Proxima Centauri

You call me juvenile, misguided, and ignorant. Then you are surprised that we call you arrogant.

Gemma Therese

My point was that it is not noble to dishonor one's family member in such a fashion.

The point isn't the bashing of beliefs, it is the bashing of beliefs of one's deceased family member.

Gemma Therese

Gemma Therese

Nuns and monks contemplate an entity that is universal and has revealed Himself to His people.

Patients in a mental hospital are slaves to their own delusions., which are accepted by no one else.

Gemma Therese

Proxima Centauri

You call me juvenile, misguided, and ignorant. You think that's OK.
If any of us has a go at any Roman Catholic/Roman Catholics there's always some reason why you tell us we've done something wrong.
Please try to be consistent in your moral judgements, Gemma Therese.

Gemma Therese

I never called you juvenile, misguided, or ignorant.

I called your parallel between a psychiatric patient and nuns/monks juvenile, misguided, and ignorant.

Get it straight before throwing around false accusations.

Gemma Therese

Amie

Hi B. Shack
Get rid of the asylum and then the comparison would seem more logical.
Lets say someone believes in blue trolls. What would be the difference between a belief in blue trolls and a belief in God?
well the only major one I can think of OBJECTIVELY would be social acceptance. Lets face it if I walk down the street and announce to some friends "I believe in God" I will most often be met with a smile. However if I walk down the street and I announce "I believe in blue trolls" I will probably be taken in for a psych eval, possibly medicated and treated for my "delusions"
Sunjectively the difference to me is huge. I believe in God and angels not blue trolls and purple people eaters living on planet plinkto.

Although I must say if the blue troll person believed in them, prayed to them, felt the blue trolls were watching over them, felt they were part of a divine blue troll plan, felt guided by the trolls, loved the blue trolls, felt that humanity was children of the blue trolls and worshiped those blue trolls...then the blue trolls would become their God...

I can't compare to hearing voices. I have never heard God speak to me but I do pray because I believe in God.

you guys do I sound like a new age quack? hope not...

Bree

Of course not. You just have a different way of dealing with things. For example, you pray to hope that something will come to pass. I go out and do everything I can to MAKE that something come to pass.

Whenever I think of prayer, I am reminded of the "support" I received when my son died. A million people hugged me and said they'd keep me in their thoughts and offer up prayers to help me through "this difficult time" (bleah). But where were these people when I really needed them - someone to talk to, help me make dinner, maybe ring me once a day and see how I'm doing? Nah, they were too busy down on their knees. That's why I stopped praying. I never wanted to be one of those people.

seebs

I don't think praying ever would have turned you into one of those people. Lazyness or sloth, maybe, could have turned you into one of them.

I do share your concern about people who think prayer is a substitute for *doing* something. If I'm supposed to be one of the followers of Christ, running around doing His business, then maybe I should spend a bit of time looking for prayers I can answer. Once, when my wife was sick, she was being happy because I brought her soup, and said "gosh, our friend Mel doesn't have anyone to do this for her". I felt like such an asshole; I'd talked to Mel a few times, told her I hoped she was getting better... and that's *it*. So, I called her up, got a shopping list, and brought her a couple bags of groceries. I just feel stupid that I didn't think of it on my own; this is what makes me laugh when people say the man should be the spiritual leader of the household. The man, at least in my household, is a distractable guy who isn't very consistent about remembering little things like "people".

I know exactly what you mean about prayers instead of actual support. When my father died, someone I barely knew sent me some religious tract (I think it was one of those pocket new testaments) to "help". I struggled long and hard with that; I know he was trying to help, so I don't want to be mad at him, but how totally useless! If I already believe, I probably already have a Bible. If I don't, trying to leverage my grief to convert me isn't gonna help.

Unfortunately, it's a bit late for me to offer you anything but sympathy, but that you can have, and if you want to talk to someone about that, feel free to drop me a line. I'm told I listen okay.

Amie

my prayers involve praying for guidance, that my loved ones are watched over, very little requests done...

so do I.

I may pray for example that I have a safe journey on a road trip. However I am responsible for my driving, watching traffic, adhering to speed limits and not driving like a maniac.

Sometimes people don't know what to say. So they say nothing. which is sometimes worse. And sometimes people think others need to be left alone with their families and their thoughts and they don't want to intrude...even though that is the time we need them the most...

seebs

To be fair, I'm a loner at heart, and when my dad died, I mostly wanted to be left alone. Beloved Spouse and the cats were exceptions, but they both knew enough to stay quiet and be near.

I did want to go out once, and I am eternally grateful to the friend who asked me if I'd "help her shop", and walked me around a mall for a couple of hours. It really helped.