prayer

Collin · May 2007

A question for the religious folks here; do you pray? And if so, is it like a personal outlet? Is it asking god for assistence and do you think he'll give it to you? Or do you by praying somehow renew or strengthen your faith automatically? I was wondering how the people here viewed prayer.

The question came to me when I was reading in the atheist thread, where several christians said they pray for atheists. So what exactly is it you pray for? I'm just interested and I can understand if you think this is too personal and don't want to share...

Also, I've always appreciated prayer before a meal, obviously I don't pray to god but I like a moment of silence before I eat... I'm very grateful too.

I guess it's inevitable, this thread will turn into a "god sucks - no you suck" thread but I'm hoping I can get a few nice reasonable and respectful answer before it happens:)

baraka · May 2007

Collin, it's interesting for me that you mention prayer, as I've done more praying in the past few days than in my whole life probably, as I'm dealing with a tragedy. Before I was ever spiritual, I believed in the 'power of prayer' simply because I believed that 'positive energy' can heal. I think that prayer is cathartic for most people, kind of like your moment of silence.

I hope your thread doesn't get belittled or hijacked by insults as I, too, would like to hear other's take on prayer.

Cosmo · May 2007

I don't 'pray'... so to speak. More like I 'talk' to God on the soliitude of the beach or whenever i feel I need to say something... which, isn't that often.
I don't say a prayer before a meal because... to me, it seems a bit silly to thank God for these two chili dogs and a Coke. But, I have no quarrels with anyone who does.

RolandTD20Kdrummer · May 2007

Collin wrote:

A question for the religious folks here; do you pray? And if so, is it like a personal outlet? Is it asking god for assistence and do you think he'll give it to you? Or do you by praying somehow renew or strengthen your faith automatically? I was wondering how the people here viewed prayer.

The question came to me when I was reading in the atheist thread, where several christians said they pray for atheists. So what exactly is it you pray for? I'm just interested and I can understand if you think this is too personal and don't want to share...

Also, I've always appreciated prayer before a meal, obviously I don't pray to god but I like a moment of silence before I eat... I'm very grateful too.

I guess it's inevitable, this thread will turn into a "god sucks - no you suck" thread but I'm hoping I can get a few nice reasonable and respectful answer before it happens:)

at the time I read this, your post count was 6,666...

surferdude · May 2007

I say a prayer of thanks before every meal, and try to say a prayer everyday at least at bedtime. I try to stick to giving thanks for what I and others have, ask forgiveness for my shortcomings and find the strength to be the person I should be. Depending on what's going on in my life I may ask for strength for me or others to deal with what life has presented them with and the strength to make the right choices.

I'm not big on asking God for things like good health or money or stuff like that. I try to stick to the wisdom and strength to deal with life as I should.

soulsinging · May 2007

im not religious, but i pray daily. it's weird. it's not quite meditation (though it's similar to that), but at the same time im not quite sure who im praying to. i believe in a higher power, but im not quite sure how i would define it. it's certainly not god in the zeus/christian sense. more of a... i dont know. it's more like the force in star wars. when i pray, i pray to that... for guidance.

Ahnimus · May 2007

I was at a catholic's place a few weeks ago for dinner and they all thanked God for the food. I thanked them for the feast. God has never invited me over for dinner.

Collin · May 2007

RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:

at the time I read this, your post count was 6,666...

And thank you everyone who has answered so far!

RolandTD20Kdrummer · May 2007

Ahnimus wrote:

I was at a catholic's place a few weeks ago for dinner and they all thanked God for the food. I thanked them for the feast. God has never invited me over for dinner.

The wine is probably excellent...

onelongsong · May 2007

Collin wrote:

A question for the religious folks here; do you pray? And if so, is it like a personal outlet? Is it asking god for assistence and do you think he'll give it to you? Or do you by praying somehow renew or strengthen your faith automatically? I was wondering how the people here viewed prayer.

The question came to me when I was reading in the atheist thread, where several christians said they pray for atheists. So what exactly is it you pray for? I'm just interested and I can understand if you think this is too personal and don't want to share...

Also, I've always appreciated prayer before a meal, obviously I don't pray to god but I like a moment of silence before I eat... I'm very grateful too.

I guess it's inevitable, this thread will turn into a "god sucks - no you suck" thread but I'm hoping I can get a few nice reasonable and respectful answer before it happens:)

i haven't read the thread but i want to address your question. first; i think prayer takes many forms. seeing the sun come up over the mountains and being thankful for it's beauty is prayer. when i pray for an atheist; i simply say to myself "i hope they find enlightenment". when i see a calf being born and a tear comes to my eye as it struggles to get to it's feet; i say thank you for letting me be here to experience it. prayer is being thankful. maybe you don't know who you're thanking. who do you thank for the sunrise?
so prayer is different for different people.

know1 · May 2007

My prayers generally consist of giving thanks for blessings, asking for help in using those blessings for good purposes, asking forgiveness and praying for friends, family and co-workers to have peace and faith in their lives.

Sometimes impromptu prayers occur when I see someone who is suffering or having a rough time. I usually ask for them to be lifted up and helped.

Bu2 · May 2007

saying a prayer over dinner was something my family did at a gathering like a Thanksgiving meal.

Billy prays every night over dinner, so I've gotten into the habit of lowering my head and saying a few words to "the great big whatever who I will call God for lack of a shorter term". I thank this being for my meal and all the work that went into it, and the life it cost. I thank this being for letting me live another day in order to EAT the meal, and then I thank this being for all the blessings my family and this world have received.

And then I eat.

Eli · May 2007

What a great thread! Thank you, Collin, for starting it.
I think everyone prays in a way. According to Longman dictionary of contemporary English, to pray means 1) to speak to God in order to ask for help or give thanks. 2) to wish or hope very strongly that something will happen. I definitely have to go with the second definition because to me, a prayer is like a wish. Regardless of religion, everyone has wishes, right? As for myself, I have been practicing Nichiren Buddhism for quite a few years now and I chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (the Law of the Universe) every day so that I can strengthen my wisdom and vital life force. “In Nichiren Buddhism, the faithful are self-reliant, not dependent on an external force. Their prayer -- unlike the begging of the powerless -- issues from their resolve to awaken their innate Buddhahood. Their prayer, in turn, fuels their actions to conquer the causes of unhappiness for both themselves and many others. Faith expresses itself in prayer, and prayer leads to action. This is an unchanging formula of Nichiren Buddhists for winning in life." Prayer without action will not accomplish much. It’s like having a dream but not taking action to make that dream come true.
OK. Before I wrap this up, I would like to share something that happened to me while I was visiting someone in Victoria, Canada, who did not know I am a Buddhist. So, as we sat at the dinner table this lady I was visiting said, “Let’s say a prayer before we eat, and how about having Eliana do that?” Well, I was a little shy as I was not used to that sort of thing, but I gladly accepted her request, and all I did was just thank her for the meal, and then I wished everyone health and happiness.

Peace,

Eliana

cornnifer · May 2007

Here's a newsflash. i pray.
For guidance, assistance, and in thanksgiving. i don't pray in an attempt to renew my faith, i pray because i have it.
Do i pray for people who don't share my faith? Yes. Not for their salvation, or that they will come to share my faith, but for some of the same reasons i pray for myself. It is sincere and heartfelt.
By the same token, i greatly appreciate it when people pray for me. i also appreciate it when people who don't share MY faith, do whatever is THEY do, even if i don't personally practice it, in my behalf.
So whatever it is you do, i invite you to think of me once in awhile

Light a candle, do a dance, smoke a doobie, burn some incense or do some type of well wishing incantation

Whatever.
i have an issue with self deprecation and loathing. Just throwing it out there

Bu2 · May 2007

cornnifer wrote:

Here's a newsflash. i pray.
For guidance, assistance, and in thanksgiving. i don't pray in an attempt to renew my faith, i pray because i have it.
Do i pray for people who don't share my faith? Yes. Not for their salvation, or that they will come to share my faith, but for some of the same reasons i pray for myself. It is sincere and heartfelt.
By the same token, i greatly appreciate it when people pray for me. i also appreciate it when people who don't share MY faith, do whatever is THEY do, even if i don't personally practice it, in my behalf.
So whatever it is you do, i invite you to think of me once in awhile
Light a candle, do a dance, smoke a doobie, burn some incense or do some type of well wishing incantation Whatever.
i have an issue with self deprecation and loathing. Just throwing it out there

I pray for you.

angelica · May 2007

cornnifer wrote:

So whatever it is you do, i invite you to think of me once in awhile ...
i have an issue with self deprecation and loathing. Just throwing it out there

Consider it done.

Peace.

Heineken Helen · May 2007

onelongsong wrote:

i haven't read the thread but i want to address your question. first; i think prayer takes many forms. seeing the sun come up over the mountains and being thankful for it's beauty is prayer. when i pray for an atheist; i simply say to myself "i hope they find enlightenment". when i see a calf being born and a tear comes to my eye as it struggles to get to it's feet; i say thank you for letting me be here to experience it. prayer is being thankful. maybe you don't know who you're thanking. who do you thank for the sunrise?
so prayer is different for different people.

I'm not sure it really IS different for different people... I'm not religious but more spiritual but I pray... I pray in the same way everyone else on this thread said they pray... and we're all of pretty much different beliefs. Maybe it's just talking to myself and reminding myself how lucky I am and hoping that others could be as lucky as me - a kinda pep talk I suppose. OR maybe a higher body CAN hear me and I'm thanking him/her/it. I do ask/encourage myself to be brave and wise in certain situations. I also ask/wish that others have the same sense of contentment that I have - yes, even so called religious people. It's odd how they pray for my soul and I too pray for theirs

. I ask/wish/pray that they could see past the book telling them how to live and actually start living and really seeing everything that's around them.

So yep, I'll pray for you all next time

including you cornnifer

cornnifer · May 2007

angelica wrote:

Consider it done. Peace.

Ya, see. Maybe someone here took me to heart and its paying off.

a few minutes ago i surprisingly scored just what every self-loather needs... tickets to see Morrissey

PJ_Saluki · May 2007

One of my roomies prays before she goes to her computer class. She asks God to give her the strength not to wish bad things on her wheelchair-bound professor. Whatever it takes, I guess.

RolandTD20Kdrummer · May 2007

Even Ninja's pray.....for death!

(c. 1985)

Any Sho Kosugi Fan's?
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f177/SteveFive1/Interests/pray_for_death.jpg

...I have an unusual sense of humor.

onelongsong · May 2007

Heineken Helen wrote:

I'm not sure it really IS different for different people... I'm not religious but more spiritual but I pray... I pray in the same way everyone else on this thread said they pray... and we're all of pretty much different beliefs. Maybe it's just talking to myself and reminding myself how lucky I am and hoping that others could be as lucky as me - a kinda pep talk I suppose. OR maybe a higher body CAN hear me and I'm thanking him/her/it. I do ask/encourage myself to be brave and wise in certain situations. I also ask/wish that others have the same sense of contentment that I have - yes, even so called religious people. It's odd how they pray for my soul and I too pray for theirs . I ask/wish/pray that they could see past the book telling them how to live and actually start living and really seeing everything that's around them.

So yep, I'll pray for you all next time including you cornnifer

i think you just said what i said. either way; i agree. except one thing; i pray differently every time. when i need to do some deep soul searching; i'll pray in meditation. if i see something terrible on the tele; i may say a catholic prayer. when i see a desert sunset with the sky all lit up with reds to purples with the sun cradled in the saddle of a mountain; that's a different prayer. atheists pray. they just don't recognize it as prayer. prayer is giving thanks. you cannot petition the Lord with prayer. praying for something for yourself is selfish and there's no place for selfishness in religion. picture a child begging his mum for different things all day long. isn't that what you're doing when you pray FOR something? now if you're praying for someone else; that's giving; which is a part of most religions. that's why prayer is being thankful.
happiness isn't getting what you want; it's wanting what you have.
wow; i'd better right that down!

pjfanatic4 · May 2007

Collin wrote:

A question for the religious folks here; do you pray? And if so, is it like a personal outlet? Is it asking god for assistence and do you think he'll give it to you? Or do you by praying somehow renew or strengthen your faith automatically? I was wondering how the people here viewed prayer.

The question came to me when I was reading in the atheist thread, where several christians said they pray for atheists. So what exactly is it you pray for? I'm just interested and I can understand if you think this is too personal and don't want to share...

Also, I've always appreciated prayer before a meal, obviously I don't pray to god but I like a moment of silence before I eat... I'm very grateful too.

I guess it's inevitable, this thread will turn into a "god sucks - no you suck" thread but I'm hoping I can get a few nice reasonable and respectful answer before it happens:)

Interesting question Collin.... I don't consider myself very religious, in the proselytizing sense, but I do take my faith seriously. I do pray, it is the way I communicate with God. I communicate with God basically three things: 1) give Him thanks; 2) ask for forgiveness of my sins and 3) ask for his help in my daily activities. The latter could range from spiritual strength to help with dealing with life’s tests. A lot of times it is through repetitive Catholic prayers.

I don’t expect to be granted everything I pray for. I ask for His will to be done, but not mine. Sometimes things don’t fall in place as I wish, but I’ve had times where later on in life things explain themselves in a unique way. Then I understand why things had to happen the way they did. And I give thanks.

To those folks here that don’t believe in God, in any God. This can sound pretty silly. I know it does because I’ve been through a phase where I doubted all of this. But in the same fashion that I can’t explain that God exists, I can’t explain the feelings I’ve had where I felt His grace touch my heart that makes me a believer. And prayer is a big part of it.

onelongsong · May 2007

pjfanatic4 wrote:

Interesting question Collin.... I don't consider myself very religious, in the proselytizing sense, but I do take my faith seriously. I do pray, it is the way I communicate with God. I communicate with God basically three things: 1) give Him thanks; 2) ask for forgiveness of my sins and 3) ask for his help in my daily activities. The latter could range from spiritual strength to help with dealing with life’s tests. A lot of times it is through repetitive Catholic prayers.

I don’t expect to be granted everything I pray for. I ask for His will to be done, but not mine. Sometimes things don’t fall in place as I wish, but I’ve had times where later on in life things explain themselves in a unique way. Then I understand why things had to happen the way they did. And I give thanks.

To those folks here that don’t believe in God, in any God. This can sound pretty silly. I know it does because I’ve been through a phase where I doubted all of this. But in the same fashion that I can’t explain that God exists, I can’t explain the feelings I’ve had where I felt His grace touch my heart that makes me a believer. And prayer is a big part of it.

very well put. thank you.

Ahnimus · May 2007

pjfanatic4 wrote:

Interesting question Collin.... I don't consider myself very religious, in the proselytizing sense, but I do take my faith seriously. I do pray, it is the way I communicate with God. I communicate with God basically three things: 1) give Him thanks; 2) ask for forgiveness of my sins and 3) ask for his help in my daily activities. The latter could range from spiritual strength to help with dealing with life’s tests. A lot of times it is through repetitive Catholic prayers.

I don’t expect to be granted everything I pray for. I ask for His will to be done, but not mine. Sometimes things don’t fall in place as I wish, but I’ve had times where later on in life things explain themselves in a unique way. Then I understand why things had to happen the way they did. And I give thanks.

To those folks here that don’t believe in God, in any God. This can sound pretty silly. I know it does because I’ve been through a phase where I doubted all of this. But in the same fashion that I can’t explain that God exists, I can’t explain the feelings I’ve had where I felt His grace touch my heart that makes me a believer. And prayer is a big part of it.

I can explain all that stuff without God.

onelongsong · May 2007

Ahnimus wrote:

I can explain all that stuff without God.

NO NO NO

the atheist thread is a few lines down. this is not the place. we've got a good thing going here so please let this one alone.

Ahnimus · May 2007

onelongsong wrote:

NO NO NO

the atheist thread is a few lines down. this is not the place. we've got a good thing going here so please let this one alone.

If I do that, then I'm leaving you in an environment without opposition to your beliefs. That kind of environment only reinforces your existing beliefs, making it more difficult for you to scrutinize your own beliefs and become subjected to evidence to the contrary. But I suspect at your 'ripe' old age that you won't ever change anyway, so have at it.

onelongsong · May 2007

Ahnimus wrote:

If I do that, then I'm leaving you in an environment without opposition to your beliefs. That kind of environment only reinforces your existing beliefs, making it more difficult for you to scrutinize your own beliefs and become subjected to evidence to the contrary. But I suspect at your 'ripe' old age that you won't ever change anyway, so have at it.

i'm glad you used that wording. first; my beliefs are none of your business. it's not your place to try to preach to nor convert me to your way of thinking. people believe what they believe and as you can see on this board; thier beliefs don't change. no matter how much evidence you think you have; nobody changes thier beliefs. you feel what you feel.
the polite thing is to accept that this may not be a proper place for negativity. what the others feel is negativity.

Cosmo · May 2007

See... here's the thing...
I don't want you to pray for me... that makes YOU feel good about yourself. Same goes for asking forgiveness from God... how about seeking forgiveness from the person you have wronged? It's easy to ask forgiveness in a one way converstaion... you can assume that you are forgiven and be done with it. That, to me, is a sham.
I don't like to admit fault... but, I do. It's just a bad character flaw of mine. and when I am the cause of something... I seek to remedy it because I don't like to be the one who causes problems. It's tough... especially, when your are as stubborn as I am... but, I do it. I don't ask God to patch up my screw ups... He is busy enough, running the Universe and all. It is up to ME to face the person, not God.
And if I want someone to find peace... or enlightenment... I tell THEM. I don't bother God with petty shit i can handle myself. I'm saving up for the big stuff... when I really need someone other than the people around me to lean on.
...
Oh... and I thank the kid at the taco joint for the tacos... he made them, not God.

Ahnimus · May 2007

onelongsong wrote:

i'm glad you used that wording. first; my beliefs are none of your business. it's not your place to try to preach to nor convert me to your way of thinking. people believe what they believe and as you can see on this board; thier beliefs don't change. no matter how much evidence you think you have; nobody changes thier beliefs. you feel what you feel.
the polite thing is to accept that this may not be a proper place for negativity. what the others feel is negativity.

See, I don't care. You are stuck on your beliefs, that is fine, I don't expect you to change. But I'm not going to sit idly by while you spew out non-sense and convince those that are at a susceptible age (22-28) that your beleifs are grounded in anything but speculation and personal subjective experience. If you want to have a happy celebration of religiosity, then go to a church. This is a place for 'reasoned debate and discussion'.

surferdude · May 2007

Cosmo wrote:

I don't want you to pray for me... that makes YOU feel good about yourself.

Not directed at you Cosmo, but I don't understand this point of view. If someone prays for you, you are not affected in anyway and the person feels good about themselves. Why would you ever want to stop anyone from feeling good about themselves when it is at no one's expense?????

I think some people just hate to see others being happy.

surferdude · May 2007

Ahnimus wrote:

'reasoned debate and discussion'.

How can it be reasoned when it's predetermined?

prayer

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