394>Yesterday an R %26amp; S regular who I believe is an atheist asked for everyone of every belief to “keep my sister in your thoughts, spells, and prayers” as she is suffering with cancer. The best answer went to a Wiccan. I was emotionally touched and truly impressed with the outpouring of love from the theists, and only theists responded to this question. I felt a sense of shame for not answering this question because I usually try to answer this person’s questions as I find them interesting. I felt like I had nothing to offer. This would have been a bad time to spew my anti religion stance in my often sarcastic manner and I don’t believe this is an appropriate time to say anything negative. I consider myself an atheist and consider Pascal’s Wager to be highly irrational, however, I was wondering how this might be applied to prayer. Continued:
Reply:I would think it would be received very well. I was mostly theist, then Pagan, then agnostic and had started researching the Jewish faith. I am now a Christian. Your prayer was much more eloquent than mine, and I was a bit belligerent when I was searching. God looks at the heart, and your hearts desire is to see suffering relieved.
Reply:You did indeed have some very good answers. Thank you for your respectful attitude, though we don%26#039;t share the same beliefs. Report It
Reply:He%26#039;ll hear it, that much is for sure
EDIT-
in response to dreamstuffentity- if you expected anything at all out of God, you%26#039;d know these things are caused by him for our growth. and it%26#039;s not just cr@p or an excuse to say God is existant. God stopped me from suicide- and it isn%26#039;t emotion based, casue trust me, my emotions dont%26#039; go that far
EDIT-
why is everyone acting like the questioneer is betraying atheism or something? Just like christians, atheists can have doubts, and considering the sister has cancer, she could be trying for every last hope.
Reply:This is the one type of question I%26#039;d never answer.
It%26#039;s so horrific that they pray to a god that according to them is responsible for sickness - but I refuse to point it out and prey on them at a time of vulnerability, which is something theists are so good at doing (for example, telling people that their loved ones aren%26#039;t really dead, they just - well - moved).
Reply:Absolutely. Each of us prays from wherever we are spiritually at the moment. And none of us is at the point of absolute and perfect faith, ever. God hears all of the imperfect prayers we offer to Him, for there isn%26#039;t any other kind.
Reply:If you%26#039;re an atheist, as you said, why pray? You know, as well as any rational person, prayer doesn%26#039;t work. Just wish the person well, it%26#039;s as good as prayer.
Reply:that would be an agnostic prayer.
Seems nice.
If it%26#039;s someone that you regularly talk to, you could have simply passed along your support and condolences. That is always appreciated.
Reply:I think your prayer would definitely be heard. You are honest, open, and you seek the good of another. I would encourage you to pray. You might be surprised by what happens.
Reply:Yes.
Reply:Listen to your heart. Is my prayer came from within?
Or I%26#039;m just praying for lip service.
Prayer is a heart to heart talk with God. God talk to us in the heart. It purify our heart.
Reply:That is awesome. I love people!
Reply:Greetings,
Pray to God in true spirit without nothing evil in you.
What is prayer?
Prayer is:
Exercising our faith to bring our petitions, needs etc., before the Lord that we may be filled with all surpassing peace, flowing from the Prince of Peace – Jehovah Shalom – Phil.4:6,7
An instrument to implement the will of God in our lives, the church and the world. – Mat. 6:10
The means to surrender ones intentions and desires in life and life itself subjecting them to the greater will of the Sovereign God. – Lk.22:42
Thanksgiving for the abundant blessings God showers on us and the protection He gives from all pains and fatalities. – Eph. 5:20
Worshiping the Lord for what He is and praising Him for what He has done. – Ps.29:2 / Heb 13:15
Why pray?
Pray because:
Jesus wants us to pray. – Lk.22:40
Of our dependence on God. – Ps.20:7 / Isa.31:1
Our fellowship with God needs to be renewed and strengthened.- Jas.4:8
We need to be transformed and conformed to the nature of Christ. – Rom.8:2
How to pray?
Pray in Jesus name. – Jn. 16:24
Pray with faith. - Jas.1:6
Pray with humility, submission and repentance. – 2Ch.7:14
Pray persistently, unceasingly and with a grateful heart. – Lk.18:1/ 1Th. 5:17
Pray with a forgiving heart and compassion. - Mk. 11:25
Pray and worship the Lord in truth and spirit. – Jn 4:23-24
When to pray?
%26lt;%26gt;ALWAYS - Eph. 5:19-20
Attitude in prayer:
Pray Truthfully, never be a hypocrite. - Mat.6:5-6
God is omniscient, He knows our needs. We need not babble on and on. - Mat.6:7-8
God is omnipresent, He hears our prayers irrespective of place and time. Ps.139:2-4
God is omnipotent, nothing is impossible for God if he wills. - Mat. 19:26
Prayers are answered not because of the %26quot;doing%26quot; of prayer but because of the grace of God. - Rom.9:16 / Eph .2:8
Pray with undoubting faith and without double-mindedness. Jas.1:6-7
Always seek God%26#039;s perfect will. - Mat.6:10
Answer to Prayer:
Anointing
Peace
Freedom
Healing
Protection
Blessings
Forgiveness
Righteousness
Patience
Faith grows
Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit
Victory
NO
WAIT
Different kinds of Prayer:
Praise %26amp; Worship
Thanksgiving
Agreement
Consecrated
Warfare
Deliverance and Healing
Supplication
Protection
Curse Breaking
Blessing
Intercessory Prayer
Sinners Prayer - Confession
Personal Prayer
Mass Prayer
Prayer in the cell (Core Group)
Prayer in Tongues
Conditions for answering prayers:
Pray in the name of Jesus. - Jn.16.23-24
Pray according to God%26#039;s will. - 1 Jn.5:14
Ask with right motive (no selfishness). Jas.4:3
Unshakeable and stable faith. Jas.1:6-8 / Mk.11:24
Continuous prayer. Lk.18:1,7,8
Reasons for delayed and unanswered prayers:
Un-repented Sins in ones life. - Isa.1:18-19
Because God has to arrange the circumstances. -
God has a better plan. -
To increase our commitment. -
It is not the time God has destined, - 1Pet.5:6
To test/stroke our faith. -
Unforgiveness. - Mat.6:14 / Mk.11:24,25
Unfinished prayers. - Lk.18:1
Failing to fulfill God given conditions in 2Chro.7:14-15
Our prayer is to get the will of God done in our lives, the family, the church and the world. god has revealed everything in the scripture through the prophets (Amos.3:7). Therefore we should pray that god%26#039;s plans be done and fulfilled. Our prayers bring God%26#039;s plan in implementation. If we don%26#039;t pray, god%26#039;s plan/will may remain unfulfilled (Mat.6:10). God does only those that are good for us (Rom.8:28 / Isa.55:8-9). God has a time to work (Jn.2:4 / Acts.15:17-18 / Eccl.3:1,11).
FAITH IS NOT AGAINST REASON
BUT BEYOND REASON
Reply:If I would have seen the question, I would have responded with love and compassion. I see no reason to bash a prayer request such as this one.
And as a Buddhist, I am an atheist but have no problems with prayer. Buddhists also pray, just not in the same way that theists do.
Reply:If a god exists, then he/she/it can certainly see into your heart and fathom your true intentions. Incidentally another atheist, the great Kurt Vonnegut, wrote a mass for the dead that he thought was appropriate. I found it very sweet. All you have basically is your intentions and good will. Even if you don%26#039;t believe, no amount of good will is wasted. Not all atheists may be comfortable with your solution, but if it works for you and gives someone else comfort, you don%26#039;t need our permission.
Atheist or not, you are human, and I suspect you know what it is like to lose someone you love. I admire you for your compassion.
Reply:As an atheist I have always appreciated hearing people saying I am in their thoughts during my bad times and I say the same to others during theirs. I didn%26#039;t see this question so don%26#039;t know how it was phrased but if it was phrased as an appeal for prayer, I would probably have assumed it was aimed at theists and ignored it.
But it%26#039;s wrong for us to think we have nothing to offer. Human empathy and emotional support is the only thing that anyone can offer and it is very valuable indeed. Theists may think they%26#039;re offering something more when they say they%26#039;ll pray but all they%26#039;re doing is offering the same human support in their own way.
Reply:God receives all prayers, even from those who claim not to believe in Him. Particularly the unselfish ones such as your own. And He does answer, though not always the way you expect.
A side thought: The fact that you would consider praying at all implies that you%26#039;re actually struggling with your atheism. My prayer is that you sincerely seek God with your heart open.
Reply:It doesn%26#039;t make any sense to me that someone who doesn%26#039;t believe in God is asking others to pray to a God that he thinks doesn%26#039;t exist. It just goes to show that even though you say you%26#039;re an atheist, there%26#039;s still a a part of you that hope God does exist and is able or care to answer a prayer in times of trouble.
Reply:I appreciate your compassion for the person%26#039;s sister.
But something you say puzzles me. Why would you pray to a God you know doesn%26#039;t exist? Why would you pray to a God whom you blame for the world%26#039;s ills? If you do blame Him, how in the world can you claim He doesn%26#039;t exist? Are you really an agnostic hoping that God does exist?
Here%26#039;s a prayer you can pray, and if you genuinely want to hear from Him, He will answer: %26quot;Dear God, you know I have trouble believing in you right now. I was disillusioned as a child and I have unanswered questions, but if you really do exist, please show me. Show me in the corcumstances and people around me. Send people my way who -- even though they are imnperfect -- can represent you and help explain you to me better. If you do exist, I am willing to learn more about you and how to please you. I am awaiting your reply, amen.%26quot;
You can certainly add in a request for someone else who you perceive to have a need if you like. But the key is for you to be willing to have God open your eyes to all the evidence of His goodness that He has already placed all around you.God certainly will not turn away from someone who is truly seeking to know the truth about Him. (Check out the answers here to your question, for instance.) God bless in your sincere quest for thr truth.
Reply:If you read the New Testament, you will learn that Jesus Christ loves people, and that includes you and everyone else.
During His ministry on earth, He met all kinds of needy people. Some of these people could not even speak for themselves. Still, He reached out to all of them in many different ways to show His love for them.
His life, death and resurrection showed the power of God, and fulfilled the prophecies and God%26#039;s plan of redemption for mankind.
My advice is: put your faith in Christ; read God%26#039;s word and grow.
%26quot;He that cometh to God, must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.%26quot;
Pray for His will to be done in every situation. You%26#039;ll see answers to your prayers. At times, the situation that you pray about will either change for the better or else He will give you grace and strength to endure, and that is certain!
Reply:%26quot;Wheather we know it or not when we search for God we search for truth.%26quot; The God of my understanding is a God of
unconditional love, and waits for us all. C.S. Lewis wrote,
%26quot;I have a need to pray, Prayer changes me not God.%26quot;
I once suggested to a person close to me to pray, His words to me were, %26quot;I%26#039;m a pagan God does not hear my prayers.%26quot; My
answer to him was, %26quot;God hears all prayers, some times we don%26#039;t hear God.%26quot; Are we not to pray for all people no matter
who they are. I believe we are, It warms my heart that these prayers were asked for, it tells me this person is open minded, and with respect for others and that is what we should all have, self respect and respect for others who mean
well. %26quot;With God all things are posibble not with man.%26quot;
Blessings to all.
Reply:God knows everything you think and do. He hears all prayer.
If you want a greater understanding of what happens to prayer you will need to believe in Christ and read the Bible.
Reply:%26quot;I am only 99.9% sure that the God of Abraham does not exist. I think it is ignorant and arrogant to say you know something that can’t be known.%26quot;
Really, only that sure? That%26#039;s incredibly unsure, actually. We don%26#039;t claim to know God doesn%26#039;t exist, we just heavily disagree with his existence.
There is a complete and total lack of evidence supporting God or anything supernatural. Why believe in it if the closest you can get to proving him is quite literally ancient text?
Ancient people told folklore. Why would it be real? Why would any God be real? It makes no sense for God to exist.
Reply:The only prayer the living God hears is from a sincere heart of a believer...or someone asking for forgiveness and repenting of their sins. Again, it must come from a sincere heart.
God knows when we are sincere and when we are not.
I hope that helps.
Reply:To me, asking someone you don%26#039;t even know to pray for someone else is dumb. Like %26quot;Dear God, please change your mind because I ask you to, and spare what%26#039;s her name%26#039;s sister from who knows where and cure her of what ever the problem is.%26quot;
Besides, if God has decided to take her sister, who are we to insult God%26#039;s decision and ask him not to take her. If that worked, no one would ever die, would they?
Not only that, but has anyone ever proved prayer to have any effect whatsoever? The only major study showed that people who were prayed for had a slightly worse outcome.
Reply:The difference between believers and atheists is that the former love... well... beliefs, while the latter love the truth.
To comfort someone with a bunch of lies is so much more effective and easy than to tell someone the truth. Religious people are excellent at comforting, as long as one does not grow mentally beyong the preschool age.
We are all in the same world. Some choose to deceive themselves, while others stoically face reality for what it is, without any distortion, without any personal advantage. Who is the most moral person? Who do you trust and who do you shun for advise?
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