GOD, TACKS AND PRAYER

This morning I was walking around my room barefoot for several minutes - from my bathroom to my computer and back as I typically do while I groom myself and read the news. I looked down at one point, for no particular reason, and noticed a tack on the floor with the pointy side up. I must have nearly stepped on it several times. How long had it been there? I picked it up and said, "thank God." Of course I'm agnostic, but that simple incident reminded me of a constant question I have. If God is responsible for me finding the tack, who is responsible for leaving the tack on the floor? Wouldn't I be a lot better off if God just kept harm out of my way altogether, or are we all victims of a constant struggle between God and Satan - Satan leaves tacks everywhere and God rushes around trying to help people find them before they injure themselves.

Incidentally, I strongly reccommend CBN news if you get it in your area. CBN is the Christian Broadcasting Network and Pat Robertson's megaphone. It is a great mix of right-wing politics, news, and prayer. They have praying down to a marketing strategy, or perhaps a campaign strategy - very sophisticated. They tell all their viewers to pray as much as possible and have what they call "prayer points." These are the few, concise hopes that they want everyone to pray for until the next broadcast. Like sending a petition to God - the more he hears a few points over and over again, the more pressure he'll feel to act.

If I prayed, I'd pray for justice, peace and proserity to all, an end to capitalist exploitation, freedom for the Palestinians, total acceptance of gays and lesbians, etc. etc. But why bother when I'm up against such a coordinated praying machine.