On prayer and praying (hell, churches, God, believe)

[InsaneInDaMembrane]

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Why on earth would you expect answers?

Oh, I don't know. Maybe because of "promises" like these:

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Matthew 7:11

or

If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

John 14:14

or

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up...

James 5:15

[SoCalAngel2009]

I must be one of a kind, 'cause I can hear God speak to me. It's not actually His voice, as He uses Angels to do that for Him. Whenever I have a question or want to know something, I get an immediate response. And the response is always right. Prayers are answered by Angels and this may take some time depending on what the prayer is for and which person or persons on earth they need to influence to make it happen.

[justme58]

Originally Posted by SoCalAngel2009

I must be one of a kind, 'cause I can hear God speak to me. It's not actually His voice,

And how would you exactly know what his voice sounds like?

as He uses Angels to do that for Him. Whenever I have a question or want to know something, I get an immediate response. And the response is always right.

Amazing how it fits in with your "needs"

Prayers are answered by Angels and this may take some time depending on what the prayer is for and which person or persons on earth they need to influence to make it happen.

Wow, so mystic things need to influence real people to make things happen, sound like collusion to me, are you sure we are not all just robots?

Welcome to the Matrix

[SoCalAngel2009]

Originally Posted by justme58

And how would you exactly know what his voice sounds like?

Amazing how it fits in with your "needs"

Wow, so mystic things need to influence real people to make things happen, sound like collusion to me, are you sure we are not all just robots?

Welcome to the Matrix

There's a joker in every room. Thanks for the welcome mat.

Here's something strange that happened to me earlier this year. I was listening to my favorite classic rock radio station on my walkman and I was wearing a headset. All of a sudden I heard God talking to me and you know what He said.

AND EVERYONE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THEIR GOD AND I AM THEIR FATHER.

His voice was louder and rose above the music I was listening to.

Well, why wouldn't my prayers fit with my needs? If I'm bothered by something, I ask God what's wrong with me, why am I thinking this way. Or what is wrong with that person?

I pray for lots of other things as well. Like other people, for instance. If you need a prayer for something useful, and not idiotic, let me know and I'll see what I can do to help you out. I have prayed for someone that they get a job they were seeking and they got it. I've prayed for people's finances and it's helped them. I'm not the only one I pray for.

It might be mystic to you, but it's not to me. The invisible ones who help us may even be someone we once knew. Like one of our parents or grandparents, for instance.

No, we're not just robots, some may actually be walking zombies the way they act.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Tzaphkiel

these are good questions to explore

why don't you try them out for yourself and see what happens?

that would be far more valuable than your "assumptions" and "guesses" bout other people's experiences, now wouldn't it?

the most valid and important data is that which you gather in your own life, in your own personal experience

ah yes, christer condescention, a mirror image of your imaginary gods' love.

[SoCalAngel2009]

Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes

ah yes, christer condescention, a mirror image of your imaginary gods' love.

The only way you will know if there is a God is to shut off your mind and allow your soul to do the work for you.

[Thomas R.]

Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes

ah yes, christer condescention, a mirror image of your imaginary gods' love.

What a condescending thing to say, which is itself a delicious irony.

[auntieannie68]

Originally Posted by Tzaphkiel

these are good questions to explore

why don't you try them out for yourself and see what happens?

that would be far more valuable than your "assumptions" and "guesses" bout other people's experiences, now wouldn't it?

the most valid and important data is that which you gather in your own life, in your own personal experience

[Melvin.George]

Originally Posted by SoCalAngel2009

I must be one of a kind, 'cause I can hear God speak to me. It's not actually His voice, as He uses Angels to do that for Him. Whenever I have a question or want to know something, I get an immediate response. And the response is always right. Prayers are answered by Angels and this may take some time depending on what the prayer is for and which person or persons on earth they need to influence to make it happen.

Really?

I'm an old man. In the 1940's and 1950's when I was young my maternal grandmother always took me with her to church and Wednesday evening prayer meetings. Back then if a person had cancer or heart problems they died. Look at the insurance company's actuarial tables by which they made decisions about selling policies back then. Compare those of today with the ones from then.

Wednesday night prayer meetings had prayer lists a foot anda half long. Every family either had a member or a friend who was dying from cancer or heart disease. They all prayed till their knees were bloody for relief or life and guess what? They suffered and died anyway.

Now that medical science has made gigantic strides forward with electronic diagnostic systems, heart bypasses, stents, better diets and medications, stem cell transplants, chemotherapy, radioactive treatments, etc. the same kind of patients live on into their 80's and sometimes 90's.

Prayer is wasted breath. I watched it first hand and never in my 75 years have I seen anything to which I would credit to a prayer.

Only those who were thoroughly brainwashed at an early age can conjure up that sort of life saving scenario.

[justme58]

Originally Posted by SoCalAngel2009

There's a joker in every room. Thanks for the welcome mat.

UR Welcome. I have decided not to take theist seriously and apply humour instead.

Here's something strange that happened to me earlier this year. I was listening to my favorite classic rock radio station on my walkman and I was wearing a headset. All of a sudden I heard God talking to me and you know what He said.

AND EVERYONE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THEIR GOD AND I AM THEIR FATHER.

Odd, that sounds just like scriptures from the OT - lemme look them up for you.

Num 14:21 but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD--

Psa 72:19 And blessed be His glorious name forever; and all the earth is filled with His glory! Amen and Amen.

Maybe not exact but pretty close.

His voice was louder and rose above the music I was listening to.

I am sure you were just imagining this, I too had these delusions because I wanted god to be real.

Well, why wouldn't my prayers fit with my needs? If I'm bothered by something, I ask God what's wrong with me, why am I thinking this way. Or what is wrong with that person?

I pray for lots of other things as well. Like other people, for instance. If you need a prayer for something useful, and not idiotic, let me know and I'll see what I can do to help you out. I have prayed for someone that they get a job they were seeking and they got it. I've prayed for people's finances and it's helped them. I'm not the only one I pray for.

It might be mystic to you, but it's not to me. The invisible ones who help us may even be someone we once knew. Like one of our parents or grandparents, for instance.

Interesting. I seriously doubt one can communicate withe dead, they are after all dead and even the bible suggests one should not pursue this avenue of entertainment

No, we're not just robots, some may actually be walking zombies the way they act.

You know, the so-called "called to be separate" et al. one would think when you see these folk in public there would be this aura about them however when you get the finger from one driving a car with a "jesus fish" on it, you realize that all this mysticism is confined to their own imaginations.

You see I really tried prayer and really believed etc. yet he was conspicuously silent and I was not asking for anything like materialistic, geeze I even tried bribing him in tithes and that didn't work out either.