
- Praying for selfish reasons.
- Weak faith.
- Need to be persistent.
- Unconfessed sin.
- An unforgiving spirit.
- Not praying earnestly.

Or, as science has indicated, it could be that intercessory prayer simply doesn't work.

[Beacool]

43. Is he also doing the rain dance?

Idiot!!!

[rickford66]

44. What about peace on Earth ?

[CTyankee]

45. When I was growing up in Texas, we'd see billboards imploring "PRAY FOR RAIN" just about all the tim

when the summer months' heat was bad.

[Mysterian]

46. Welcome to climate change, which you stupid republicans refuse to acknowledge

as a man-made disaster for the planet. Probably TOO LATE to do anything about it thanks to you idiot moron republicans.

But talk to your imaginary sky-man if it makes you feel better, dumbasses.

[roamer65]

64. I like your attitude.

[jimlup]

47. I think they should all strip naked and try a rain dance...

it would likely work better or at least it would get a good laugh.

This is what Carl Sagan was addressing when he wrote the title of his book:

The Demon-Haunted World

[JohnnyRingo]

48. Probably already tried a rain dance.

I hope this prayer thing works because the next step involves a volcano.

[DownriverDem]

49. Just don't want

any of the Great Lakes water and we're good. Don't want to hear anything about a pipeline.

[roamer65]

61. We need to kill off export of bottled water from the Great Lakes aquifer as well.

None should leave it.

[twodogsbarking]

50. Cutting your balls off and waiting for the spaceship

may work too.

[keithbvadu2]

51. "or whatever higher power you believe in"

"or whatever higher power you believe in"

Acknowledging multiple Gods.

Which one would deserve the credit?

[tonekat]

52. Get him a dowsing rod. N/T

[roamer65]

57. It's Gods punishment on Utah for voting for Dump.

Michigan voted for Biden and we have had plenty of rain.

[Martin68]

58. Well, isn't that nice. Appealing to a non-existent higher power for help with the weather.

[XanaDUer2]

66. so, what happens when it doesn't rain? Nt

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

67. It's not going to rain in Utah and AZ for a frighteningly long time.

Springs have dried up. Creeks,rivers, ponds, lakes, and reservoirs are at low volume. Dry creeks that are normally raging torrents from runoff in early spring were trickles this spring, and are now completely dry. "Monsoon" season brought no relief last year

The land is tragically overgrazed, and parched, from high temperatures, lack of rain, and cattle that are/were allowed to graze in riparian areas where no cows should be allowed to go. Wildlife has been forced to migrate to reliable water sources.

When hiking I used to see many lizards along the trail. Now I see none, or rarely, one. The jackrabbits are pretty much gone in our area.

It's really, really bad. We have good clean deep well water. For now. How long that will last as the land continues to dry up is anyone's guess.

It's bordering on apocalyptic.

[Comfortably_Numb]

68. This weekend I'm praying that the drought continues in Utah for being a state full of magats.

Let’s see who dog likes most.

[modrepub]

70. Salt Lake City Visit

I was at a conference in the city about 5 years ago. What struck me was the number of lawns that were only there because of heavy watering. Most of Utah is desert from what I know. It was like the state was decades behind southern California and Arizona as far as folks wanting green lawns in the desert.

If Utah isn't practicing water conservation like other SW US states, they should be focusing on getting folks in the mind set of constant water conservation. After all, the Lord helps those who help themselves.

[Stuckinthebush]

72. So many questions...

What does this say about their god?

A. It doesn't care about the plight of Utah unless the citizens there raise invisible requests en masse?
B. It does care but needs the magic power of invisible requests to make something happen?
C. It is so disinterested in the plight of humanity (specifically those in Utah) that it requires a lot of invisible shouting to pay attention?
D. It is a psychopathic entity that enjoys the spectacle of a bunch of measly humans pleading for help?
E. It is a minor god with limited power so needs the invisible requests to present to higher gods in order to enlist their help? Damn celestial red tape!
F. It is an incredibly narcissistic god that just wants people to remember that IT is in charge and they need to ask for help?

This is the 21st century and we are still sending up invisible requests to deities to enact change in the natural world. Why not try human sacrifice? I swear...

Oh, and to those who suggest we leave them alone and just let them pray because it hurts no one, I say "baloney". It hurts us all when we have leaders who refuse to look at scientific reasons for climate change but yet just tell followers that all they have to do is pray. It is imperative for those who use reason and science in daily life to point out the logical inconsistencies in religious/spiritual thought.

[oasis]

74. Hey Gov, ya think climate science could have something to do with it?

[RussBLib]

75. So, it didn't rain, did it?

Aw, and they were so sincere.

I guess god doesn't give a shit about Utah.