Prayer. A kind of one-way wireless which, supposedly allows members of a congregation (or individuals on their own) to send personal messages to their choice of Godhead(s). Often, the message may simply extol the wonderous perfection of god, but probably most often it's a plea for sorely-needed help with a problem. So far as I know, no one has ever received any spoken or written message in return but many, including myself, can claim that a timely change in circumstances,(post-prayer) which brought and end to the problem, amounted to a silent answer to prayers. And hey, if God did choose to give a spoken answer to our prayer, it could just be to tell us that He would not grant our request.
My fascination with the religious has allowed me to experience a wide variety of congregants and individuals in prayer. Some of the things I witnessed were, I think, remarkable: A minister, in church, leads the 800 of us present, in a prayer to spare the life of a highly-regarded parishioner who'd been mowed down in a cross-walk by a hit-and-run driver. I'm sure that many among us listened and followed the prayer, fervently if quietly, adding their personal affirmation. He was loved. He was always there for the church and for any who might need his help. One might have thought that God, hearing that man's name in a prayer, would instantly order the Grim Reaper off the case.
A foolish young man who thought he could escape with his children, from a boring suburb in western America to a new life in some rain-forest on some secluded pacific isle. (He said,"It seemed like a pretty good idea at the time")
Island one: Weather; hot and humid. Reception; xenophobic. Income oppertunities; open to locals only. Rain-forest prospects; dismal. And that was just the first ten days. A couple of nights later, they sat beside a road that led to a place where they'd been told they could camp for more than a few days. They were dog-tired. For most of the last two days they had walked, carrying everything they owned. (many drivers responded to their thumbs-up entreaties with their horns, but no one stopped) They were hungry. Between them, in the past two days they had eaten only six prickley pear leaves and some unidentified fruit that was unripe and unappetizing. It wouldn't be going too far to say that they were demoralised, since they had almost completely lost hope. Someone
said, "What if we said a prayer?" The four of them joined hands in a circle and asked for help.
end of Me and Religion III
My fascination with the religious has allowed me to experience a wide variety of congregants and individuals in prayer. Some of the things I witnessed were, I think, remarkable: A minister, in church, leads the 800 of us present, in a prayer to spare the life of a highly-regarded parishioner who'd been mowed down in a cross-walk by a hit-and-run driver. I'm sure that many among us listened and followed the prayer, fervently if quietly, adding their personal affirmation. He was loved. He was always there for the church and for any who might need his help. One might have thought that God, hearing that man's name in a prayer, would instantly order the Grim Reaper off the case.
A foolish young man who thought he could escape with his children, from a boring suburb in western America to a new life in some rain-forest on some secluded pacific isle. (He said,"It seemed like a pretty good idea at the time")
Island one: Weather; hot and humid. Reception; xenophobic. Income oppertunities; open to locals only. Rain-forest prospects; dismal. And that was just the first ten days. A couple of nights later, they sat beside a road that led to a place where they'd been told they could camp for more than a few days. They were dog-tired. For most of the last two days they had walked, carrying everything they owned. (many drivers responded to their thumbs-up entreaties with their horns, but no one stopped) They were hungry. Between them, in the past two days they had eaten only six prickley pear leaves and some unidentified fruit that was unripe and unappetizing. It wouldn't be going too far to say that they were demoralised, since they had almost completely lost hope. Someone
said, "What if we said a prayer?" The four of them joined hands in a circle and asked for help.
end of Me and Religion III
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