What is the point of praying?

hoggieman

Hi, I don’t post here too often, but I was reading the other post about why bad things happen, and I am curious for everyone’s thoughts on this: I have recently left about 9 months ago. At first I thought I was closer to god and was reading the bible more than ever…. praying asking for help, clarity, etc…..but after a while I started to ask myself why would god answer my messily little prayers when hundreds of thousands were dieing in Haiti? The witness mindset that I remember was not to pray for things to happen, but for strength for yourself to do something. But that sounds the same thing to me. Not to mention the stupid experiences (JW’s and all religions) of “I needed $241.67 to pay my rent and I found that exact amount in the gutter walking home from meeting”. At this point I would never want to ask for one thing…even asking for something for someone else. Because if something ever was answered I would be like, why was my request more important than babies dieing all over the world???

At this point I don’t pray. Don’t pray with my kids either….sometimes I feel bad about this, but I just cant bring myself to do it.

Any thoughts?

babygirl30

Ya know, that has been something I have thought about for a long time myself!! The direction on prayer was always so confusing to

At one meeting, Jehovah hears ALL prayers - at another, he doesn't HEAR the prayers of the those who sin - at yet another meeting, there are stories of ho's/drug dealers/murderers who out of nowhere PRAYED and God answered them????

A DF'd person is told they are 'dead' to Jehovah and his organization - no longer receiving his Holy Spirit - but then the org teaches that as a loving God, Jehovah uses his Holy Spirit to discipline those he LOVES (the reasoning behind being DF'd) - and so in order to be reinstated, you must pray to receive Holy Spirit again????

Do you get what I mean about how some of it is just so confusing? Those stupid stories of how some lazy arse pioneer prayed for a car, and out of nowhere some brother GIVES her a car free of charge...those just flat out make me laugh. Seriously, come on now. What they forget to tell you is that the brother who gave the pioneer his car was 'pumping' HER (instead of the gas)! -hahahahaha

Witness My Fury

Im with you on this one. I gave up praying (personal prayers) a couple of years ago. I think I have prayed once in that time about 6 months ago that was for clear direction as to whether the WTBTS was really his channel or not. You can guess the "answer" to that one.

Personally my attitude is this: I am insignificant, why clog up the system with my meaningless and often repetitive requests and confessions and occaisonal praise. Who the hell do i think I am to be so important that the God of the universe would deem to even hear it let alone answer it.?

That has been my thinking process which i am often told is incorrect as God is "the hearer of prayer" apparently. But I never liked the one way conversations.

What also put me off was thinking about the mechanics of prayer, how does prayer actually work? It travels faster than light if it works at all. Also I dont like the thought of the spirit realm with unseen "Watchers" (good or bad ones) observing my every move and action 24/7. Kind of freaks me out.

So now I content myself with not praying at all. There is less guilt and less fear, but also maybe less love too, but I can live with that.

Cheers

tec

I think prayer is a gift for us. Prayer brings me strength and helps me feel close to God. I have faith that He hears me, so it doesn't feel one-sided to me at all. Though perhaps He hears my heart more than my words - which is good - because I don't always have the words to describe how I'm feeling.

Tammy

startingover

Nothing wrong with prayer. I pray to Clint Eastwood and get the same results I got praying to Jehovah. It seems to be about 50-50 chance of having them answered.

SweetBabyCheezits

"Pray (verb): To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled on behalf of a single petitioner, confessedly unworthy."
- Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

I can't really pray anymore since my faith is basically shot but for someone who does have faith in God, I think prayer can help fortify them emotionally and mentally and, in turn, help produce some good results (due to their own willpower). But my thinking is that it's a big placebo and that person is simply reaffirming what they wish to do or overcome.

Yizuman

Praying is about "communication", God does listen.

I pray everyday, especially for my wife and to this day she is still here with me as well as for her kids and grandkids.

You don't need a special forumla to pray to God, in fact, you can talk to him the same as you would talk to a person next to you.

Yiz

Mythbuster

I don't pray. It's like this, if my mother were to show up one day and assume that we would have a normal relationship and just pick up where things went wrong, without talking through all of the hurt and disappointment and abandonment, then the thing that started the relationship on the wrong path would never be settled. I would no more call her on the phone and pretend my feelings didn't matter than I would try talk to a silent god again.

Yeah, it sounds like I've been drinking, but I haven't.

frankiespeakin

I don't believe in Jehovah or the bible but I still find myself praying on auto pilot and sometimes I'll say Jehovah in my semiconscious mind of even say it out loud.

I think there is some psychological value in praying especially where religious dogma don't don't dictate what to say or who or how to say it to the particular deity.

The "God Image" is a deep part of our psyche and part of the collective human unconscious. If we try to stamp it out of our consciousness it will cause us some mental problems that might show up as addictions as well as neuroses, a spiritual experience often times leads to breaking bad habits and life altering changes.

That's why Jung told one of is patients he needed a God type of experience to quit his alcohol addiction.

http://www.crystalinks.com/jung.html

Jungian Interpretation of Religion

The Jungian interpretation of religion views all religious experience as a psychological phenomenon, and regards the personal experience of God as indistinguishable, for scientific purposes, as a communication with one's own unconscious mind.

Carl Jung established a school of psychology called depth psychology, which emphasizes understanding the psyche through dream analysis. Other workers in depth psychology have used other methods with some success, but dream analysis remains the core of depth psychology. Works of art and mythology are interpreted similarly to dreams: a myth is "a dream being experienced by a whole culture."

Inevitably archetypal figures appear in personal dreams which closely resemble mythic figures, which leads to a natural interest in experience of religion as a psychological phenomenon.

Jung emphasized the importance of balance in a healthy mind. He wrote that modern humans rely too heavily on science and logic and would benefit from integrating spirituality and appreciation of the unconscious. Jungian psychology is typically missing from the curriculum of most major universities' psychology departments. Jung's ideas are occasionally explored in humanities departments, particularly in the study of mythography.

wantstoleave

This is something I've thought alot about too. I feel for some that prayer is an avenue of peace for them. Most humans like to think there is 'more' out there and perhaps even that life goes on. Praying to something higher gives them peace and like someone else here said, fortifies them.

I have always struggled with like babygirl says: Jehovah hears ALL prayers - at another, he doesn't HEAR the prayers of the those who sin - at yet another meeting, there are stories of ho's/drug dealers/murderers who out of nowhere PRAYED and God answered them????

But we are told he reads hearts, but then he doesn't hear the prayers of unbelievers. Confusing to say the least!

For me, I've not properly personally prayed in probably over a year. I don't pray with my children either. I feel very confused about it all. I know praying used to give me alot of satisfaction and used to make me feel in control and almost powerful, that I could overcome anything because I had Jehovah onside. But now I'm not so sure.

My dad is a big believer in praying for something, or at least mentioning in prayer, and then when it happens, he's so jubilent. But what about everyone else out there who has good things happen to them and they don't pray or worship a God? Just doesn't make sense .

What is the point of praying?

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