Rocketman -
if I sit there praying for this or that, why would God listen to and answer me while the prayers of others who are in much more dire circumstances seem to go unanswered?
That's a very good question. One "believers" seem to ignore.
Why pray?
by ashitaka 39 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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ChrisVance
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Francois
I try not to pray for specific things; God already knows what I need. And he knows the difference between my needs and my wants. I usually pray for the wisdom to discern the will of God; and then for the strength to do that will.
And I really believe that every prayer is answered to the fullest...eventually. And that's the rub. Our prayers may be so vast and encompassing that it would take an age for our spiritual maturity to arrive at that stage where we would actually recognize the answer when it comes.
And I also think the answer to most prayers is that a change is wrought in us, the person making the prayer. Prayer can and will change us; prayer has no hope of changing God. And frequently our prayers consist of us screaming about the unfairness of the universe and dissatisfaction about how thing are being run. How much easier to learn to go with the flow - to relax and let the majestic flow of time and events take us effortlessly to our goals.
When our children make requests of us, we don't necessairly respond to each and every childish request in the same spirit in which it was asked of us. That does not make us less loving; often it makes us more loving. If my daughter asks if she can have ice cream just before dinner and my response is "Yes, you can have ice cream, AND you can have dinner. Dinner will be first. Ice cream will be dessert," I've given her what she wants and I've encouraged her to change her priorities. It's a win/win situation all 'round.
My two cents.
francois
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Guest 77
I believe in a Creator. I begin my conversation by thanking him and the rest falls into place. I have no morbid fear of my Creator.
Guest 77
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JamesThomas
It seems many are saying that a god who answers prayers of only a select few, is in no way especially loving or caring. Even Hitler loved his own. Could it be then, that our idea of God is askew? If the concept of a god -- separate and apart, highly conditional and exclusionary in it's outpouring of love, and lacking in integrity -- does not work, then perhaps it is time to look elsewhere. JamesT
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ashitaka
Great answers.....I agree with the more pessimistic sentiments here. I always found praying so fruitless, because in the end, I was always left to my own devices, and that was that. No divine help, no inspiration; prayer to me is like screaming in an empty, soundproof room. All you hear is a small echo, and that's it.
if I sit there praying for this or that, why would God listen to and answer me while the prayers of others who are in much more dire circumstances seem to go unanswered?
This is the crux of my question. If people are being murdered, raped, demonized, abused, starved, or just have plain bad luck, then when does God answer me. It hasn't happened yet. Where are the great epiphanies, the solemn, holy feelings? Isn't prayer just an extension of the religous ritual, meant to bring church beyond the church walls?
I appreciated the positive responses, too. One of my friends who left the JWs feels exactly the same way. He feels God as a force, and believes in the "holy spirit'. He even says that more than once, his fervent prayers have been answered. He believes that God once helped him to oversome a mental illness, that had been plauging him for years. He said he went downstairs after his "God experience" and his mother was shocked at how different he looked. She said he looked years younger, that all of the pain he had went through seemed to fade away that night.
And, you know what? I could see the change in him, too. I can't help but believe that he had been helped by some experience, real or imagined. Now, he is as stable as you and I.
I just can't fathom that a God that powerful would care about us, even as much as we care for pets. We are so incredibly inferior (if you happen to believe in God, which I don't) to God, that it would be like us tending lovingly to an ant hill, and somehow finding the time to take great care of each one.
At time like these in my life, when I most think I need an older brother of a sort, someone to lean on, I find no one there, no matter how much I try.
Just thinkin' here.....
ash
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StinkyPantz
J6O6R9-
I believe in a Creator. I begin my conversation by thanking him and the rest falls into place. I have no morbid fear of my Creator.
The rest falls into place huh? How nice for you. If only things fell into place for other people that believed and prayed. What exactly make YOU so special in god's eyes? I honestly would like to know.
Mystery-
There are plenty of people that pray for things that are valid. For example, some pray to god to have him stop their uncle from entering their room at night, but that often isn't realized until they are permanently emotionally scarred. Why did god wait? To teach them a lesson?
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Dansk
I think the bottom line is that no-one really knows if God exists. I look at the ordiliness of the universe and cannot for one moment believe it all came about by chance. I cannot believe in evolution. I believe that there is an incredibly powerful force out there. But as for God, I just don't know - none of us do!
These days, after my experience in the Borg, I want proof. I know that nature is beautiful because I can see it. I know that the universe is vast and orderly through both sight and learning. I know that life is incredibly complex.
This is a good thread, Ash. It is something all of us have asked at some time, whether we believe in God or not.
I just don't know......................
Dansk
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SpannerintheWorks
Dansk,
Don't wanna rock the boat, mate, you know me . But can you explain why you said:
I cannot believe in evolution.
Are you saying that there is no evidence that evolution, as a concept, exists or has taken place, or are you basing your opinion on a cultic fundamentalist view that the Bible must be adhered to at all times ( a view that I thought you had rejected )?
Spanner
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Guest 77
Stinkypants, I can't and don't worry about the things that are BEYOND my control only those WITHIN. I'm a challenger in life, I know my weaknesses and my strengths. Special? How did you arrive at me thinking of myself as being special?
I believe in common courtesy. If I believe in a Creator, why, when I say thank you to him, I get the same FEELING when I say thank you to someone.
When I arise in the morning, I do my 15 minute exercises and everything falls into place. Will you know question my exercises?
Guest 77
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Dansk
Are you saying that there is no evidence that evolution, as a concept, exists or has taken place, or are you basing your opinion on a cultic fundamentalist view that the Bible must be adhered to at all times ( a view that I thought you had rejected )?
Spanner,
You know jolly well through our numerous chats that I have no faith in the Bible any more. Not just because I don't THINK it's true but because I KNOW it isn't. All the books in the Bible were NOT considered inspired when they were originally written (ref. Keeler, B. C. A Short History of the Bible 1881, 2002, ISBN 1-58509-205-3).
I cannot prove whether evolution is a fact or not. I just don't believe in it. I have never read any overwhelmingly convincing evidence that evolution actually took place or is still taking place. That doesn't mean I believe in a Creator, either. I'm saying I just don't know. Show me someone who knows and he's either a saint or a liar.
Dansk