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Do you pray?


Do you pray -   

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21 hours ago, knapplc said:

I prayed when I was a Christian,  but now I don't unless I'm eating with believers who pray before meals. Everyone I know knows where I stand on religion, but when they pray I fold my hands and bow my head respectfully, and if it's the Common Table Prayer I say it with them. I don't have to believe what my friends and family believe to be respectful of them, and respecting the people I love costs me nothing.

I appreciate that Knapp

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21 hours ago, knapplc said:

I prayed when I was a Christian,  but now I don't unless I'm eating with believers who pray before meals. Everyone I know knows where I stand on religion, but when they pray I fold my hands and bow my head respectfully, and if it's the Common Table Prayer I say it with them. I don't have to believe what my friends and family believe to be respectful of them, and respecting the people I love costs me nothing.

I greatly respect that attitude from a non-religious person towards people who are.

 

I view it similar to how I would respect a Jewish person or Muslim person praying.

 

You don't have to have the same beliefs to respect people.

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3 hours ago, knapplc said:

Prayer is closely tied (in my opinion) to meditation, and there's evidence to believe that meditation is beneficial to a person's health.  Even if you're praying to a nonexistent god (as some believe), that time in prayer could still be time well spent.

 

Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress

 

 

 

 

Science Mike, a big influence on my theology over the last few years, and someone I"ve referenced in here at least a number of times, has a cool list of axioms about faith that give a starting point of understanding for things like this. His one on prayer is spot on:

 

"Prayer is AT LEAST a form of meditation that encourages the development of healthy brain tissue, lowers stress, and can connect us to God. EVEN IF that is a comprehensive definition of prayer, the health and psychological benefits of prayer justify the discipline."

 

http://mikemchargue.com/blog/2015/3/24/axioms-about-faith

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16 hours ago, Moiraine said:

I'm not sure what effect it has, but I pray. Maybe it just helps me cope better. Either the act itself or God helping.


That said, toddlers die of cancer, and not because someone didn't pray hard enough.

 

 

People have every reason to mock the call for thoughts and prayers in some cases. That doesn't necessarily mean they think prayer is worthless, but that there is an obvious action to be taken that isn't being taken. There's especially a reason to mock when the thoughts and prayers are coming from people with the power to take that action. Or from people who are amoral.

Now some old prayer warriors would say that "Prayer is where the Action Is"  - Prayer can be the motivating force that compels us to action - we pray for something to be done - and the first one to hear that prayer should be 'yours truly'.   Faith without works is dead.  Prayer without listening ears is powerless as well. 

 

An old book by an old saint: Practicing the Presence of God  by Brother Lawrence comes to mind.  He was a monk back many centuries ago.  He encourage using the mundane things of live and the everyday events to draw our attention upward as we work or go along our daily routine. 

https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Presence-God-Brother-Lawrence/dp/0883681056/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1523390350&sr=1-2&keywords=practicing+the+presence+of+god+by+brother+lawrence

 

I understand the rosary thing that some have mentioned. I was raised Catholic and for some people that very formal type of praying is meaningful and for others (like me) not so much.

One of my best times in prayer, was sitting on the tractor, pulling a plow and under the stars - I had the late shift on the tractor.  Another time was being at the Red Rocks outside of Denver all by myself or on top of 14,200 ft Mount Evans all by myself - just being alone.  I find I feel closer to God in nature.  Maybe it is my farm upbringing.  With that said, about an hour from Tulsa is a Monastery.  I do enjoy going there to hear the Monks sing high mass - it somehow reconnects me or gives me a historical connection to the early church.  I will take a day to get away occasionally for a personal retreat to regain a sense of perspective when life is hectic.   Actually my wife will tell me "YOU NEED TO GO!" Even though I'm no longer a Catholic and go to a more 'informal' church it is nice to participate in another tradition. 

 Sometimes prayer is like what Psalm 73 speaks of  - it gives us perspective when we need it.  When we almost or are bitter in spirit and we think 'everyone else is living on easy street' and we think injustice is all around us, prayer can give us a different perspective.

Here is a little article on Ps 73.

https://www.crossway.org/articles/how-psalm-73-speaks-to-the-christian-experience/

 

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3 minutes ago, Landlord said:

 

 

Science Mike, a big influence on my theology over the last few years, and someone I"ve referenced in here at least a number of times, has a cool list of axioms about faith that give a starting point of understanding for things like this. His one on prayer is spot on:

 

"Prayer is AT LEAST a form of meditation that encourages the development of healthy brain tissue, lowers stress, and can connect us to God. EVEN IF that is a comprehensive definition of prayer, the health and psychological benefits of prayer justify the discipline."

 

http://mikemchargue.com/blog/2015/3/24/axioms-about-faith

His webpage mentions his friend Michael Gungor .  Michael led worship here in Tulsa when he was younger (his Dad's church and others).  Very talented guy. 

I'll have to listen to Mike (the science one)  Interesting video on his web page: In this video, Mike tells his story of faith lost and found at Buckhead Church in Atlanta.

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7 minutes ago, TGHusker said:

His webpage mentions his friend Michael Gungor .  Michael led worship here in Tulsa when he was younger (his Dad's church and others).  Very talented guy. 

I'll have to listen to Mike (the science one)  Interesting video on his web page: In this video, Mike tells his story of faith lost and found at Buckhead Church in Atlanta.

 

 

Gungor and Science Mike have a podcast called The Liturgists together. Very post-Christian, social justice, and artistically influenced. Science Mike also has his own podcast called Ask Science Mike where he answers questions about science (from a position of Christians are ignorant about a lot of science because of growing up in the church), faith, and life. Both very interesting and insightful guys.

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3 hours ago, funhusker said:

Yep....that describes my feelings sitting under a cedar tree in the hills with no cell phone service during spring turkey hunts.

 

Sun comes up and the forest comes to life. Afternoon naps on the side of a hill in the sun are the best. 

 

I feel closer to God. 

Edited by BigRedBuster
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