How powerful is a PRAYER?

[MrsPete]

Is it more people are afraid of death, or that they are afraid of not knowing where they come from, that makes them turn to a religion?

Throw the quest for real truth into that selection list too.

 

[orljustin]

Last Friday we had a great guy, great family, all very, very positive. He was very funny, too, with a gleam in his eye. But his chest pains returned, he went back to CCU and died on Saturday.

According to some of the prayer fans on here, there was a reason he was taken, and you're/the friends are too ignorant to realize it. Although someday, you'll look back and see there was a reason for it.

Yeah.

 

[phillybeth]

Is it more people are afraid of death, or that they are afraid of not knowing where they come from, that makes them turn to a religion?

I think religion, any religion, answers questions for many people. Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where are we going? What are we supposed to do why we're here?

Some people find answers in religion. Others find answers within themselves. Still others acknowledge that for them the questions have no answers.

 

[SwedishMeatball]

once again, the second law of thermodynamics is pretty raw.

all of the life on earth has a finite energy supply. a land tortoise can live to over two hundred years, a blue whale over eighty. where a hummingbird less than two.

we're the only animal on the planet that has evolved with a frontal lobe that allows us to realize our own eventual demise.

we compensate with the belief in a 'God' and prayers to Him to stave off the inevitable.

I don't mean this to sound bad, but that line of thinking sounds so "soulless". I suppose that you are probably nodding your head and wouldn't take offense since you don't believe in people having souls. I guess it's a very logical way to think, but I'm glad that I feel there is more.

 

[JennyMominRI]

I think bad things happen to us for many reasons -- I don't think God intends to inflict bad upon us; that clearly wasn't his original intention in the Garden of Eden. Much of the bad that comes to us is through our own foolishness or our own sinfulness. Much of it is "sins of the fathers" that's handed down to us from generation to generation -- a concept that seems unfair, but which I think I can see clearly in my own life. Some of the bad that comes to us is inflicted by Satan. And some is just pure chance -- due to the frailties of our bodies, free will of others, etc.

Yes, God is love, but He is also justice, wrath, and vengence -- we just don't tend to like to think about those parts these days. Yet, no matter what happens to us, no matter how much bad may fill our lives, God's love is always there for us -- if we reach out and take it.

See we are just coming at it from such different perspectives...I don't believe in Original sin..It doesn't exists in Judaism, nor does that Satan of Christianity

 

[orljustin]

Throw the quest for real truth into that selection list too.

The real truth about what? There's basically two things we don't know. How we got here, and where we are going.

 

[CJBaby]

According to some of the prayer fans on here, there was a reason he was taken, and you're/the friends are too ignorant to realize it. Although someday, you'll look back and see there was a reason for it.

Yeah.

Why are you so mad?

 

[SwedishMeatball]

That's another one I don't believe. I don't believe a positive outlook changes anything. Seen lots of folks with excellent attitudes die.

Last Friday we had a great guy, great family, all very, very positive. He was very funny, too, with a gleam in his eye. But his chest pains returned, he went back to CCU and died on Saturday.

I know there are studies (evidence) that show that prayer and positive attitudes help, and they sure can't hurt!, but I don't believe they help. Not that I've ever seen, anyway.

I really believe that when it is your time to go that no amount of prayer, no amount of positive thoughts - nothing is going to change it.

And it kind of seems like a slap in the face to all the people who were positive, and who did pray, but died anyway, when people say that if they'd been more positive or had a better relationship with God that He would have helped them, like He helps others. Seems that way to me, anyway.

When I pray for my patients and other sick people, I pray for God to give them strength and peace. But I never pray for good outcomes (hope, but not pray). I've watched enough people pray for that and get no result.

I'm not sure that I get the "all or nothing" attitude. Just because something works for one person but not another doesn't mean it holds no value.

 

[orljustin]

I'm not mad about anything. Did I say something that was incorrect? Should I go back and pull out a quote?

 

[Amity 3]

Is it more people are afraid of death, or that they are afraid of not knowing where they come from, that makes them turn to a religion?

that's the best question I've ever seen posed.

 

[JennyMominRI]

that's the best question I've ever seen posed.

Well,I can answer both for myself... Judaism has no set belief on the afterlife,so I don't get that answer
I believe in Evolution ,so I'm pretty sure I know where I or we,as humans came from.

 

[CJBaby]

I'm not mad about anything. Did I say something that was incorrect? Should I go back and pull out a quote?

No. Just from reading your posts it honestly seemed like something happened to make you mad about prayer/belief.

 

[orljustin]

Nope. Sorry to disappoint. No suprising deaths. No particularly bad periods in my life. No descent into a drug induced hell or anything. Just me and my family doing our own thing, thank you much.

Actually, what makes me mad is all the corruption, lying, death, and on and on, that comes one way or another from religious beliefs. And I'm talking big picture things, not any personal event.

 

[SwedishMeatball]

I think religion, any religion, answers questions for many people. Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where are we going? What are we supposed to do why we're here?

Some people find answers in religion. Others find answers within themselves. Still others acknowledge that for them the questions have no answers.

Religion can raise just as many questions as it answers.

 

[CJBaby]

Nope. Sorry to disappoint. No suprising deaths. No particularly bad periods in my life. No descent into a drug induced hell or anything. Just me and my family doing our own thing, thank you much.

Not sure why I would be disappointed, I was just curious.

 

[JennyMominRI]

Religion can raise just as many questions as it answers.

No kidding ,Huh?

 

[Amity 3]

Well,I can answer both for myself... Judaism has no set belief on the afterlife,so I don't get that answer
I believe in Evolution ,so I'm pretty sure I know where I or we,as humans came from.

where did our universe come from?

black holes and the overall expansion at the speed of light in all directions at once every second?

 

[Saphire]

Is it more people are afraid of death, or that they are afraid of not knowing where they come from, that makes them turn to a religion?

Nope, you're not even close. Fear had absolutely nothing to do with my coming to faith in God.

 

[JennyMominRI]

where did our universe come from?

black holes and the overall expansion at the speed of light in all directions at once every second?

Now your getting a bit out of my league Amity.. I'll defer too you on the science of this on..EdDad is the science lover.

 

[Amity 3]

Better yet, if God created the universe, where did God come from?