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When he was asked how to pray, he replied- "Our Father which art in heaven...etc",
but he also said we could- "Ask anything in my name and I will do it" (John 14:14)
He also asked us to do it in complete privacy, not even praying aloud in the streets and the synagogues. Here's the verse from Matthew:
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
How many Christians follow this advice? Gosh, at church this morning, we all prayed communally. So I guess we are all culpable of not listening to Christ on the subject of prayer, right?
But the Bible doesn't say to do that.
Rather, Jesus says pray to just him and God.
Talking (praying) to dead humans is spiritism which the Bible condemns.
Who care what the bible says or condemns? It is a totally messed up piece of work that is mostly fiction anyway. I explained why Catholics ( I was one for 20 years) pray to saints, not that I think it does a bit of good, that is praying to god or anyone else.
He also asked us to do it in complete privacy, not even praying aloud in the streets and the synagogues.
How many Christians follow this advice?
Jesus gave us the option of praying alone at home.
As Noah might say- "whatever floats your boat"..
Personally as a Free Christian i don't feel any need go to church..
..not that I think it does a bit of good, that is praying to god or anyone else.
Einstein said "Reality is an illusion, but a very persistent one".
So if we regard 'reality' as a fragile illusion or 'dream', perhaps "thought power" (prayer) can manipulate that dream?
Maybe Jesus was a Master of that Art and could bend "reality" to produce what we'd call miracles?
"You can be in my dream if I can be in your dream" (Bob Dylan) "Strawberry Fields, nothing is real" (The Beatles) "We are such stuff that dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.." (The Tempest) "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14)
Jesus gave us the option of praying alone at home.
As Noah might say- "whatever floats your boat"..
Personally as a Free Christian i don't feel any need go to church..
I don't see anything in that passage that makes it optional. There is no wishy-washy language at all. In fact, Christ labelled those who pray in public settings and even in a house of worship to be hypocrites, a pretty clearcut opinion of how He felt about matters. Instead, Christ simply said, "Do it this way." And yet we don't.
When he was asked how to pray, he replied- "Our Father which art in heaven...etc",
but he also said we could- "Ask anything in my name and I will do it" (John 14:14)
He did say al lot of things, and I assume he said the above quote about doing favors for his followers while he was alive... But was he ever recorded as saying: "pray to me". His followers glorified him, and he didn't seem to care...but then again, neither did Gautama. Ask for something in his name right now... see if he does it. Where are the moving mountains? I see them all standing still. How can anyone say they are Christian, when they perform no real miracles.
He also asked us to do it in complete privacy, not even praying aloud in the streets and the synagogues. Here's the verse from Matthew:
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
How many Christians follow this advice? Gosh, at church this morning, we all prayed communally. So I guess we are all culpable of not listening to Christ on the subject of prayer, right?
You do not know how much I despised the babblings of the people within the Churches I attended, and their crazy shaking and speaking in tongues rituals, I never heard of Jesus doing weirdo things like that...it was almost as if they hadn't read a single word. Jesus was likely a Panentheist, his followers were paganesque, so they did the whole Trinity thing.
Einstein said "Reality is an illusion, but a very persistent one".
So if we regard 'reality' as a fragile illusion or 'dream', perhaps "thought power" (prayer) can manipulate that dream?
Maybe Jesus was a Master of that Art and could bend "reality" to produce what we'd call miracles?
"You can be in my dream if I can be in your dream" (Bob Dylan) "Strawberry Fields, nothing is real" (The Beatles) "We are such stuff that dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.." (The Tempest) "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14)
This is very possible, yes. theoritical physics and quantum physics agree with you a little. Plus, the placebo effect is also very real; So Medical science also agrees to a point. However, most Christians see that they can't perform these miracles and being descendants of Pagans they simply don't even try, saying instead that Jesus was different and better than them, since he was the Son of God, a.k.a "demigod". yet he was also a manifestation of God...so he wasn't just a demigod, he was a third yet whole part of the triun Supreme God. Jesus seems to only have said that "God is Our Father" "The Holy Spirit was within him" "The father was a part of him, and he a part of the Father" "the Father was greater than him" "He and the Father were One" but never does he seem to say: God is triun and I am a full part of that trinity. Those seem to be conjectures and "visions" from other people.
Yup. You read right. I'm not a Christian. I'm a Catholic. Christian women kicked me out.
I too was born and raised Catholic. While I no longer believe in God and give my services to the Catholic Church, I well remember the Christian types. How could I ever forget Born Again Christians? They were not only very vocal with their opinions, but also down right judgmental and condemning. I do not know what all Christians are like, but from the ones that I’ve met, I do not like them at all! They seem to think that they’re the superior lot. Many of them also seem to all have been heathen sinners at one time, so now they rule with God’s word as though we’ve all done what they have. Then there are the types that have yet to do anything, but they all desperately want to, so they put their thoughts into other’s heads, and then they chastise accordingly, but the ultimate slap in the face is for being shunned, condemned to hell, and whatnot due being Catholic. Despite not attending services for ten years now and not believing in God, I still cannot believe the number of times I was condemned to hell for being Catholic by a Christian… It’s no wonder the Romans fed them to the lions!
I hear your story, and I feel I have a good idea of just how you feel.
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