Why would Jamie pray to Dougal on Outlander Season 5, Episode 7?

Before the battle on Outlander Season 5, Episode 7, Jamie prayed to Dougal. Why would he choose the uncle he killed instead of God?

During Outlander Season 5, Episode 7, the writers brought a moment from “The Fiery Cross.” It was at a different point in the story, but the meaning behind it was still the same. Jamie needed to pray for guidance ahead of the big battle to come. But while many would pray to God, Jamie chose to pray to Dougal MacKenzie.

Claire caught him praying and had the same questions as many as us. Why would he pray to the uncle that he killed? After all, as a religious man, wouldn’t Jamie pray to God?

Jamie explained it relatively clearly. If you didn’t quite catch it all, the book does go into a little more detail. He didn’t need God’s guidance in this moment. Instead, he needed the guidance of a war chief; someone who had experience leading men and going into a battle that could be against friends and those he knew would lose.

It turns out that Jamie believes he and Dougal had made their amends over the years. After all, as a war chief, Dougal would have known his death was in self-defense. It was kill or be killed, and at no point would Dougal have held a grudge about that particular situation. Not for too long, anyway.

Out of all the people who had gone before him, Jamie knew that he could rely on Dougal for advice. He knew Dougal would be able to point him in the right direction when it came to facing the Regulators.

This wasn’t about protecting his life. If Jamie was afraid of death, he would have definitely prayed to God. He would have asked for some sort of protection, even if it was just the protection of his men. That wasn’t on his mind while in the lake. Instead, he needed the uncle that had taught him everything he knew about being a warrior.