IMO, the more prayers the better.
To me, it's the thought that counts. Folks are thinking about me, concerned for me, that's pretty cool. Why should that bother me?
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Does it Matter?
- Thread starter SalixIncendium
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IMO, the more prayers the better.
To me, it's the thought that counts. Folks are thinking about me, concerned for me, that's pretty cool. Why should that bother me?
Yes, I believe they do and that multiple researchers have even presented controlled experimental evidence. I am aware the skeptics do not accept this and there it sits.
I will say though that after decades of interest in the so-called paranormal the evidence for real things beyond the physical has been shown to my satisfaction beyond reasonable doubt.
Neuropteron
Active Member
Praying for a person that is afflicted is a sign of compassion and shows a caring attitude, most liquely it would give the person in need some comfort regardless if the deity the prayer is adressed to exits or not, or even listens or not.
However the willingness of God to listen to prayers is conditional. Jesus gave an example of how to pray in Mat 6:9. One of those conditions is to pray to Jesus's father, and to no one else.
An example of God not listening to prayers is Prov 28:9. "He that is turning his ear away from hearing the law - even his prayer is something detestable".
ManSinha
Well-Known Member
On a somewhat tangential note on the lighter side - this quote comes from the 13th century - ascribed to Kabeer
That describes one motivation. I didn't propose that motivation. I proposed, what if they were genuinely concerned, and that is how they genuinely expressed their love through that outlet. That actually does exist in humans, from everything I can tell, despite all the disingenuous stuff you're pointing at. My question was about genuine love, not some personal project someone is on.
How do you then feel about it, if it is genuine? Does it mean anything valuable to you, or do you just dismiss their act of love because it seems illogical to you?
That was not an answer. That seems to me to be an evasion. It's a simple question. If they are genuine in their concern, and that is how they express their love and concern, through prayer, does that mean nothing to you because you think prayer is stupid, or something?
Maybe not an answer you wanted to hear but relevant to you post. You want to think for me then i am sorry to disappoint you.
So now you you have rephrased your question as a question rather than a directive i will answer.
As i said in my first post on this thread, some people get comfort from doing nothing to help while making themselves feel better about not doing anything by praying. That is up to them but they can expect no thanks from me.
If, on the other hand they offered their help, advice or support, that to me says far more about a persons love and concern.
In your question you asked "if". Also as i have said before, if they genuinely loved me they would not waste their time praying but instead, actually doing something.
People i know and love will not pray to their god for me and in return i will not pray to pink unicorns for them.
I thought I was qualifying this as genuine love expressed through prayer. Assume there are limits of what they can do for support to you, other than prayer, that that is the most that they can humanly offer. Are you still ungrateful for their love and concern that they express through prayer, which they believe can help on some subtle level, where they feel powerless otherwise? Isn't them praying for you, them supporting you in what ways they believe could help you? Isn't that an expression of their love for you?
For someone to sincerely say they will pray for you, is their way of offering support. Do you just reject their gesture of support to you because you think prayer is silly? Or might you say thank you in response, acknowledging they are offering a gesture of support in a way they know how under the circumstances, even though you have the opinion that prayer is nonsense?
Praying is doing something. They don't consider it a waste of their time. They may do that in addition to helping where they can, or if they can't do anything but pray, that is still support and doing. Isn't it?
But they believe in their God. You don't believe in pink unicorns. Theirs would be a sincere gesture, while yours would be a mockery of them, essentially slapping the spoon out of their hand as they try to help in what they believe helps, because you think their beliefs are stupid.
I think the question of this thread boils down to, can you see it from their perspective and recognize it as an expression of sincere love for them coming from their beliefs, even when you don't agree with them? It's sounding like your answer to this is no. Are you saying you can't see beyond your beliefs to the intention of the person offering that for you. Is that accurate?
I see that all religions are simply different faces we put upon the same Ultimate Reality. So if someone believes there is a literal figure in the sky as a person and says they will pray to that figure, I understand that as them utilizing that form to direct that same spiritual energy from the heart that is present in all religions, regardless of how they understand and translate it for themselves.
It's not the form that matters, not the words, not the content of the beliefs, but the context of the intention of the heart. That transcends all religions. That is what all religions are built around. And that is that same Love people seek through all religions, regardless of how they are held in their belief systems.
GoodbyeDave
Well-Known Member
But prayer may be the only action open to them in certain situations and do not consider that is "not actually doing anything". To call those who pray for you selfish is, frankly, appallingly arrogant. Rest assured that I will never do it.
I don't think that's true at all. There are always paths of action available.
Even if there's nothing you can do to cure a person dying in hospital of a terminal disease, you can still offer to bring their family food or take out the trash at their house on garbage day, for instance. You might not be able to fix the situation, but you can always provide comfort in some way.
Someone who has chosen not to do those things, but uses prayer to silence their own stress about not helping, is behaving selfishly.
Arrogant <> incorrect.
Nobody's making you.
I am not ungrateful, i am unmoved when people consider self satisfying prayer a help in real life situations.
How do i know its sincere? A can only say i have met one truly sincere religious person. Sure there must be others but ive never met them. It s not support, it is selfish procrastination. I realise you dont like that, but that is how i see it.
As i have said before if they offer physical support, that is helping. Praying to a bronze age myth may salve their mind for not doing anything to help but in real terms it is no help
As i said, i know very few religious people, those i do know i can count on the fingers of one finger. If religious people cannot respect my wishes because they would rather waste their time than actually help, that is not my problem, i dont need them.
No, the question of the thread is "In the event of personal hardship or illness, does it matter who prays for you?"
And i have given my answer to that in my first post on this thread. You may want to manipulate the meaning of the question to suite your personal sensibilities, the result is not the question asked but the question you would prefer.
Show me any verifiable instance where someone who is suffering personal hardship or illness has actually been helped by prayer.