LOL. God? There is no such thing but go ahead and pretend he exists if it makes your life easier but truth is its all dark and nothing in the end and you won’t need to worry on gas prices.

Praying for lower gas prices certainly couldn’t hurt.
Neither would electing politicians that would enact price controls so robber barons aren’t making bank off of market speculation and a media fear blitz.

God? There is no such thing
Anglin’ for persecution doesn’t count, michele.

Price controls. Okaaayyy. Name a time in the past where that actually WORKED without causing massive shortages.
BTW Keith, you’re right, your well-reasoned statement has made me decide to abandon Christianity. Sheesh. Go prey on some teenagers with that drivel. We’re adults here.

God helps those that help themselves. What consumers need to do is act together, beat the big oil companies at their own game. They are controlling prices by sticking together, we can do the same. What we need to do is stop buying from Exxon/Mobil. They are the largest of the large oil companies. If we can force them to lower their prices to get back business the others will have to follow. Spread the word.

Price controls can work if you add a little something extra, like the certainty of oil company executives and their children going to Guantanamo Bay at the first sign of a shortage.

Dave, that’s naive. How are you going to get to work? Are you saying you won’t buy any foodstuffs that were trucked over X amount of miles to get to your store? You’ll never eat another banana or drink another cup of tea. You’ll be eating grass.
Our whole infrastructure and civilization is based on petroleum. We will wean ourselves off it at some point, but the market will dictate when.
In the meantime, I hope they charge every penny required to bring that oil to market. As shareholders, it goes right into our pockets.

ZZ: “In the meantime, I hope they charge every penny required to bring that oil to market. As shareholders, it goes right into our pockets.”
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a troll in our midst.
“An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial and usually irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, with the intention of baiting other users into an emotional response[1] or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.[2]”
There is only one proper way to deal with a troll, and that is to ignore them. They do not desire any intelligent discussion of issues. Their only desire is to stir up things. ZZ’s comment above is more than enough evidence of this.
So…bringing up an old FIDOnet trick, I offer up a recipe in honor of our troll.
Glazed Troll Ham
Ingredients and Directions
1 tbsp. flour
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 tbsp. cornstarch
Big oven cooking bag
12 to 16 lb. fully-cooked ham
1/2 c. apple jelly
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Shake flour in cooking bag. Place in large roasting pan at least 2 inches deep. Lightly score surface of ham. Place ham in bag. Combine pineapple, jelly, lemon juice, cornstarch and ground cinnamon in saucepan; stir and cook until cornstarch dissolves. Bring to a boil. Simmer 1 minute. Pour sauce over ham in bag. Bake 2 1/2 to 3 1/4 hours.

“Neither would electing politicians that would enact price controls so robber barons aren’t making bank off of market speculation and a media fear blitz.”
It’s telling that so little has been invested in any kind of efforts to increase our refining capacity. In the late 70s and early 80s companies began deactivating refineries in the name of “excess capacity.” Now, rather than turn on these refineries when there is a legitimate demand for greater supplies, they sit and enjoy the windfall.
As I said on another thread, there was a time in our country’s history when corporations were expected to act in the public interest first, and in the interest of profit second. Unfortunately that is no longer the case.

“LOL. God? There is no such thing but go ahead and pretend he exists if it makes your life easier but truth is its all dark and nothing in the end and you won’t need to worry on gas prices.”
And I’m supposed to take your word, Keith? I’ve believed for years and have seen the power of God and yet your assertion is enough to make me forget all that and not pray to God anymore. Your assertion is so compelling I’ll forget the Almighty and no longer worship him. Such logic, such ridicule it makes me hide my head in shame for being duped.
Psalm 53:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

“Neither would electing politicians that would enact price controls ”
OH.MY.HECK!!!!! You’ve got to be kidding! I know that you can’t be older than 40, meh or just foolish because you would have learned nothing from the 70′s. That’s when we had price controls and gas lines. You can’t control the price that why.

“God helps those that help themselves”
That’s Ben Franklin not the Bible.

There’s this guy over at Freepie who’s been posting a prayer for President Bush every day for over 7 years. I wonder how that’s working out for him.

“There’s this guy over at Freepie who’s been posting a prayer for President Bush every day for over 7 years. I wonder how that’s working out for him.”
I prayed for my brother-in-law to be healed of a blood cancer. He’s been in remission for over 5 years and the doctors gave him only 5 years to live.
So, depends on your perspective I guess.

Did anyone else wonder if they all drove separate cars to the pray-in or if they carpooled? I’m imagining that they all drove separate Subarus, Starbucks in hand, but that’s just me being cynical
Doesn’t San Francisco have a decent public transportation system? If they’d just resort to riding the bus their prayers would be answered.

Doesn’t praying for natural resources open up a can of worms theologically?
For example assuming that God knows the future wouldn’t he place natural resources in locations where people who prayed to him lived?
But some of the largest oil reserves in locations that would eventually be controlled by Muslim countries and not Christians.

“Doesn’t San Francisco have a decent public transportation system? If they’d just resort to riding the bus their prayers would be answered.”
Yeah but not only of us leave in an area with public transportation.

God did give us in the United States lots of coal, natural gas, and American Idol though.

“For example assuming that God knows the future wouldn’t he place natural resources in locations where people who prayed to him lived?
But some of the largest oil reserves in locations that would eventually be controlled by Muslim countries and not Christians.”
Do you think that God needs to prepare before hand to answer our prayers? How about this, what if all of Saudi Arabia converted to Christianity? Don’t you think God could do that?

“Do you think that God needs to prepare before hand to answer our prayers?”
Yes, in a way that was part of my point. Praying for natural resources would assume their intentional placement before hand. It would also seem to make the prayer unneeded because the resource would already be where it was supposed to be. Basically you’re praying about an event that already happened which seems odd to me.
“How about this, what if all of Saudi Arabia converted to Christianity? Don’t you think God could do that?”
I don’t think this likely given their attachment to Islam and their feelings about the concept of God becoming man. But obviously if this happened it would nullify the second half of my statement about what we could infer about divine will.

Of course, conversion to Christianity doesn’t mean they’re going to give us their oil.
I would guess the people running BP, Conoco, etc are mostly Christian. They aren’t taking any pay cuts to lower the prices on gas.

Michele: “Do you think that God needs to prepare before hand to answer our prayers? How about this, what if all of Saudi Arabia converted to Christianity? Don’t you think God could do that?”
Yes, but I also think that God could keep the oil in the hands of Muslims as a form of punishment for us being poor stewards. Think of it as a “tough love” session on preserving things for our children.
But, gee…did I just imply that God might (small D) damn the US? I’m in trouble now.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/4/29/05531/0600/74/505385
Anyone who wants to understand what’s really going on with oil supplies and what we are facing if we don’t wake up and change course should read this.
Yes, prayer would be a good idea. But I recommend we also actually DO something. And fast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQhhrzHKMhI
Comedian Robert Newman’s “History of Oil,” Pt. 1. For your edutainment.

Oh, gee, yelladawg, a link to the daily kos. We’re supposed to believe that. Brainwashed much?
Van B, please explain how oil company profits are off-topic for a discussion of gas prices.

The post speaks for itself. It you prefer to remain ignorant, that’s your right as a Real American.

But OPEC will need to pump 60 million barrels a day by 2030
Won’t we all be drivin’ hybrids by then?
“God helps those that help themselves”
That’s Ben Franklin not the Bible.
Doesn’t mean it can’t be true, by one’s experience … as you lean on your experience of answered prayer (for your brother-in-law – and Alleluia!, btw):
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Phil. 2:12-13

As long as people keep acting, usually at one and the same time, that nothing is wrong, oil is infinite and we don’t have to do anything AND that its hopeless, nothing can be done because nothing we develop could possibly replace oil.. a handful of hybrids really won’t matter..
As if the only place we use oil is on the roads (a huge chunk, but hardly the only place).
Last I checked, we’re asking people to help themselves, and each other. It doesn’t mean, I do believe, that people are to do everything alone, it is that we aren’t to sit on our hands and hope that God, providence, or dumb luck solves our problems for us.
Nothing in that saying that prevents communal action.
Are you suggesting that every individual should try to manage to come up with a new form of alternative energy on their own?

Are you suggesting
No, I’m trying to persuade michele to respect the wisdom of Franklin.

Oh, and Franklin has said that we’ll all be driving hybrids and that we can manage to, as individuals, each develop our own form of alternative energy?

Now I’m sure that H.L. VanBuren has misidentified the troll on this thread, Karen. G’day.

I was noting that you weren’t addressing the main point of my post, while I did comment on a portion of your own.
That we are unlikely to convert to hybrids, or any vehicle using alternative fuels any time soon unless we actually work toward it, and that requires people actually admitting that oil isn’t infinite, and believing that an alternative to it is possible.

“Yeah but not only of us leave in an area with public transportation.”
Wow! What in the world is that about?

“Yeah but not only of us leave in an area with public transportation.”
Where in the NT does it say that God condemns nations? You guys are all stuck in the old dispensation. Why not join the rest of us in the covenant of grace?

“No, I’m trying to persuade michele to respect the wisdom of Franklin.”
I do respect the wisdom of Franklin, especially this one:
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!

I think he meant to write:
“Yeah, but not all of us live in an area with public transportation.”

MH, thanks for deciphering my own comment

I think I’m gonna pray that my amputee friend gets his leg back. He’s got about as much hope of that happening as we have of Dick Cheney not making a mint outta this.

Or for any oil execs to threaten a dollar of their profits by cutting the prices.

“‘But OPEC will need to pump 60 million barrels a day by 2030′
“Won’t we all be drivin’ hybrids by then?”
one would hope so… but i have to ask, a hybrid of energy sources? most hybrids today are gasoline and electric. it might reduce our addiction, but not eliminate it.