On prayer and praying (souls, after life, spirits, beliefs)

[Melvin.George]

Originally Posted by justme58

I even tried bribing him in tithes and that didn't work out either.

That's the whole show!

P.T. Barnum said, "There's A Sucker Born Every Minute"

Religion proves that he knew what he was talking about!

[SoCalAngel2009]

Originally Posted by Melvin.George

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.

Hi there, nice meeting you.

I guess I was the lucky one. I wasn't brainwashed at an early age about any type of religious philosophy. I went to all kinds of churches and sat in their pews and suffered through their dogma telling me if I didn't believe this or that I would go to Hell and have to live with the Devil forevermore.

That kind of stuff just wasn't my bag. As far as I was concerned, my plan was to find God when I was ready to retire and die and I would go about my life having the kind of fun and excitement that I craved.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that God would come to me before I reached that stage.

And, you know what, I'm glad He did, because I got out of my condition of self-pity and self-loathing and God brought to me the happiness He wants to share with all of us. It was and is my gain.

Advancements in medicine, in my humble opinion, are all gifts from God.

[calmdude]

Originally Posted by SoCalAngel2009

....
Advancements in medicine, in my humble opinion, are all gifts from God.

Just curious - what made him wait so long to give us this "gift"? He could have saved hundreds of millions through the ages.

[SoCalAngel2009]

Originally Posted by justme58

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

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.

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

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

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.

Hi Justme,

Thanks for telling me where you are coming from, because I also have what may best be described as a good sense of humor. And if I should offend someone here, I apologize in advance.

Well, if you must know, the dead are not dead at all. They are alive in a spirit form, so I hope this doesn't spook you out. A dead corpse is just that... someone that's buried six feet under or burned to bits and this dead thing will stay where it is forevermore never to be resurrected again.

I have no bumper stickers on my car and I don't tithe one single penny to any religious organization as I know the only thing that it is going to get me is broke.

If you prayed and you had no results, perhaps, and I'm just speculating, it was just you paying lip service to the task. We can pray with our minds til the cows come home and nada will happen.

My prayers come from my heart and soul and this is why I get results.

[Melvin.George]

Originally Posted by SoCalAngel2009

My prayers come from my heart and soul and this is why I get results.

Don't worry...we won't check you out to see.

Like I said...I watched everybody in the church pray and get nothing for their effort. In my 75 years I've never seen one thing that couldn't be explained by plain ol' logic, the laws of nature and circumstances. Prayer exists in the mind and changes nothing.

[SoCalAngel2009]

Originally Posted by Melvin.George

Don't worry...we won't check you out to see.

Like I said...I watched everybody in the church pray and get nothing for their effort. In my 75 years I've never seen one thing that couldn't be explained by plain ol' logic, the laws of nature and circumstances. Prayer exists in the mind and changes nothing.

Hahaha...

Well, I beg to differ, maybe there was a reason why the prayers weren't being answered. Since I wasn't there, I don't know why it happened as it did.

If it wasn't for our dear Father in Heaven, there would be no laws of nature and circumstances or any other thing, including logic, common sense, and most of all love.

Prayer may exist in your mind. It exists in my soul. There is a difference.

You, who are 75 years old... this is good stuff for you to know before it's your time to say sayonara world.

Blessings.

[Melvin.George]

Originally Posted by SoCalAngel2009

Hahaha...

Well, I beg to differ, maybe there was a reason why the prayers weren't being answered. Since I wasn't there, I don't know why it happened as it did.

If it wasn't for our dear Father in Heaven, there would be no laws of nature and circumstances or any other thing, including logic, common sense, and most of all love.

Prayer may exist in your mind. It exists in my soul. There is a difference.

You, who are 75 years old... this is good stuff for you to know before it's your time to say sayonara world.

Blessings.

I'm not afraid to die. I've never been afraid to die. Every form of life on this planet dies. That's where all religions came from...primitive mankind's fear of death.

The definition of superstition is: A Belief For Which There Is No Material Evidence. Religion is superstition.

[SoCalAngel2009]

Originally Posted by Melvin.George

I'm not afraid to die. I've never been afraid to die. Every form of life on this planet dies. That's where all religions came from...primitive mankind's fear of death.

The definition of superstition is: A Belief For Which There Is No Material Evidence. Religion is superstition.

Well, that's good. And exactly what do you believe happens when we die? That we just go poof into the night?

[sanspeur]

Originally Posted by SoCalAngel2009

Well, that's good. And exactly what do you believe happens when we die? That we just go poof into the night?

I know what happens, as I have watched people die...No poof, no soul departing...The heart stops, lack of blood flow kills the brain, game over....Anything else that you think happens is just wishful thinking attributed to your own fear of death.

[Melvin.George]

Originally Posted by SoCalAngel2009

Well, that's good. And exactly what do you believe happens when we die? That we just go poof into the night?

What do you think happens to the other million life forms which all have brains, lungs, hearts, mouthes, eyes, rectal openings and genitals. Just what is it you think makes the head predator deserve something other than decaying flesh when it draws it's final breath?

Everything on this planet which lives is so similar that only the brainwashed or fools can possibly fail to get it.