How many times have you seen someone post something like "(Any Disaster) happened please keep those involved in your prayers." Are you serious? Because that is exactly what they need is you setting alone in a room somewhere talking to yourself about how you want whatever God you believe in to help them.
Here is a thought, why not ask for something useful to them. Your friend was in a car accident and may not pull through? How about you ask for donations of food, money, or anything at all the family may need. Natural disasters happen around the world and even here in the US all the time. Do these good religious people send money? Do they send food? Do they volunteer to go help with clean up, rebuilding, or help feed the people involved? NO! They send there prayers. PRAYERS! I will pray in 1 hand and shit in the other guess which will fill up the fastest! I don't think that prayer is a bad thing. It is one of the few harmless things that religions do. But come on people if you really care about your fellow man and want to help then do something about it don't just pretend to care for the benefit of self image.
In every religion the God or Gods gives mankind freewill. So lets just pretend that he did that so when bad things happen you can freely will yourself to do something about it yourself rather than pray that said God will do it for you. Do that and the world will be better for it.
I find prayer to be meaningless and trivial. I received some bad news about my Dad's health and my mom begged me to pray. It was so hard to tell her that I would put my faith in the doctors and even if I did pray to an entity that I didn't believe in, my prayers would be meaningless. I would rather get off my ass and DO something, than sit on it and pray for a miracle. Too many people refuse to take responsibility for themselves. They would rather just pray about it and then if it doesn't turn out the way that they want, they have someone else to blame. I, for one, would rather take life as it comes, and feel my pain, and my joy and everything in between and know that it's my own and not the product of the invisible eye in the sky.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you completely. When i hear someone say they are praying for a family member or friend i do tend to tread lightly with them despite my beliefs however in a reverse role they are in no way considerate. I think if we were not restricted by religion when it comes to scientific research less people would have to suffer so much.
ReplyDeleteI don't see anything wrong with praying or sending positive energy and all that, but when people are ABLE to help in a hands on way, and they offer prayer --- that's lip service and I have to doubt the sincerity of their prayer offer.
ReplyDeleteMore often than not it's a cop out. In the south we have this saying we use when we don't want to hurt someones feelings. It's code for "s/he is as ugly as a baboons butt" or "the cheese done slid off his cracker" or "I don't want to." That saying is "well bless `er heart."
If someone absolutely can not physically or financially help, then their offer of prayer is better than nothing. If someone can help and doesn't, that is an "I don't care" thing.
Drew,
ReplyDeleteI stumbled across your blog through a Facebook friend and, after reading, wanted to share my thoughts with you.
I myself am a Christian and I feel that you are extrapolating to an entire group the actions which you see carried out by the perhaps limited number of religious people you know (Obviously I don't know who you know and who you don't; I am merely guessing. If my guess is wrong, correct me). But I can say that I know a lot of Christians who do all of the things that you unequivocally deny they do. I know multiple groups of friends and church members who made multiple trips to New Orleans after Katrina. A church I am temporarily attending took a collection for Japan immediately after the disaster. The church I go to normally has a permanent mission in South Africa to educate children and provide food, clothing, housing, etc. for them. I have a close friend who spent three years in Cambodia actively rescuing 5-8 year old children who were forced into sex slavery. Now he's fighting human trafficking in California. I have a group of Christian friends living in Africa right now who rescue children from tribes that still practice child sacrifice.
Also, I think it is unfair to judge all those who ask for prayer or suggest others to pray when one does not know their own circumstances. While I freely admit that there are many many people who say these things as a token gesture (I myself have a bone to pick with them too, haha), it is possible that a person does not have the time or the money to make such a trip, can't find a reputable organization that will send food, etc.
Ultimately, I understand your point and your valid feelings that those who claim to love all men do not do enough for them. But perhaps they are doing more than we are aware. Perhaps there are circumstances that prevent them from helping as much as they would like. Perhaps there is a God, and those prayers are more effectual than we know. All I ask is that you consider that more goes on than any of us can directly observe.
If nothing else, I hope that my comment can at least encourage you by showing that there are Christians out there who do take the words of Jesus seriously and do give their lives to helping other people. Not all Christians are hypocrites. Not all hope is lost.
Sincerely,
David
I am making a generalization about the majority of Religious people. The number that just send prayer greatly outweighs the number that do help. Personally if i cant do anything physically the Red Cross will take as little as $5 donations and anyone can give up that amount of money no matter what there expenditures. I know a couple Christians who do go out and help or donate money/food etc. To address the missionary work churches do it comes at the cost of having them consistently forcing their beliefs on the people they are helping in areas where they have their own religious doctrine. I know this because i went to church as a child and know how the whole thing works you donate money for food, clothing and bibles. What good is a bible going to do someone who is starving to death or dieing from diseases that can be cured with that same money.
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