Do you Pray out of Love or Fear? (Creator, mystic)

goraya15 · #1 12-28-2006, 01:59 AM

Just a question. Personally, I am an Ahmadi muslim. I find that praying out of fear, whether it is for forgiveness so i don't go to hell, for health, or out of fear of anything else, i can't become engrossed in prayer. On the other hand, praying out of love for god, the Holy Propher p.b.u.h, being thankful, i am more concentrated while praying.

So, what do you guys think? I know we should all pray out of love, but I must say i feel i pray more out of fear then love, at least at this stage of my life (adolescent).

What about you guys, do you pray more out of fear, or out of love?

cardero · #2 12-28-2006, 04:05 AM

Nowadays, I pray for the complete intention of getting to K(NOW) GOD. Never do I pray with a request in mind. Everything that I need is already within me and anything I want, I know I will have to pursue on my own.

Popeyesays · #3 12-28-2006, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardero

Nowadays, I pray for the complete intention of getting to K(NOW) GOD. Never do I pray with a request in mind. Everything that I need is already within me and anything I want, I know I will have to pursue on my own.

"And if, confirmed by the Creator, the lover escapes from the claws of the eagle of love, he will enter THE VALLEY OF KNOWLEDGE and come out of doubt into certitude, and turn from the darkness of illusion to the guiding light of the fear of God. His inner eyes will open and he will privily converse with his Beloved; he will set ajar the gate of truth and piety, and shut the doors of vain imaginings.

"He in this station is content with the decree of God, and seeth war as peace, and findeth in death the secrets of everlasting life. With inward and outward eyes he witnesseth the mysteries of resurrection in the realms of creation and the souls of men, and with a pure heart apprehendeth the divine wisdom in the endless Manifestations of God. In the ocean he findeth a drop, in a drop he beholdeth the secrets of the sea.
'Split the atom's heart, and lo!
Within it thou wilt find a sun.' " [1]
[1 Persian mystic poem.]
(Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 11)

Regards,
Scott

Engyo · #4 12-28-2006, 08:02 AM

Neither - I pray from compassion. But then Buddhist prayer is from, not to: it isn't a prayer to an outside force for some intervention; Buddhist prayer is an offering of our own merit generated from our own practice as a positive influence towards the subject of the prayer.

ayani · #5 12-28-2006, 10:17 AM

first of all, welcome.

i find myself praying both out of fear and love. not fear that i'll be fried should i not pray, but fear (respect) of God's Word, and a desire to do what is right, to pray and remember that Word.

i also pray out of love for Him, for what He has given me, and from a desire to be close to Him through prayer, and to give thanks. often, i will begin a prayer session in fear and dutiful respect, and things will melt into love and gratitude. every time that i pray is different.

Scarlett Wampus · #6 12-28-2006, 10:28 AM

Goraya whenever I'm aware of situations that give rise to fear and desperation in me and are also outside of my control my automatic response is to pray to God, as in 'God! Help me!' I'm not sure if that would be considered prayer by others, but if so, then it would mean I mostly pray out of fear. I can't become engrossed in that really. Its an automatic reaction. If I turn that into a prayer for guidance or it concerns a matter that needs penitence on my part then the dynamic changes completely and stuff can start to happen. As for praying out of love that again happens mostly as an automatic reaction but with a difference: just to experience love seems to initiate focused prayer in itself. Rather than throwing out some plea in the hope something might actually be listening it seems more like a direct dialogue with the universe. I don't know how else to describe it.

Should point out I don't necessarily believe in God or God(s) yet I find prayer effective - some forms much more so than others.

MysticSang'ha · #7 12-28-2006, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Engyo

Neither - I pray from compassion. But then Buddhist prayer is from, not to: it isn't a prayer to an outside force for some intervention; Buddhist prayer is an offering of our own merit generated from our own practice as a positive influence towards the subject of the prayer.

Yeah, what he said.

A perfect explanation of why I pray!

Peace,
Mystic

Radio Frequency X · #8 12-28-2006, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goraya15

Just a question. Personally, I am an Ahmadi muslim. I find that praying out of fear, whether it is for forgiveness so i don't go to hell, for health, or out of fear of anything else, i can't become engrossed in prayer. On the other hand, praying out of love for god, the Holy Propher p.b.u.h, being thankful, i am more concentrated while praying.

So, what do you guys think? I know we should all pray out of love, but I must say i feel i pray more out of fear then love, at least at this stage of my life (adolescent).

What about you guys, do you pray more out of fear, or out of love?

Fear is a soul-sickness I think. I personally pray to be freed from fear.

Praying out of love, hope, joy, thankfulness, and so forth is better.

Booko · #9 12-28-2006, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goraya15

What about you guys, do you pray more out of fear, or out of love?

Coming from the atheistic past I do, even at this point in my life I pray out of obedience.

Fear is never a motivator for me, but then, that's huge reason why I was an atheist in the first place.

Love might be a motivator eventually, if I'm lucky.