RE: Thoughts and not prayers.
January 28, 2019 at 11:50 am
(This post was last modified: January 28, 2019 at 12:19 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
(January 28, 2019 at 11:41 am)tackattack Wrote: Getting back to the point. I agree with several posters on here that prayer is a personal thing between you and a personal God and should not be boasted about. It shouldn't go up on twitter, or youtube, as an "aha.. see what we did". It's a conversation with the creator. Let's assume for arguments sake that God doesn't exist and it's just people talking to the air and wishing positive things for people. It still beneficial. There have been studies (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...347528.pdf) that emotionally negative responses like fear and anger narrow the vision on possible solutions while positive emotional reactions do the opposite. As to the other comments in the response. I'm not intentionally ignoring anything. I already stated that prayers are not a substitute for actual practical methods of support and encouragement. It's often though that very little physically can be done in a lot of cases, like the one I cited. Also, I fail to see how it's presumptuous.Beneficial to the person praying..you mean. Gee, glad that person feels better...now, what do we do about the guy who lost his house in a flood? You see it doesn't help to claim that "there have been studies" for things not even remotely in question. That thoughts and prayers-ing is self satisfactory is self evident.
Quote:I'm not arguing that prayer works. I'm not arguing that there is a God. I agree that a metric shit ton of believers pray so they can get the magical C note and publicly boast about their prayer victories. All I'm saying is that whether God is real or not, someone reaching out to you with "thoughts and prayers", or praying with/for you in a time of need (where other support wouldn't be better) I don't see as a bad thing ever, and I'd like to know why people find it offensive (if they do). Mainly because, I woulnd't want what I see as an act of kindness, to upset or offend people.How much time you got buddy?
For example, you failed to see what might be presumptuous and insulting about praying to the lord of creation -or- considering the intended recipient lost in the event of some tragedy.
All I can say to you, is to stop praying and accept that this tragedy is just how your god works, and nothing to do with whether a person is lost, nor is tragedy the moment to go recruiting.
Feeding on emotional carrion isn't a great look, and, as you explained it, it's not the same as actually helping or empathizing. You know what's interesting? People have found this insulting about christianity for as long as there has been christianity...and yet..still..2k years later, some christians can't understand why. At some point you'd think that the brute fact of it's being insulting would trump their inability to see why..though, if you racked your brains..I;m sure you could come up with some explanations for why others may be insulted by some prayer of your own devising, to your own god, for your own purposes.
*I'm sure of this, btw, because I can link christians and jews and greek polytheists and atheists alike all commenting on it.
Roman emperors lamented centuries ago that the christians preyed on the weak and impoverished and imperilled in precisely this way (which, they did..for better and for worse).
Rabbis tell us today that god does not want our thoughts and prayers, that god wants our action.
Quote:When you spread out your hands in prayer,https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?se...ersion=NIV
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!
Christians hope to god that no one sends thoughts or prayers.
Quote:My son was in Las Vegas with a lot of his friends and he came home. He didn't come home last night, and I don't want prayers. I don't want thoughts. I want gun control, and I hope to God nobody sends me anymore prayers. I want gun control. No more guns.https://www.christianpost.com/news/i-hop...oting.html
-and this is hardly a novel position for a christian to take. "Jesus" himself had this to say on the matter of people and their pious theater.
Quote:Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?se...ersion=NIV
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
