Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
The San Francisco newspaper reports:
Rocky Twyman has a radical solution for surging gasoline prices: prayer.Twyman - a community organizer, church choir director and public relations consultant from the Washington, D.C., suburbs - staged a pray-in at a San Francisco Chevron station on Friday, asking God for cheaper gas. He did the same thing in the nation's Capitol on Wednesday, with volunteers from a soup kitchen joining in. Today he will lead members of an Oakland church in prayer.
Heck, why not sacrifice a goat and throw salt over your shoulder too?
Comments
Sacrifice a goat?! Come on, Ed, you know that's ridiculous.
Goats are for airplanes. For car gas, you need a weasel.
Posted by: Jeff Hebert | April 29, 2008 9:49 AM
It reaches a point where one can only shake one's head at those people who refuse to grow out of the childhood notion that reality has an obligation to mold itself to conform to wishes. I see items like this reported, and I just want to stick my head out a window and scream to the world at large: Grow the F up!!
Posted by: gary l. day | April 29, 2008 10:00 AM
Do you suppose it will work at non-Chevron stations? I thought weasel sacrifice was for political purposes, Jeff, does it also work on gas and diesel?
Posted by: kehrsam | April 29, 2008 10:03 AM
Well that might actually be a better use of fundie energies!!
They could start teach-ins on energy conservation in every fundamentalist church, and daily prayer sessions for the wider use of alternative energies which the entire congregation woudl be required to attend.
They could start repentance services praying for forgiveness for America's energy profligacy and undertaking to fast until the US signs the Kyoto agreement.
Each person could sign a personal pledge to God reduce their carbon footprint by 70% and encourage their fellow members to do the same.
Fundie institutions could institute energy audits and pray daily to find additional ways to reduce their consumption and then implement them.
They could conduct ongoing fundraising for contributions to research on clean energy.
Who knows, if they pray and study hard enough and long enough and set a good example and urge a wiser energy policy, then after years and years the energy crisis might ease.
Or is that expecting too much??
Posted by: david s | April 29, 2008 10:03 AM
Everyone knows that the sacrifice for oil prices takes the Exxon Valdez and a ton of marine life.
I'm personally praying that God would lower the price of a Prius; but it doesn't seem to be working!
Posted by: Rev. AJB | April 29, 2008 10:05 AM
I guess if you believe that if you have enough faith you can move mountains, dropping the price of oil should be a cinch. When they start praying for the mountains to move, then we start getting concerned!
Posted by: BC | April 29, 2008 10:05 AM
So how did he get to San Francisco from DC? Horse? Goat? Cover wagon? If one was really serious about the consumption of gas and prices one one start by not taking pointless cross country flights.
Posted by: yoshi | April 29, 2008 10:07 AM
Twyman's pray-ins offer the possibility for an experiment of sorts, though, and so we should be a bit thankful to him.
While Twyman is praying to Jehovah for the price of gas to go down, I'm praying to the ghost of Norman Fell for the price to go up. If the price goes up, I will take the result as evidence supporting my hypothesis that the disembodied spirit of Mr. Roper from "Three's Company" is more competent in altering the course of mundane events than is Jehovah.
As Twyman has enlisted others by way of his pray-ins, I also invite others to join in this experiment. At some point in their day, all participants need do is close their eyes and say aloud, "Norman Fell, please make the price of gas go up."
I take this experiment every bit as seriously as it deserves to be taken, of course.
Posted by: Mike O'Risal | April 29, 2008 10:39 AM
With my background in Christianity, I'll even provide the prayer for them:
Yeah, I know, I'm goin' straight to hell when I die.
Posted by: decrepitoldfool | April 29, 2008 10:43 AM
He shouldn't forget to thank his god that he's not in Europe.
The average gas price in Germany at the moment: €1.43/liter, or $8.44/(U.S.) gallon.
Posted by: ospalh | April 29, 2008 10:44 AM
Remember how 6 months ago they prayed in Atlanta for relief from their drought?
Let's check the U.S. Drought Monitor, here, to see how that worked.
Hrrmmmmph. God must hate Georgians. Oh, and Alabamans, too.
Posted by: Ahcuah | April 29, 2008 10:52 AM
Ospalh said:
You forget that Germany is part of evil, Godless, secular Western Europe. The high gas prices in Europe only show how much God hates them! [/sarcasm]
Posted by: Umlud | April 29, 2008 11:00 AM
Lower gas prices? Hell, I'm in the oil business - I like this $115 per barrel stuff jes' fine!
Don't forget, folks: This Thursday is the National Day of Wishing Out Loud, or something close to that.....
Posted by: Coragyps | April 29, 2008 11:05 AM
Isn't the surge in gas prices mostly being caused by the fall of the dollar? If that's the case, aren't they basically praying to money? I'd say that's a little against their religion.
Posted by: llDayo | April 29, 2008 11:06 AM
These people are aware that there are starving kids in Africa, right? I'm just saying, if you genuinely believe that God owes you a favor...
Posted by: Brandon | April 29, 2008 11:27 AM
Silly Christians. Prayer won't solve the energy crunch. Homeopathy will! Add a drop of gasoline to a gallon of water and shake vigorously. The water will retain the qualities of the gas and bingo, bango, bongo you've got fuel for pennies per gallon. I'm shocked that more CAM advocates aren't promoting this revolutionary solution.
Posted by: Abby Normal | April 29, 2008 11:41 AM
Heck, why not sacrifice a goat and throw salt over your shoulder too?
'cause that's how you're supposed to fix an airplane, not lower gas prices. don't they teach you anything in school?
Posted by: Joe Shelby | April 29, 2008 11:58 AM
Prayer is no sillier than those stupid chain e-mails that go around telling people to send a message to the oil companies by not boycotting certain gas stations (although I'll admit after seeing Exxon's earnings release this morning, it's kind of tempting anyway). I particularly like the one that starts with:
Coca Cola exec?
Oh good, cuz that was just silly.
And yet, there's no mention in the entire mail about the easiest way to have the buyers control the marketplace, which is to change your consumption patterns.
And here's the plan (paraphrasing) - don't buy any gas at all for the next year from Exxon or Mobil. That's it. Oh, and pass this mail along to 30 of your closest friends. If you don't, your testicles will fall off or something. I dunno.
The lack of Econ 101 understanding is astounding.
Posted by: Andrea | April 29, 2008 12:05 PM
"And here's the plan (paraphrasing) - don't buy any gas at all for the next year from Exxon or Mobil. That's it."
Cool. I can do that quite easily.
Posted by: Ginger Yellow | April 29, 2008 12:15 PM
Absolute genius.
That is all. Carry on.
Posted by: Matthew | April 29, 2008 12:20 PM
Ah...the good old days!
Posted by: Rev. AJB | April 29, 2008 12:27 PM
As someone who loves both goats and weasels (well, ferrets), I'm absolutely sickened and disheartened by the suggestions made in this thread.
Then again, if fundie Christians started sacrificing animals to lower the price of gas, would PETA stop harassing scientists who conduct animal research and go after the fundies/evangelicals instead? That could be an entertaining fight. Not that the price of gas would change, but still....
Posted by: Adrienne | April 29, 2008 12:32 PM
Ginger Yellow! No! Sheesh ... I hope you're kidding.
Rev AJB - The last time I got this, gas prices were just under $3 and the forecasts were that it would hit $4 soon. Horrors!
Posted by: Andrea | April 29, 2008 12:35 PM
Why? Because you need the salt for when you roast the goat!
Posted by: Invigilator | April 29, 2008 12:47 PM
Question: if I sacrifice a goat for cheaper gas, do I get to keep the goat carcass afterwards? If I can get goat stew out of this, I might be willing.
Posted by: BruceH | April 29, 2008 1:18 PM
I can go a year without buying gas from anyone. One of the benefits of not owning a car is being on a permanent boycott.
Posted by: Ginger Yellow | April 29, 2008 1:19 PM
Hmmm...I dunno. You have to use really good water for homeopathy. Have you seen the price of good quality water? Fiji is going for about $12/gallon. Hell, might as well buy the gas.
Posted by: Martin Hutton | April 29, 2008 1:30 PM
BruceH wrote:
Hmmm, don't think so. The god of the OT was only able to enjoy his goats (and rams and sheep) as burnt offerings.
Posted by: Adrienne | April 29, 2008 2:02 PM
Couldn't he accept Medium or Medium Rare. What, the guys got no sense of taste or texture.
Posted by: Doug Little | April 29, 2008 2:34 PM
Who needs gas when you have god?
If they pray hard enough and have faith, and since god moves mountains, I'm SURE he can power their cars down the road gas free. I mean, if your going to ask for god's intervention, why not really go for the gusto?
What, no go?
I guess a real scientist will have to invent something else that works without god's help.........
Posted by: RAM | April 29, 2008 6:53 PM
there are more practical ways to save money on gas....I don't know how much good praying will do. HOWEVER....I (and others) prayed for my friend who had a cancerous brain tumor and she was inexplicably healed! no tumor, cancer or ANYTHING!
prayer does work. I just pray for different things than gas prices....I ride a bike.
Posted by: the nomad | April 30, 2008 10:30 AM
Nomad, I'm glad your friend recovered, but it isn't proof that prayer works. There have been cases of spontaneous tumor and cancer remission in the past. Just check out the scientific literature on the topic. It happens sometimes.
I think RAM is onto something. How pedestrian is it for this person to pray for lower gas prices. Why not be creative and pray for someone to discover a huge oil deposit in the US? Or for a bunch of scientists/engineers to build a vehicle that runs on cooking oil or hydrogen cells or what have you, and that is friendly to the environment? The person praying for lower gas prices is not only a fool, but lacks creativity as well.
Posted by: Adrienne | April 30, 2008 6:06 PM
I completely agree that this person lacks imagination. There are many things you can do.....like save money by walking or riding a bike.....or riding the bus. I guess it could have been "spontaneous tumor and cancer remission" however I still believe it was God who healed her.
Posted by: the nomad | April 30, 2008 8:34 PM
"I think RAM is onto something. How pedestrian is it for this person to pray for lower gas prices. Why not be creative and pray for someone to discover a huge oil deposit in the US? Or for a bunch of scientists/engineers to build a vehicle that runs on cooking oil or hydrogen cells or what have you, and that is friendly to the environment? The person praying for lower gas prices is not only a fool, but lacks creativity as well."
Or just be practical and take our collective heads out of our asses and take our government back from the corporations by becoming involved. And yes, I will pray too. There is no "proof" that prayer works Scientifically but there is no "proof" that it does not work philosophically. If God is real it cannot hurt to pray. But we also need to be practical.
Posted by: King of Ireland | May 3, 2008 8:31 PM
And, of course, the "National Day of Prayer" is coming up tomorrow, the supposedly non-sectarian event having been effectively hijacked by James Dobson and his wife.
For the nth year in a row, a large number of state governors have issued proclamations declaring a NDoP while directly incorporating themes and bible verses as defined by Dobson's fundamentalist organization and nowhere else.
Posted by: full game | September 16, 2009 2:39 PM
And, of course, the "National Day of Prayer" is coming up tomorrow, the supposedly non-sectarian event having been effectively hijacked by James Dobson and his wife.
For the nth year in a row, a large number of state governors have issued proclamations declaring a NDoP while directly incorporating themes and bible verses as defined by Dobson's fundamentalist organization and nowhere else.
Posted by: full game | September 16, 2009 2:39 PM
And, of course, the "National Day of Prayer" is coming up tomorrow, the supposedly non-sectarian event having been effectively hijacked by James Dobson and his wife.
For the nth year in a row, a large number of state governors have issued proclamations declaring a NDoP while directly incorporating themes and bible verses as defined by Dobson's fundamentalist organization and nowhere else.
Posted by: full game | September 16, 2009 2:39 PM