Back in June, on the brink of economic disaster, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania mayor Linda Thompson unveiled her brilliant plan to rescue the city:

Thompson and a host of other religious leaders are about to embark on a three-day fast and prayer campaign to cure the city’s daunting money woes. … “Things that are above and beyond my control, I need God,” Thompson told WHTM TV, the region’s ABC news affiliate. “I depend on Him for guidance. Spiritual guidance. That’s why it’s really no struggle for me to join this fast and prayer.”

So how did that work out?

In one of the largest municipality bankruptcy filings ever, the Harrisburg city council decided to seek Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection due to “overwhelming debt,” the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. The filing lists about $458 million in creditors and claims, and says Harrisburg is in “imminent jeopardy” from six pending actions due to its project revamping the city’s incinerator. The decision to petition for bankruptcy comes as the state has been considering a bill that would lead to the eventual state takeover of Harrisburg.

Just another nail in the coffin to show that prayer is completely ineffective in combatting real world problems. Mayor Thompson would’ve been better off dropping the prayers and following advice from experts who actually knew how to fix the situation or stop it from happening in the first place.



