With trepidation, I decided to post about this! As I have moved through leaving Mormonism and have now really devoted myself to Buddhism, my views on prayer have really changed. My relationship a la prayer to skydaddy was never stellar. So I've never really had a belief in prayer. I do mantras on my mala, but don't really expect anything other than a sense of calm focus. Now, I get that there's a lot of atheists on here that are against prayer, and I understand why. But I don't really want a thread of "prayer is stupid...." so I'm addressing Christians/prayers specifically.
How has Mormonism impacted your views of prayer? How has your view of prayer changed since you left Mormonism? And do you feel like you gain things from prayer, if so, what?
Thank you for everything!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2011 12:41AM by tamm.

I'm just a little too tired and have restrained my curiosity too long to rein it in any longer.

Personally, the only thing I really ever say in a prayer is "thank you". I don't ask for anything because if I believe if god wanted me to have it I would already.

I think about others but don't pray for them...that would make me feel like in telling god how to do god's job. Their path doesn't depend on me either.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2011 12:45AM by lostmystic.

I'm a lot more straight forward with God about my needs and real concerns. I pray for others more with real needs. I'm more specific. I pray for global and social issues outside of the church more.

I don't go on and on about how thankful I am to have the gospel in my life like I am an elitist.

I don't pray for the prophet or missionaries anymore.

I'm trying to stop using thee and thine. I know he loves me, so if I want to pray with my eyes open, while driving, going on a bike ride, whatever, he is listening.

I feel much more sincere and I do it because I want to, not because it's required.

well I'm a born again christian that is saved by grace,when I need a healing in my body I pray to the great God of Israel and he heals me,ask and you shall receive,seek and you shall find,knock and the door shall be open.

I remember having a dream to do great things with the gifts and talents God has blessed me with,but I needed money to finance the dream,and yes God provided and provides me with the resources I need to make these dreams a reality.

so yes God definitely answers prayers.

I'm a christian who testifies to these truths.

Jesus Christ is so awesome hallelujah praise the lord.....

plus prayer time is also about spending time with God through this personal relationship we christian have with God.

prayer is a very powerful thing,when you see me down on my knees praying just know that I'm only getting stronger.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2011 01:54AM by sweettasteofwoman.

God is love,but God is also a God of judgment and wrath that must punish the wicked.

be nice okay be nice.

God is fair psalms

Do you sweettasteofwoman ever wonder why the prayers of the suffering are not answered or even why the suffering would need to pray to god asking for help? I mean why should 6 month old babies be suffering when there is a loving God?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2011 02:28AM by MJ.

remember there is sin and evil in this world,the reason there is so much pain and suffering is because so many enjoy sinning and refuse to obey the great God of Israel,we live in a fallen world that is corrupt and vile.

but thank God for Jesus Christ we who are christians have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb,and Jesus has over come the world and everything in it,so everyone must put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

No, not buying it.

If you are saying that the 6 month old is suffering because of other people's evil, why does not go protect innocent 6 month old children? Why would god not answer the prayers of parents asking god to end the suffering of the innocent 6 month old children? You say your god is loving, so why would your loving god allow 6 month old children to suffer if your God has the power to stop it?



Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.

Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.

Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?

Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? -- Epicurus [341–270 B.C.]

You imply MJ that people are born GOOD.....will always be good, etc. Really???.....their upbringing has nothing to do with it?? Having caring, loving parents has nothing to do with it??? Get serious. People decide how to behave in this world. Now they certainly can change. But they need to want to do it. Can religion play a role in that change. Yes, it can. Can a person be good who has never had religion in their life??? Yes. But it is not a given.

Silly, honestone, I make NO claims as to what will happen to the 6 month old in the future, I am only talking about the suffering of children 6 months old that have NOT yet sinned and have absolutely no concept of God, punishment (much less being forced to suffer for future crimes or the crimes of some other person), love, hate or any of that.

But just for you, honestone, What about the child that suffers from starvation from birth until the baby dies at 6 months??? Why would that child be forced or allowed to suffer by a loving god? Sorry, but saying that the child of that aged DESERVES to suffer for the sins of others while other babies do not have to suffer is just sick.

Now, stop trying to put words in my mouth by INFERRING what was not IMPLIED. My how you religious folk have to twist what is said to try to justify the suffering allowed or caused by your God.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2011 10:51AM by MJ.

oh well............. :(
i know dang well this is AIC!!! writing style and all!! come out come out wherever you are!!
why cant you just have a name and stick with it..... you do yourself a big disservice using all these different monikers!!
you are a silly rabbit!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2011 09:57AM by bignevermo.

see the original date of this thread...... she aint back..... it is from April!! dang she had a lot of names.... i believe she created emails so SusanI/S would not catch her..... i think... oh well!! head prolly back in the sand!

Serena LOL, exactly. Prayer is ridiculous because the idea that God is withholding some blessing because you didn't ask nicely? How non-grandiose is that? He knows what you need (supposedly) and he gives you something else instead because you didn't ask? I could go on, but you get the idea.

I learned much more about prayer from Eastern philosophy. When I need something, or think I do (I'm not always savvy on what my real needs are), I wait for it to appear in my life path.

Example: My carpet is dirty. I need something small to clean and I can't use a scrub brush 'cause I have carpel tunnel. So I went to the store and looked at a Bissell spot cleaning device (I live in a studio) and it was too expensive. I thought that it was perfect, so I just waited. About five days later it appeared in a thrift store for 1/4 the price, and it was brand new and the top model (pet stains). Now that's my kind of God--top drawer!

This is how I got my car, and my subsidized apartment in a tony upscale neighborhood. Before the called me I would drive over here, park by the creek and look at the building, visualizing myself living here. Not only did they call me three months later, they assigned me the parking place I used to park in to stare at the building.

It's called the Law of Attraction and is not material. It's not based on greed because sometimes you wait for things that never come. And you go happily on your way, detached. You aren't attached to having your idea of the answer come to you. No is a good answer too.

That's just how it works for material things, but it is much deeper.

Namaste,

Anagrammy

But I think there are lots of ways of achieving what you are accomplishing with prayer that are not all wrapped up with mysticism. I think that many raised in religious environments would have less issues with the mysticism than I, a life long atheist.

I studied self-hypnosis for a very long time. I like it because it puts me in the same state as meditation and, I am assuming, prayer but it is with a modern understanding of what is going on.

I can go on self-hypnosis trips that are incredibly real. I have gone to forests where it was raining, then when I "woke up" I looked outside and was surprised that it was 100 deg out and dry as a bone, I expected cool and wet.

I can also clear my mind for problem solving. More difficult than going on a trip, but when faced with a difficult problem, I go under and create a white board for working on the problem then let things happen. My favorite way of working on a problem it to assign it to a nights sleep. I go under and ponder the problem telling myself that tonights sleep will provide the answer.

When I was really, really good, I could even eliminate the pain of slight injuries and greatly numb the pain of serious injuries. That takes a lot of practice and coaching.

Oddly enough, self-hypnoses seems to be able to help me find my car keys on occasion. It is more about relaxing and letting my mind recall where they were last than anything else.

just really focusing your mind on something, and clarifying your feelings and desires. As such, I think it can be useful, even if there is no God (as long as the person praying takes the advice to pray as if everything depends on God, but work as if everything depends on themselves).

I think when you focus on something you want, whether by prayer or any other method, you are more likely to get it. Kind of like the old saying "Seek and ye shall find".

Well, DUH! You usually won't find something unless you are looking.

As a believer, I had many small prayers "answered" for things I had an immediate need (or want) for. But I was also actively LOOKING for and working for those things.

I will add, though, that I almost NEVER felt like I got answers to questions like "is the church true", or "what should I do with my life".

I think it's interesting how you (MJ) tied that in with self-hypnosis, because I have also found that helpful, in a few areas of life, ranging from childbirth to performing in public. Controlling (or guiding) your own mind (and thus your body) is very powerful. And sometimes hard to do.

I think meditation, self-hypnosis, and intense prayer are very similar. I wonder if there are studies done comparing them from a medical point of view (CAT scans or something). I know they have found a part of the brain that is stimulated by prayer.

GIMME, GIMME, GIMME!

That;s how they come over.

"Awww, come on God! I PAID my 10%! Now you gotta GIMME, GIMME, GIMME!"

It's a very infantalising faith, Mormonism,isn't it?

After leaving mormonism prayer became a lot more meaningful to me. I don't pray to an external source anymore for external things. I direct the focus inward and try to change internal things. I meditate a lot and found that when I treat myself as god (how grandiose is that?) I have a greater percentage of response to my prayers. About 100% of my prayers get answered versus the maybe 50% that got results when I prayed to the invisible.

by the way, I have adopted a more eastern philosophy on life as well though I don't claim any specific belief system.

Prayer never works for me unless my body is a temple
after the torchure of near death detox. Tho when I attended
lds keeping word of wisdom never got calling. When I secretly
broke it got callings and complimented for my humility
and stability...

I do the buddhist health thing now meditate and quieten
my soul, no parties no expectations, no limelight no
people no nothing. Then a dream comes to go forth and
perform my talents for the lord and charity. It always
fulfills me but its exhorsting that I have to do yoga
and meditation without fail to reach my potential.

I am nothing when I abuse myself, and only carnal to
my worldly enjoyment and pleasures.

christian/buddhism mixed does it for me my secret to
all my spiritual success in and out of lds church.
When I testified of buddhist mix I was called an apostate
and the trouble started. Had I not said anything everyone
was attracted to the glow I had, stable in the light
not based on a false first vision of joe smith, not
based on feeling, but a strong conviction that all the
powers lied within myself, through the compassion values
be it buddah or christ, proberbly both, only led me
to a better person.

People with biopola manic depression is not helped by
the hype of christianity especially mormonism.

There has to be some truth in the buddhist approach
to sanity, by which the dreams flood my mind, and
prayers are answered, but not in way of worldly money
and fame, just in service to my god and fellow being.

I call myself a christian buddhist. When I let go of
the buddhist side of me, I seem to become unstable
and depressed, with a few radical highs that I pay
the price for health wise. My health requires the buddhist
approach even to cope with christianity and its demands
in the evanglism gifts that I have to go the extra mile
I first must quiet my mind and the bible alone does not
do that as the last thing I need is bloody wars and battles
as my scottish warriour blood direct decent to brave heart
I'm quick to anger......

Buddhism calms my anger. The bible alone stirs my anger
and the book of mormon that led me to almost kill my
neigbour.

Love is all their is, the rest is fiction we make up.
the power hungury egotistical side of the bible and book
of mormon I believe is just dominating man.

Buddhism is gentle to the core and totally non judgmental.
I still acknowledge christ is king. There are stories
that christ was incarnated as buddah to reach those
strange countries, they he himself said while alive
was strange but he loved those people also who were
not western. We can learn much from their culture
and peace/wisdom teachings to be better christians.

larry.

Thanks for all the answers you guys!

Mormons are o.k. Some of the nicest people I have met are Mormons. I think Mormons active in the faith try to live within the bounds set by Jesus Christ. If they feel wearing garments is an important part of that, that is o.k. Non mormons wonder how they can be happy wearing all those clothes but I think active mormons are very content wearing them because they feel they are doing what Christ would want them to do.

Hi. What the eff does this have to do with this thread, which is three months old, btw? If you want to hop on the board and defend Mormons then do it in an appropriate place, or at least try to work it into the conversation. Or hey, read the board and realize that most of us think Mormons are okay, or even wonderful. Mormons are our loved ones, our friends, our neighbors, and our families. We don't much care for the Mormon church, but your post has nothing to do with that. And who mentioned garments?

I agree.....and any "church" who exclude people from their own child's wedding, baptises dead people who had their own cherished religion, and who will not speak to you in the daily activities of their lives if you are not Mormon is far from a good church filled with good people. I lived in Utah and know how they exclude and ignore those unlike themselves. Get a grip!

... to those who deserve it.

For example:

"Thank thee, oh Timothy, for working thy a** off so that thy clients and customers are well pleased and promptly pay for thy services according to thy most generous net-10 agreement."

"Thanks thee, oh grocer, for keeping thy shelves and coolers well stocked so that Timothy doth not have to killeth livestock or groweth plants to feedeth himself as he hath better things to doeth."

"Thank the, oh brewmiester, for reasons Timothy need not explaineth."

Timothy, who has no god and only one goddess before him.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2011 09:46AM by Timothy.

Nope never had a prayer answered as a mormon. After I left I started doing affirmations and affirmative prayer and never got an answer. I still do affirmations once in a while, mainly out of habit. Funny how something gets so ingrained in your brain that it's automatic. But now I understand that affirmations are to reassure myself, to give me hope, to make me get up and try again. They are not magic, they will not bring about change in and of themselves. All they do is change my frame of mind.

I follow the Norse/Germanic pantheon...to me, personally, it is more similar to a form of ancestor worship (oldest ancestors becoming archetypes). I don't believe they are all-powerful, or some sort of "greatest good", and think that if there was such a being, it is either uninvolved in our day-to-day lives, or so different from us that we would be unable to really comprehend it. Whether the gods that I follow exist, are archetypes, myself accessing my own intuition, or just my imagination, I honestly can't say, but I know that even if my only motivation is my own peace of mind and the joy that it brings me, that's enough for me.

The way I pray now is still changing, but I find that there are three different practices that fall under the heading of prayer for me.

Devotion: these prayers usually start with hailing the deity in question, and are simply to state my enjoyment of interacting with them, expressing joy in who they are, and thanking them if they seem to have helped me in the past. This sort of prayer also often involves an offering of alcohol, food, etc...something that deity seems to "like", and is fitting for their personality. The end result being a feeling a peace, joy, and feeling grounded and capable.

Meditation: clearing my mind, using the deity, characteristics of theirs that I value or need more of in my life as focal points. The goal is to feel at peace if I'm scared, worried, or angry, or to prepare myself for a challenge.

Help: For me, a request requires more thought then the above. I put a lot of thought into it before hand: what exactly I'm asking for help with, what I am going to do to try to get myself there, and what I'm offering the deity in return (something that they would value) in exchange for help and guidance if they so choose. I open of this sort of interaction with a food and drink offering, express thanks for help they might have given me before, explain my problem, tell them what I'm doing about it, and then ask for help with that, offering to do something specific that they would appreciate in exchange, small or large.

This style of prayer wouldn't work well for everyone, but the dynamic is good for me. It feels much more like the interaction between one adult, and an older, wiser adult, then the parent/infant dynamic I grew up with. I feel respected and valued in my own right, while feeling like I get guidance if I want it. Unless I actively seek them out, though, my business is my own.