Prayer
I was reading Mango's blog a while back, and he was talking about religion and God, and I was reminded of something that I thought I'd bring up here.
What is the purpose of prayer?
I asked this question on a few of the Fora listed to the right. I got a variety of answers. Some people said they pray so that God will know what they want. Others said God wants/needs us to pray to him.
My point of view is this: God (if s/he exists), so we're told, is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. If this is the case, there is no need for prayer. As an all-knowing being, God already knows what we want, and doesn't need us to tell him. As a being who is everywhere at once (I am the pool cue!), he should already be aware of what is going on around us, and will know what we are going through, and thus what we need.
As for the other reason I was given (that he needs/wants us to pray to him), it doesn't hold water. Is God that insecure that he needs to hear from us? Many of us talk to ourselves in our minds, as an omniscient being, God is aware of those conversations, and it seems to me that he wouldn't need us to direct them to him, as he'd then be overloaded, like an email inbox with spam.
My wife is currently going to church. She's going to a church of a different religion than the one in which she was raised. She seems to be enjoying it, and seems to be getting from it what she needs. I see no need for myself to go to any organized religious services. I might in the future, but I might not. So long as she gets something out of it, and doesn't put pressure on me to attend, I'm cool with it. She's aware of my feelings on the matter, and has no problem with the situation.
Categories: commentary, navel-gazing, god
What is the purpose of prayer?
I asked this question on a few of the Fora listed to the right. I got a variety of answers. Some people said they pray so that God will know what they want. Others said God wants/needs us to pray to him.
My point of view is this: God (if s/he exists), so we're told, is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. If this is the case, there is no need for prayer. As an all-knowing being, God already knows what we want, and doesn't need us to tell him. As a being who is everywhere at once (I am the pool cue!), he should already be aware of what is going on around us, and will know what we are going through, and thus what we need.
As for the other reason I was given (that he needs/wants us to pray to him), it doesn't hold water. Is God that insecure that he needs to hear from us? Many of us talk to ourselves in our minds, as an omniscient being, God is aware of those conversations, and it seems to me that he wouldn't need us to direct them to him, as he'd then be overloaded, like an email inbox with spam.
My wife is currently going to church. She's going to a church of a different religion than the one in which she was raised. She seems to be enjoying it, and seems to be getting from it what she needs. I see no need for myself to go to any organized religious services. I might in the future, but I might not. So long as she gets something out of it, and doesn't put pressure on me to attend, I'm cool with it. She's aware of my feelings on the matter, and has no problem with the situation.
Categories: commentary, navel-gazing, god
|
Permalink
Comments:
I've heard it described as you say, that prayer is 'needed' but I've also heard it a couple other ways. In one, you are supposed to be perpetually in a state of prayer (I think that's in Job somewheres,) and in the other, the act of prayer is like the act of asking for salvation. It's a way to put yourself into a different mindset, like meditation, so that you can communicate with god(tm). God gave us freewheel to choose or not to choose, the same with prayer. True, he knows all, but when you specially form your thoughts, they're given different consideration.
Neither really applies to me. I kind of switch back and forth between Gnostic and Agnostic...
Post a Comment
Neither really applies to me. I kind of switch back and forth between Gnostic and Agnostic...
![monogodo[at]gmail[dot]com](images/gifs/dnhlogo20011.gif)