Prayer, thoughts and prayers, praying to some external something or other for something. Is it a blessing? Against your idea of evil?

I never understood much prayer in Mormonism. Like authority it seemed superfluous for a personal god to require petitions. Like the personal god wouldn't already know?

Now an impersonal god I understand. The gods of ancient peoples needed petitions or they would forget their "people" needed anything from them except interference with the weather and other god's minions bothering them.

So is prayer and artifact of long dead religion?

It was just ridiculous. In Mormonism it is a blessings machine. Pray, read scriptures, pay tithing, go to the temple and blessings will just inundate you.

So when I saw this I was perplexed. Is prayer needed here? I just can't understand. The only time in Mormonism I felt I needed to pray was when my life was out of control and even when I did it I realized I was appealing to fate, the gods, Elohim and Jehovah, something outside myself and others who could do something for my untenable and terrible situation.

Nothing worked when I prayed. Things often worked out either way pray or no pray.

So this was novel to me. Why would this be a prayer need? Maybe it is my Mormon perspective and it is obvious to someone who wasn't born in the coven-ant?

http://blog.spiritdaily.com/news/prayer-need-why-is-she-smiling

Here is the reference for the title of this post.

http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Did_You_Think_to_Pray/

I don't think to pray...I pray to think.

You think therefore you prey.

'E're you left your room this morning
Did you pray to think?
Did you ask your favorite god-man
"Make my logic work, if you can
'Cause it seems to stink"

(chorus)
Oh, how thinking makes you weary
Reason takes you to the brink
But you'll always see more clearly
When you pray to think

(verse)
When you read your gospel lessons
Do you stop and think?
"Hey, there's someting wrong with this book
Maybe I should take a close look
There must be a link"

(chorus)
Things are not quite like they promised
God's full armour has a chink
If you want to know what you missed
Don't forget to think

(verse)
When you're following the prophet
Do you pray to think?
Is he speaking for the Lord, or
Is he speaking just for Gordo
Or for Mormon, Inc.?

(chorus)
You might lose your testimony
It could happen in a blink
You might see the church is phony
When you pray to think

Wrong place. Mint!

M@t



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2018 12:49AM by moremany.

I gave up praying when I realized that, no matter who I prayed to or what I prayed for, it still came down what *I* did after I prayed.

The time I save by not praying is best spent planning how I'm going to get the result I would have prayed for.

I haven’t prayed for 5 years now. So far I still am safe in my travels (if an accident befalls me, well accidents just happen), the food I eat is good and hasn’t made me sick, bad days are just as bad and good days just as good, but actually better than before because I’m not constantly wondering if something happened because of prayer or not.

I believe for many people some type of prayer, meditation, or various other spiritual actions can be beneficial, but to petition is a waste of time and is unenlightening because it becomes a superstitious behavior and thought pattern.

I know, at a visceral level, that the Bell Shaped Curve is totally deaf. I also know that when poop happens, it's not personal.

elderolddog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know, at a visceral level, that the Bell Shaped
> Curve is totally deaf. I also know that when poop
> happens, it's not personal.


I would much rather poop than pray.

Which is better for the soul?

I've pooped my pants, but I've never pooped a prayer...

I never made the logic of prayer work for myself. I never felt like my problems rose to a level that someone else's problems didn't fully surpass, so why bother a God, who supposedly knows what's going on with me?

And then there's the flip side. I'd hear about very minor miracles that would happen to people if they prayed and think it made no sense for a God, who is all powerful to involve itself in such trivial matters. Especially where terrible things were happening that could really use some serious intervention. Oh, they say, that's Gods will. If God's going to do what he's going to do, whether you pray or not, what is the point???????

Ere I left my room this morning, I had to make the decision to make coffee or head to the bathroom.

This is an important decision. I should write a hymn about it.

Emma put the kettle on,
Emma put the kettle on,
Emma put the kettle on,
We'll all have coffee.
Joey take it off again,
Joey take it off again,
Joey take it off again,
They've all gone away.

I aired my room the morning, having had to much chilli last night. As I walked out I heard my wife exclaim, "oh my God.." Does that count?

I did not think to pray.
But I did do some yoga!

With the kind of day I'm having so far it's obvious that it was a total "ERE" to even leave my room this morning!!!

Or so it seems to me...

If I might speak for the other side, God doesn’t need to hear our prayers; We need to hear our prayers. It doesn’t matter that it’s hit and miss (usually miss) because the hits reinforce gratitude. Having an attitude of gratitude produces a better quality of life. You can thank God, the universe, or Joe Pesci. Working the Please - Thank you feedback loop is an easy and productive practice.

There are real reasons that Mormonism sucks. Prayer isn’t one of them.

Do members of other religions pray to find their car keys?

Yes. If you're Catholic, you pray to a specific saint--Anthony, I believe, the patron saint of lost things.

Did you air your room this morning?

Did you think to spray?

Nope...

I never left my room right?
I was there all night.
The prayer prays for me.
I don't pray for the.
Why do we do it?
For our little bit.
Hope for the best!
It's only a test.
Who cares if you pass?
If you have the gas.

Pray for a new car.
Pray it's not that far.
Pray for black or white.
It's going to be alright.
What good is it?
Who gives a hit?
Pray for this.
Pray for that.

M@t

I talked the republicans into doing my thoughts and prayers for me.

The Tom Sawyer of the Atheist world.

Grabbed some clean socks.

And stole 20 bucks from my wife's "secret envelope".

I am starting to think prayer is more like wishful thinking.

But the thing is, he DOESN'T always report in when invoked. Because he is so unreliable, I quit calling a long time ago. It hasn't noticeably affected my interaction with the rest of the Universe.

It kind of sucks, but there it is. My DH, my kids and my cats have my back. And they are enough.

praying is an exercise in futility. Yahweh is supposedly omniscient -- he knows the beginning and the end and everything in between. That means that everything is pre-determined, and praying can't change that. Of course, that means that the prayer itself was also pre-determined. So pray or don't pray -- you're only following a script.

Depressing-ain't-it-ly yrs,

S

Why pray?

If you need something, desire something, or have worries that need addressing then an omniscient (ie all-knowing) God knows already, and does not need to be asked.

If he does not know and needs to be asked, then he is not omniscient and - by definition - is not God.

Prayer makes no sense.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/2018 06:47PM by quatermass2.

Mormonism causes weird praying habits, superstitions, expectations, excuses and blames, and ALL "in the name of Jesus Christ", so you won't have to use your own, and be embarrassed behind open doors and closed minds.

It's like Jesus is asking his daddy (heavenly falter) for something... and you are pulling the puppet strings, and making him pray for you.

M@t

"Work is the only prayer that is ever answered."

- Elbert Hubbard

https://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2013/01/11/10-great-poems-about-work/

I thought to plan my day, make a (mental) list of things I'll need to bring with me from home, and check to see if I needed to stop to get gas on the way to work.

Prayer wasn't involved in any of those things.
Or anything else.

I make plans & set goals, and then work towards them.
I don't ask magical sky daddy to do things for me.

ificouldhietokolob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I thought to plan my day, make a (mental) list of
> things I'll need to bring with me from home, and
> check to see if I needed to stop to get gas on the
> way to work.

I've heard a lot of stories with the similar line - they paid their tithing and were running out of gas, prayed and somehow the didn't run out.

Praise Mormon Republican Jesus!

Odd, that never worked for me.
The only times I ever ran out of gas was when I failed to think/plan. Like back when I was a young mormon, had very little money (as a teenager), and sometimes prayed I'd have enough gas to make it home...and didn't make it :)

Oh, ye of little faith!