Every damn time I’m at my in-laws house for dinner, my father-in-law, Don, has to say the blessing. It’s always damn near the same, that’s why I can write it out for you. This is how he prays… (the remarks in the parenthesis are my own interjections)

“Dear Heavenly Father, we thank thee for this beautiful day (it was raining and cold), and for your bountiful goodness and merciful heart. (by the way, this is a 56 yr old who just lost his job and has no unemployment insurance) We are so grateful for the blessings you have bestowed upon us and upon our children. (Both my sister-in-law and I have been laid off for 3+ months) We ask only that you bless this food before us, that it may strengthen and nourish our bodies (which is exactly what food already does do for our bodies), and that we may enjoy our time of fellowship together. (he’s a mechanic – he NEVER talks like this during the course of any given day) We thank thee for your amazing gift to us, the lord Jesus Christ, and we look forward to that glorious day when we can join you in Heaven. Amen."


I throw up a little bit in my mouth every time I hear it.


I imagine that if their god was real he'd be annoyed as hell!
Imagine if you’re god/Allah, and 50 million people are thanking you for the food 3x a day. 150 million prayers - Everybody thanking you daily for their lunch burrito or their fucking hot pocket --- EVERY DAY until the world ends!!?!
I think I'd be destroying it a hell of a lot sooner than scheduled!


Anyway, I’d like to know how you believers pray?
Where do you pray? How often do you pray?
And what the hell is up with the “holier-than-thou speech” used in prayers?

Anybody? Thoughts? What is the usefulness of prayer?

---

Point made. Just went to McDonalds to grab a bite. Family of four saying the blessing over their $1 ice cream sundaes.
Come-on. Is that really necessary? Does your god really need you to thank him that often?!?!?!

Most people use a tone of voice that is respectful when they pray, and some are praying in a manner that they have heard for years. No one who is truly praying to God uses a holier than thou tone, that type of praying is what Jesus condemed as no prayer at all. I pray anywhere at any time, the whole reason for prayer is to communicate with God and there's no set rules about how to pray other than the Lords prayer that Jesus gave us. There is nothing wrong with a set prayer such as one used at the dinner table, that is if one is praying more often than just at dinner, a prayer of thanksgiving is what christians see as proper at a meal.

As for the prayer you gave us I can see why you do not understand it, this prayer has christian principles in it that non-believers just can't grasp. The comment you make about the food already norishing our bodies is true, we do not have to pray to receive norishment from food, have you ever given a thought that the food that was just prayed over might be tainted yet one does not get ill. I wonder just how often this might be the case, we never know. I see one place in the prayer you have probably misquoted because it does not fit with the rest of the prayer, listen closer next time and see if you can find it, it jumped off the page as soon as I read the prayer.

Quote:As for the prayer you gave us I can see why you do not understand it, this prayer has christian principles in it that non-believers just can't grasp.

Just bullshit, G-C...nothing more.

(2nd June 2011 06:07)Godschild Wrote:  Most people use a tone of voice that is respectful when they pray, and some are praying in a manner that they have heard for years. No one who is truly praying to God uses a holier than thou tone, that type of praying is what Jesus condemed as no prayer at all. I pray anywhere at any time, the whole reason for prayer is to communicate with God and there's no set rules about how to pray other than the Lords prayer that Jesus gave us. There is nothing wrong with a set prayer such as one used at the dinner table, that is if one is praying more often than just at dinner, a prayer of thanksgiving is what christians see as proper at a meal.

As for the prayer you gave us I can see why you do not understand it, this prayer has christian principles in it that non-believers just can't grasp. The comment you make about the food already norishing our bodies is true, we do not have to pray to receive norishment from food, have you ever given a thought that the food that was just prayed over might be tainted yet one does not get ill. I wonder just how often this might be the case, we never know. I see one place in the prayer you have probably misquoted because it does not fit with the rest of the prayer, listen closer next time and see if you can find it, it jumped off the page as soon as I read the prayer.

I'm reasonably sure I didn't misquote him. I've heard this prayer many times, but I suppose anything is possible. Keep in mind, he's a mechanic who grew up drinking boos and huffing paint fumes ... not a man who's had 40 years of doctrine. His prayer's are going to reflect this.

As for your theory about tainted food ... that's one hell of a leap man. I haven't prayed for my food in 20 years and never once have gotten ill from bad food.

On another point. Do you pray before you eat no matter where or why??

I am now going to certainly visit the USA soon, being a Brit I think I may have seen this once..... Ever.

Thoughts. Sad how the most important country in the world breeds these tools. From where I sit, its quite disturbing.

Edit: I wonder how much time is wasted in a Christians life praying like this and going to church. Anyone have any idea?

(2nd June 2011 06:48)5thHorseman Wrote:  I am now going to certainly visit the USA soon, being a Brit I think I may have seen this once..... Ever.

Thoughts. Sad how the most important country in the world breeds these tools. From where I sit, its quite disturbing.

Edit: I wonder how much time is wasted in a Christians life praying like this and going to church. Anyone have any idea?

Ever thought that maybe it became the most important country on earth because of rather than in spite of "tools" like that?

Absolutely not. Your kind have been dragging mankind into the shitter since 400 AD.

That's a bunch of garbage. So you believe the most powerful country on earth just happens to be eighty percent theistic? Modern science just happened to rise out of the theistic European nations of the 17th century coinciding with the Christian Reformation? The greatest bloodbaths of the 20th century just happened to occur in nations with atheistic leaders? I have a bridge I wanna sell you.

"Here is a final paradox. Recent work on early modern science has demonstrated a direct (and positive) relationship between the resurgence of the Hebraic, literal exegesis of the Bible in the Protestant Reformation, and the rise of the empirical method in modern science. I’m not referring to wooden literalism, but the sophisticated literal-historical hermeneutics that Martin Luther and others (including Newton) championed. It was, in part, when this method was transferred to science, when students of nature moved on from studying nature as symbols, allegories and metaphors to observing nature directly in an inductive and empirical way, that modern science was born. In this, Newton also played a pivotal role. As strange as it may sound, science will forever be in the debt of millenarians and biblical literalists."

- Stephen Snobelen, Assistant Professor of History of Science and Technology,
University of King’s College, Halifax, Canada

Statler, where do you get your history from? Really, I want to know.

I love my country and happen to be oddly patriotic. I say oddly because I am a pessimistic asshole about everything, but you put a flag in front of me and I get all optimistic. Anyway, though I love my country, I would not say that the greatest atrocities or "bloodbaths," if you will, came from elsewhere, out of so-called atheist nations. Germany was not an atheist nation, ever. The United States may be largely theistic, disgustingly so even, but this country is not innocent. We are the only country to ever drop nuclear weapons on people. What does that say about your beloved Christians? Well, if Christians represent the U.S. and atheists represent the rest, I guess that makes Christians cowards. The only bloodbath they have was dropping two fucking nukes on innocent people. Oh, and we have slavery too. Of course, none of that is accurate. The U.S. is the U.S., not Christ Nation. You and your fucking compatriots have plenty to answer for in history, which is precisely why you chose to say "20th century." Speaking of cowards . . .

(2nd June 2011 03:06)Cinjin Cain Wrote:  

---

Every damn time I’m at my in-laws house for dinner, my father-in-law, Don, has to say the blessing. It’s always damn near the same, that’s why I can write it out for you. This is how he prays… (the remarks in the parenthesis are my own interjections)

“Dear Heavenly Father, we thank thee for this beautiful day (it was raining and cold), and for your bountiful goodness and merciful heart. (by the way, this is a 56 yr old who just lost his job and has no unemployment insurance) We are so grateful for the blessings you have bestowed upon us and upon our children. (Both my sister-in-law and I have been laid off for 3+ months) We ask only that you bless this food before us, that it may strengthen and nourish our bodies (which is exactly what food already does do for our bodies), and that we may enjoy our time of fellowship together. (he’s a mechanic – he NEVER talks like this during the course of any given day) We thank thee for your amazing gift to us, the lord Jesus Christ, and we look forward to that glorious day when we can join you in Heaven. Amen."


I throw up a little bit in my mouth every time I hear it.


I imagine that if their god was real he'd be annoyed as hell!
Imagine if you’re god/Allah, and 50 million people are thanking you for the food 3x a day. 150 million prayers - Everybody thanking you daily for their lunch burrito or their fucking hot pocket --- EVERY DAY until the world ends!!?!
I think I'd be destroying it a hell of a lot sooner than scheduled!


Anyway, I’d like to know how you believers pray?
Where do you pray? How often do you pray?
And what the hell is up with the “holier-than-thou speech” used in prayers?

Anybody? Thoughts? What is the usefulness of prayer?

---

Point made. Just went to McDonalds to grab a bite. Family of four saying the blessing over their $1 ice cream sundaes.
Come-on. Is that really necessary? Does your god really need you to thank him that often?!?!?!

---

To answer your questions.
-how you believers pray?
Just like I talk, like a conversation. (awaits talking to yourself comment)
-Where do you pray?
Wherever I am when it strikes me to pray. I don't always pray at meals, but it's a time to sit and chill and chat with family so usually I find it appropriate to pray at that time
-How often do you pray?
I don't really have an exact number but I would guesstimate 20-40 times a day. Most of them being a little three word prayer or a quick thank you.
-what the hell is up with the “holier-than-thou speech” used in prayers?
I don't know, I don't use that. I consider it a sign of ritualizing prayer, which IMO lessens it's value.
- Is that really necessary?
No but I find it usefull
-Does your god really need you to thank him that often?!?!?!
I don't know, thankfulness is typically for the release of teh thanker not the gratification of the thankee, IMO.