by hoggieman 23 Replies latest watchtower bible
On personal reflection I cant think of a single occaision when I could honestly say that one of my prayers was "answered" in any positive way.
Like I said, I got fed up with the one way conversation. I also struggle with the disconnect between Jehovah of the Old Testament who can easily be seen to be vengeful, jealous, merciless, and operating on overkill compared with Jesus of the New testament who displayed none of that.
Cheers
I'm afraid prayer to me is the same as wishful thinking. The power of the mind can be so strong that if you wish for something to happen intensely enough, with a deep conviction that it will happen, it very often does.
We hear of people in recent years who have practiced the art of Cosmic Ordering with positive results, who refuse to believe it was just a lucky coincidence and firmly believe in some kind of supernatural force in the universe that brought about the fortunate turn of events, in the same way God fearing people firmly believe that God has answered their prayers for them.
Personally, I gave up praying a long time before I faded as I failed to see the point in it.
At the end of the day, if you believe in prayer it will probably work for you, and if you don't have the conviction (like me) it is probably a waste of time.
Prayer is not a gift--if Jehovah consistently interferes with getting what you want just so you have something to pray for, why would He get any praise whatsoever either way? Either He backs off and lets you get what you want and takes the praise, or He bears down and still gets the praise. This, to me, is a complete waste of my time, plus it reinforces that Almighty Lowlife Scumbag's doing what He was going to do anyways. As I see it, if that Almighty Lowlife Scumbag wants to watch me grow and die celibate and will do ANYTHING to that end, why should He get any further reward for doing it?
PRAYER DOES NOT WORK!
Maybe prayer to God has its uses; it projects "out there" something which people cannot see within themselves because they've never looked there or are willing to admit could be there. This is what ultimately led me away from organized religion in general and specifically away from the familiar concept I and most people have about God. As soon as I prayed I assumed that whatever God was he was separate from me - it just didn't feel right anymore.
So, I no longer "pray" in the old way that I had; instead, I simply stop everything and just be, without trying or imagining myself to be anything in particular. There is great peace in this, and a great sense of wholeness. Especially harmful is people imagining themselves to be a miserable sinner who is in constant lack and needs "saving" because that sustains the illusion of separation. That kind of thinking builds a world in the mind that is simply based on stories and images (usually from some "holy book" or some "spiritual authority") rather than reality.
The hebrew roots for "pray","prayer", etc. (tefilah) comes from Peh-Lamed-Lamed and l'hitpalel, meaning to judge oneself. The point is not to change the perfect mind of God, but rather, to meditate on one's self in relation to God so as to judge past and present behavior in one's self from the apex of all possible viewpoints.
I'm an agnostic and I still pray and to Jehovah, but more as a meditative and hopeful exercise that I can act in the best possible way in consideration of myself to others and the rest of existence.
I think of some of the varied theories on the universe which suggest that the universe may actually be a hologram of sorts and just as a piece of the hologram can reproduce the whole, so too perhaps I might through this process of prayer become aware of and reproduce the whole, and the whole, I think of and personify as "Jehovah".
I prefer the name Jehovah for a number of reasons, 1. Its familiarity, 2. Because I really believe the tetragrammaton pronounced had 3 syllables and not two, and 3. Because the roots for the same "...he that causes to become.." is just the sort of unbounded name that I would give to the phenomenon that is "Jehovah".
no point, more chance that my big toe will provide the answers
When I was being harrassed and stalked for 10 years by a group of sisters, I prayed about the situation many times.
At first, I prayed all the time that it would stop. It didn't stop. So, I thought perhaps that was a selfish prayer.
I started praying that God would give me the strength to handle the situation. The situation got worse. Then I read an article in the WT that indicated that was also a selfish prayer.
So, I started praying for them - that they would come to their senses, realize they were damaging their own relationship with God and stop. It didn't stop. And I couldn't take any more. So I left.
Yes, they had "won". Not sure what they won, but whatever.....
Anyhow, I still pray all the time. But I don't pray for anything that I need or want. I pray for other people, I pray when I am thankful and grateful for something in my life, I pray when I have a spritual epiphany (of sorts).
I don't think prayers are answered. What's going to happen, is going to happen. Nothing will change that.
I view prayer as comforting, therapeutic. If someone is listening.....that's a bonus. I hope someone is.
(Of course, according to BANE and Alice, all of what I just said is a lie. So, take it however you want to.)
I noticed many years ago that my life is pretty much the same whether or not I pray. I notice also that those who believe in the power of prayer often talk about their thoughts and feelings instead of facts and logic. The benefits many attribute to prayer can also be gained by meditation and talking out our problems with another human. People even feel better and resolve some of their problems while talking to animals and plants.
Cult Classic
Prayer can help with one's personal state of mind. To me prayer is much more meaningful today, knowing that there isn't some OTHER being listening who will possibly but probably not grant any requests I might have. Why? Because to me today, prayer is simply another word for peaceful stillness and clarifying thought. I don't know how to really put it . . . God is everywhere and in everything, including you and me. Robert Heinlein through his character Valentine Michael Smith coined the greeting, "Thou art god." To me that makes some sort of sense right now. Being still and speaking naturally to the universe has personal power. It isn't miraculous or supernatural; in fact it is more natural than anything.
But all of the above falls short of the mark. I still pray sometimes, sort of, but nothing like a Dub or church prayer.
Prayer is a pep talk you give to yourself. :)
