Yesterday my dear TBM mother lost a copy of a talk she wanted to give at a baptism this weekend, but she prayed and found it.

She wrote, “I looked in every box I had, went through every closet, every drawer, but with no luck….I looked until bedtime and still could night find it. I said a prayer and told Heavenly Father that I really wanted to share that…and would He please help me find it. I prayed again this morning and when I looked in a file box that I had looked in about five times last night...there it was. I am so thankful to know that Heavenly Father cares about my simple prayers.”

That experience makes God seem kind, loving and personal. Back in the day that story might have given me a warm, tingly feeling, but it seems so narcissistic now. Why would I think I am so important that god would rush in to help me find my keys, but when a child prays for food or for their rapist to stop nothing happens? Religion was supposed to make me humble, but it made me arrogant instead.

It seems that I go through cycles of being proud of myself for seeing things “as they really are”, and then I have an epiphany of yet another flaw in my thinking. I wonder what epiphany will be next.

God is not available for prayer answering until the membership fees have been paid in full

it's Stan.

But he stopped hiding keys back in the '70's in a bet with Jess.

He was distracted and a baby died of AIDS.

Honestly. How many people have said " Dear Lord, PLEASE help me find my keys. PLEASE! I know there are starving kids who are a more important matter but I'm begging you. I promise I will put them back next time I just need help just this one more time". Or "PLEASE help my team win" "Please help me win the lottery"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/05/2013 03:52PM by Suckafoo.

Yeah I agree. I have a theory though about why praying helps find keys. It forces you to slow down and trace your steps. It's like meditating on it. Works for me every time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/05/2013 04:29PM by FormerLatterClimber.

That's what I started to realize near the end of my tbm
days. God wasn't really doing anything for me, I was doing it all. I just figured it was because he wanted me
to learn...

And-two-days-ago-so-did-Mrs.-Schweizerkind-ly yrs,

S

Your TBM mother had looked in that file box five times already and had not found her notes? The old lady obviously needs to update her bifocals.

+1, but with the added notation that if we type our stuff on the computer and back it up, it frees up God to focus on more important things.

However, a TBM will tell you that God can hear and answer all prayers all the time because he is magic. Leaving us with the only logical answer that God chose to let that baby die of AIDS. Such a great and wonderful God.

I worked in home IV therapy and took care of a lot of little kids from Primary Children's Hospital who were dying of cancer. God didn't care if they were LDS, Muslim or heathen atheists. They either died or didn't die arbitrarily. That was when I had to face facts. God doesn't cause bad things - he doesn't save you from bad things. And he doesn't cause good things. It was just a short walk from there to not believing in God at all.

That epiphany comment sums it up. I've just really learned in the last year almost about the reality of the church. At first I thought, well it still is full of great teachings and a good lifestyle, maybe I'll just stay and keep it to myself. But then you start seeing how this goes against your own integrity. You start to see the harm, the spiritual blackmail. The narcissisticNess of believing there's a god who will help u find your keys. I'm so glad I will be able to help my kids see the facts, even though daddy is still having them pray thanks for the bom and living prophets! Urg.

It took me a while to figure out how illogical that did seem to pray for silly little things. Why would he care so much about a dollar bill or a lost paper when there are suffering children?

Just reminds me of a story a guy told in church once. Back in the day when kfc sold drumsticks for a quarter .... this guy rode his bike home from work every day past a kfc. He would smell the yummy chicken and want some. One particular day he had no money on him, but really wished he could stop for a drumstick. So he prayed to find a quarter in the street. Fully confident that God was able to do this. Praise god, he found one in the gutter. This wonderful story confirmed my testimony! Wooptie doo the church is true.

I think its funny that so many people hang their faith on that kind of stuff when in reality its just a self fulfilling thing. You freak out, rush around looking in such a worked up state that the item could be hanging off your nose and you wouldn't notice. You stop, kneel down or whatever and pray, which calms you down, then bam, you suddenly remember your keys fell in your shoe when you tossed them on the counter last night because you are no longer is a state of panick. You help yourself but give god all the credit.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/05/2013 10:03PM by jesuswantsme4asucker.