The Last Time I Prayed

[Danhalen]

I'm not posting this to necessarily spark a debate. I'm posting this because I like how I say it. If any of you wish to comment please feel free to do so.

It's been a while since I last tried to pray. I can tell you the actual date of my last prayer; July 5th, 2004. In my life I have asked for many things from forces unknown to me. I have prayed to different gods for favors, and I have prayed to Jesus to let me know him. I have been in the inipi with Indian spirits and I have sat in pews with the Holy Spirit. I've asked for strength and I've asked for humility. I've also asked for guidance. Every time I rose from my prayer I felt the same as I did before I made it; alone. The world is out of my control, I am at its mercy. I stopped praying for many years.

Then that day came. July 1st, 2004 is the day I began praying again. That was the day a life not my own was at the mercy of the world. A child, my nephew, was being kept alive by machines because of some freak accident. I was not strong enough to bring him back from the brink, perhaps the God my family had praised since before I was born could. I prayed. I did not stop praying for five solid days. Aidan died the morning of July 6th, 2004. I've not prayed, nor have I desired to pray, since.

I don't blame anyone for the failure of my prayer. There is no one to blame. The hope of an uncle for the life of his nephew is a good thing. I have now come to realize that hope alone can not change anything. When I surrender myself to the despair of a yearning hope I will accomplish nothing. I will become lost in the desire for direction. It is as if my feet need direction, and my mind is incapable of guiding them along the way. So I can pray on my knees for the fear of tripping over my feet, or I can stand on my feet and find the path to my future. I might stumble from time to time, but I will get up again, brush off the dust, and continue on.

[Genesius]

I don't blame anyone for the failure of my prayer. There is no one to blame. The hope of an uncle for the life of his nephew is a good thing. I have now come to realize that hope alone can not change anything. When I surrender myself to the despair of a yearning hope I will accomplish nothing. I will become lost in the desire for direction. It is as if my feet need direction, and my mind is incapable of guiding them along the way. So I can pray on my knees for the fear of tripping over my feet, or I can stand on my feet and find the path to my future. I might stumble from time to time, but I will get up again, brush off the dust, and continue on.

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

[Roadtoad]

Well said. And, yes, I can relate.

[HeyLeroy]

Thanks, Dan, I need that right about now.

[Iacchus]

And why shouldn't prayer involve anything other than becoming aware of our nakedness (ignorance) and ask that we be clothed? This was all it entailed for me, and yes, my prayers were answered in that respect.

[Bob Klase]

And why shouldn't prayer involve anything other than becoming aware of our nakedness (ignorance) and ask that we be clothed? This was all it entailed for me, and yes, my prayers were answered in that respect.

And the answer was "no"?

[blue_eastcoast]

touching, I understand

[Iacchus]

And the answer was "no"?There was a point in my life when I felt very vulnerable and unable to cope with the world around me. I would happen to agree, however, that unless people find themselves in a similar position, where they feel so stressed and overwhelmed, they would be less likely to seek an answer. A lot of it has to do with one's upbringing as well.

[Danhalen]

And why shouldn't prayer involve anything other than becoming aware of our nakedness (ignorance) and ask that we be clothed?How would you know to pray about something you are ignorant of? If you know you are ignorant, you're not really all that ignorant. Once you have determined you are, somewhat, ignorant, wouldn't you do better to go out and educate yourself?

This was all it entailed for me, and yes, my prayers were answered in that respect.Your prayer for what? You realized you were ignorant, prayed on it, then what?

I'm sorry, this makes no sense to me. Perhaps I'm ignorant. Could you educate me?

[Iacchus]

Well, here's what happened when the Jehovah's Witnesses (http://www.dionysus.org/x1102.html#54) came to my door. Perhaps this will give you an idea of what I'm talking about? Also, to better understand where I was coming from, you may want to start at the beginning of the chapter (http://www.dionysus.org/x1101.html).

[RandFan]

I don't blame anyone for the failure of my prayer. There is no one to blame. There is no such thing as the failure of prayer. Only the failure to accept gods plan.

















Which is pure and utter Bull S*** of course.

[Tricky]

What the heck is a prayer anyway? Is it, like Ambrose Bierce says, "A request that the laws of the universe be annulled on the behalf of a single petitioner, admittedly unworthy"? We all wish. Perhaps we all even wish for the supernatural. When my mom was dying, I wished with every fiber of my being for her to get well. Maybe I didn't name a god, but I surely wished for things that would have had to be supernatural to occur.

Do you have believe prayers will be answered in order for them to be prayers? Do you have to have an address to send them to? Is my atheist wish for a good thing to happen different in any important way from an entreaty to an imagined God? I suppose the main difference is expectations and blame. I do not have any expectation my "prayers" will be answered positively, nor to I blame anyone, including myself, when they are not.

[Meadmaker]

There is no such thing as the failure of prayer. Only the failure to accept gods plan.

You had me going there for a minute. I had the browser window made small and didn't see the bottom of your post.

I think we all have a need to try and come to grips with those events which shake our world, and the death of a loved one is the worst. The last time I was at a funeral, unfortunately not long ago, I found myself quite annoyed by all the talk about how my friend was in a better place and getting along much better now. It seemed to me that he wasn't looking all that good. But, as the irritation rose, I resorted to a little Buddhist meditation, and calmed down a bit.

It didn't help my friend, who was still dead, or his wife, who was still alone, but it helped me, a little bit, and the people in the church were obviously getting some consolation from their prayers, even if I wasn't.

There are things in this world that are beyond our comprehension. Those things don't need to be magical or supernatural. I don't think they are, but who knows? Supernatural or not, religious practice helps us put those things into a framework that we can deal with, even if we don't understand them. To that extent, religion and prayer "work", even if there isn't anyone listening to the prayers.

Meanwhile, as to the OP, this quote is worth remembering:

"So I can pray on my knees for the fear of tripping over my feet, or I can stand on my feet and find the path to my future. I might stumble from time to time, but I will get up again, brush off the dust, and continue on."



















Which is pure and utter Bull S*** of course.[/QUOTE]

[SirPhilip]

I think we all have a need to try and come to grips with those events which shake our world, and the death of a loved one is the worst. The last time I was at a funeral, unfortunately not long ago, I found myself quite annoyed by all the talk about how my friend was in a better place and getting along much better now. It seemed to me that he wasn't looking all that good. But, as the irritation rose, I resorted to a little Buddhist meditation, and calmed down a bit.Assuming this took place in Detroit, what exactly did you find questionable about believing he was in a better place? :)

[SirPhilip]

And why shouldn't prayer involve anything other than becoming aware of our nakedness (ignorance) and ask that we be clothed? This was all it entailed for me, and yes, my prayers were answered in that respect. What a joke. If your other antagonistic posts and silly theories are examples of this "clothed" state, I'm afraid your prayers weren't answered at all; clearly you are still unable to cope with the world around you when you can't recognize imaginary ideas from tangible ones, as has been demonstrated countless times by people here wasting time responding to you.

[Iacchus]

What a joke. If your other antagonistic posts and silly theories are examples of this "clothed" state, I'm afraid your prayers weren't answered at all; clearly you are still unable to cope with the world around you when you can't recognize imaginary ideas from tangible ones, as has been demonstrated countless times by people here wasting time responding to you.Yes, you are quite correct. If there was no God, He would not be answering any prayers, let alone making Himself known to folks.

[Ducky]

Nominated. Great post Dan. I am very sorry for your loss.



Iacchus: stop cocking up good threads with your craptastic posts.

[Ducky]

Assuming this took place in Detroit, what exactly did you find questionable about believing he was in a better place? :)



Hey now! I'm from Detroit!























Yeah you have a point.

[Roadtoad]

Yeah you have a point.

It could be worse, Fowl.

You could be from Modesto.

[Iacchus]

Nominated. Great post Dan. I am very sorry for your loss.

Iacchus: stop cocking up good threads with your craptastic posts.Yes, I understand, it's an open and shut case. But then again, I'm not the one who started the thread. By the way, here's some good advice -- straight from the Bible in fact ;) -- about the notion of prayer ...

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. ~ Matthew 6:5-8 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=47&chapter=6&version=9)

[Ducky]

Yes, I understand, it's an open and shut case. But then again, I'm not the one who started the thread. By the way, here's some good advice -- straight from the Bible in fact ;) -- about the notion of prayer ...



I seriously question whether you actually read any of these threads, or if you just focus on one word and hope you got the correct gist later.

Here's some advice from the bible also:

Do not bear false witness.

[Iacchus]

I seriously question whether you actually read any of these threads, or if you just focus on one word and hope you got the correct gist later.

Here's some advice from the bible also:

Do not bear false witness.Bear false witness to what? A God that doesn't exist? :confused:

[Ducky]

Bear false witness to what? A God that doesn't exist? :confused:



I was more referring to bearing false witness that you have a brain.

[Iacchus]

I was more referring to bearing false witness that you have a brain.And this is how you feel towards most religious folks?

[Ducky]

And this is how you feel towards most religious folks?



No. In fact most religious folks don't act the fool.

[SirPhilip]

Yes, you are quite correct. If there was no God, He would not be answering any prayers, let alone making Himself known to folks.1) What does this have to do with what I just wrote?

2) Who answered your prayer for "clothes", then? After shooting holes through
your feet in another thread, you jump into another one and refute yourself...

I know how annoying it must be to jump down dimensions to communicate things in respect to sequence, but please, out of utter compassion...