How powerful is a PRAYER?

[Buckalew11]

As if Christ's dying on a cross wasn't enough, right? I'm not sure why people would think Christ needs "help" by prayers, money, if you were good enough here or not, etc. Your good deeds done here may be reason for higher reward once in Heaven but Biblically speaking you can;t work your way into Heaven and neither can someone pray you into heaven or your family can't give $$$ to get you in after you die (which in its time was a great way for the church to make $$. I am sure the church accepted a lot of money from a lot of people.)

 

[Fitswimmer]

so when do you quit praying for them, at the called time of death?

"Uncle Bob died today at 2:43 AM after three hours in ICU. despite your prayers, he was given a horrible case of cancer by Jesus. instead of a humane death, Jesus wanted it it to last three months and rot his body away to nothing."

RIP Uncle Bob, I hope you lived a good life. if not, enjoy an eternity of flesh tearing.

I don't buy it for a minute.

I don't buy that God or Jesus gives anyone disease. We're human and our bodies are prone to disease. I don't buy that God or Jesus wills suffering either.

 

[DISUNC]

Cant Hurt!

 

[Buckalew11]

so when do you quit praying for them, at the called time of death?

"Uncle Bob died today at 2:43 AM after three hours in ICU. despite your prayers, he was given a horrible case of cancer by Jesus. instead of a humane death, Jesus wanted it it to last three months and rot his body away to nothing."

RIP Uncle Bob, I hope you lived a good life. if not, enjoy an eternity of flesh tearing.

I don't buy it for a minute.

Jesus doesn't give anyone cancer. And hoping someone "lived a good life" or else they'll "enjoy an eternity of flesh tearing" isn't the way it works.

I don't buy all that you said for a minute either.

 

[Amity 3]

Jesus doesn't give anyone cancer. And hoping someone "lived a good life" or else they'll "enjoy an eternity of flesh tearing" isn't the way it works.

I don't buy all that you said for a minute either.

so how does how the whole life process 'work'?

you can't have it both ways, if god invented life, he invented death.

tell me how cancer can be stopped by prayers. you'll make billions of dollars in the offshoot of the idea.

 

[JoyG]

so when do you quit praying for them, at the called time of death?

Yes, would stop praying for someone after hearing that they passed.

 

[John VN]

I look at it this way:

if you believe in Heaven and it's the most beautiful, peaceful place to be and you're reunited with all of your loved ones who have gone here before you and God himself...

why do you wear a seatbelt when you drive?

short of committing suicide, death should be the greatest thing in the world for a believer. why are we praying for their recovery from a surgery? we should be praying God lets them die and hang out with him in Heaven.

BINGO! No tears should be shed for the dead, only for those left behind who must now continue on with their life minus a loved one.

 

[Amity 3]

BINGO! No tears should be shed for the dead, only for those left behind who must now continue on with their life minus a loved one.

so how does praying for the survivors help them?

 

[John VN]

If something like that should happen, I would pray for the strength to get through it. To get up every day and go on after such a loss. I would also hope that I would have the ability to pray for the driver, that they get help, although I'm sure that ability would not come for some time.

The person that is gone is beyond my prayers now, he/she is with God.

If they were hurt and survived, it's no different than what I said before-I would pray for the Doctors, and be thankful that my loved one was still alive.

Even if the person was in a persistent vegetative state? This is where a great moral division exists, does it not?

 

[Buckalew11]

so how does how the whole life process 'work'?

you can't have it both ways, if god invented life, he invented death.

tell me how cancer can be stopped by prayers. you'll make billions of dollars in the offshoot of the idea.

I do not believe God gives anyone cancer. I believe He allows our bodies to get sick, hurt, grow old and also die. I do believe there is a time to born and a time to die. I believe God knows my time and how I will die. But I do not think He zaps me dead. This is, as always, just my opinion.

I cannot tell you how cancer can be stopped by prayers. Truly, I do not believe it can be. So, there goes my billions of $. Look, if I thought praying hard enough or long enough or by enough people could have stopped my dad from dying of cancer 4 months ago, I'd have done whatever it would have taken to cure him. Did I not pray for him? Yes, I did. But I mostly prayed for him to have strength, faith, and peace because his cancer was terminal. I prayed for myself and the rest of my family to have those things too because we knew we were dealing with a terminal cancer. Could a miracle have happened? Sure. But it did not. Am I bitter about that? No way. There are worse things than death.

 

[Buckalew11]

so how does praying for the survivors help them?

I realize it is hard to understand how pray helps a believer. I think that is just the way it is. God drew a definite line between what is understood and what is not. There are probably no words to explain it.

Everyone can find peace in someone's death. There doesn't need to be faith for that. Really, I am not sure how an unbeliever feels when someone they love dies but I am sure they are deep down happy that the suffering is over (if that person was suffering) or just comes to a peace that everyone must die and their loved one left some sort of legacy to pass on and they can celebrate that person's life. I think that is wonderful.

However, speaking from my experience, the prayers that were said for me when my dad died gave me strength. I knew people were praying for me. I could tell. And I appreciated every prayer that was said for my family and my mom. Not only did I feel loved by them because they cared enough to pray for me but I also felt like there were all these people bringing my and my family's names before God Almighty. To have the reassurance that you are in God's hands, well, words can also not say how that makes you feel. It is a peace that passes all understanding.

 

[phillybeth]

Everyone can find peace in someone's death. There doesn't need to be faith for that. Really, I am not sure how an unbeliever feels when someone they love dies but I am sure they are deep down happy that the suffering is over (if that person was suffering) or just comes to a peace that everyone must die and their loved one left some sort of legacy to pass on and they can celebrate that person's life. I think that is wonderful.

That is pretty much it. I miss my loved ones terribly- probably more than a believer does because I don't have the hope/faith to think that I will ever see them again.

The deaths that are hard to accept are the senseless ones. Why did my SIL have a stillbirth at 30 weeks? Why did my 14 YO cousin die of brain cancer? Why did my brother suffer terribly all of his short life?

I don't think even religion has an answer for those beyond 'God's will'- and no one can tell me that a loving, merciful God would be capable of such cruelty, would cause or allow pain and suffering to occur to innocent children. Nor would a Intelligent Designer create a being with such frailities to injury and susceptibilities to disease.

 

[Amity 3]

I cannot tell you how cancer can be stopped by prayers. Truly, I do not believe it can be. So, there goes my billions of $. Look, if I thought praying hard enough or long enough or by enough people could have stopped my dad from dying of cancer 4 months ago,

so much for the power of prayer.

 

[lucyanna girl]

I cannot imagine anything sadder than to NOT believe.

Penny

 

[orljustin]

Living in a fantasy world?

 

[Buckalew11]

so much for the power of prayer.

I'm sorry you feel that way and I'm glad I don't.

 

[phillybeth]

I cannot imagine anything sadder than to NOT believe.

Penny

Comments like this in the past have been followed up with calling us dumb, stupid and misguided, and then offering to pray for us.

 

[Buckalew11]

I think it sounds more insensitive than she probably means it to sound. She thinks she has the best thing this life has to offer. It is a decision that she has made that has changed her life forever (and maybe forever and ever). So, for her it is sad to think she has something so wonderful to her and so meaningful and so powerful that it saddens her to think others don't understand or believe in her God. I doubt someone like Penny would follow up with saying unbelievers are stupid, dumb or misguided. Most believers think they have a very special thing in a relationship with God and want others to know that kind of love and that kind of relationship. maybe one should not express that it makes them sad to hear others don't believe too but I really don't think she meant it to be a putdown. Just my take on it. (esp. because she's posted here for a long time and is a very kind poster)

 

[SwedishMeatball]

Comments like this in the past have been followed up with calling us dumb, stupid and misguided, and then offering to pray for us.

Some non-believers will say and/or imply the same thing towards believers, minus the offering to pray for us part. My personal favorite is those that say we believe in a fairy tale. That's just disrespectful. I think people can have different beliefs without resorting to insults.

By the way, I got the impression that poster was speaking for themselves, not necessarily implying they felt sorry for those that don't believe. I could be wrong, but if you look at it from a believer's perspective then it would make sense that the thought of not believing is sad. It's just an honest feeling.

 

[phillybeth]

It still feels mean-spirited and hurtful. Most of us on this thread have been incredibly respectful, regardless of our personal beliefs.