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How many countless millions who explain that they are sure that God holds the key to the future and loves us all nevertheless feel much better consulting fortune-tellers, tealeaf readers, crystal-ball gazers, and (especially if in high political office) astrologers, who apparently know the future just as well as God does and can give advice on what to do and not do that God (out of selfishness?) withholds?
有多少数不清的数以百万计的人们解释说他们确信上帝掌握着未来的钥匙并爱着我们所有人，然而却觉得咨询算命先生、茶叶占卜者、用水晶球算命者和（尤其是政治地位很高的人)占星家会更好点儿？这些人显然可以预知未来，正如上帝一样，并且可以给出什么可以做和什么不可以做的建议，这些都是上帝不能透露给人们的（因为自私？）。
Let us consider a large example of how the universe looks to the superstitious. Every once in a while, some region suffers a drought. In the summer of 1988, the United States suffered the worst drought in over fifty years. Presumably God has a divine plan for humanity, which seems inscrutable to us because our knowledge is finite and his is infinite and even a bad drought is for our long-term good. There may even be people who believe this and say this and are thankful there is a drought that may ruin them, because they know that it is all part of a marvelous plan for their long-term good. I suspect they are in the minority, though, for the more usual practice is to pray for rain—that is, to beg God over and over to abandon his plan, whatever it was, and do something for the short-term advantage of those praying. And if the rains do come, that proves the efficacy of prayer—and no one says that it rather proves the irresolution of God and his readiness to abandon his plan. And you know, if he was so ready to abandon his plan, he might just as well not have sent the drought in the first place.
让我们举一个比较重大的例子，看看这些迷信的人是怎么看待这个世界的。有时候，某个地区会遭受旱灾。1988年夏天，美国遭遇了50多年来最严重的一次旱灾。上帝大概对人类有个神圣的计划，这对于我们来说是难以理解的，因为我们的知识是有限的，而上帝的知识是无限的，甚至连严重的旱灾都是为了我们的长远利益着想。或许有人会相信这一点，说到这一点时便感谢这场可能会毁掉他们的旱灾，因为他们知道，这是一个了不起的计划的一部分，是为了他们的长远利益着想。尽管如此，我觉得这些人只占少数，因为更多的人通常的做法是祈 雨——也就是反复祈求上帝放弃他的计划，无论这个计划是什么，为这些祈祷者的眼前利益做点什么。如果确实下雨了，这便证明了祈祷者的作用——没有人会说这证明了上帝的优柔寡断以及愿意放弃自己的计划。你知道，如果上帝愿意放弃他的计划，那么他不妨在一开始就不要送来这场旱灾。
