Is It Wrong to Be Faithful/Religious in Public?

[gnomon]

Meh.

Tebow's prayer or Ochocinco's antics? Same thing to me but frankly Tebow's little prayer is far less ostentatious.

edit: But I don't think it's wrong to express religion in public depending upon what exactly is being expressed. Verbally sharing one's faith in a reasonable manner is fine. An improptu stoning on the side of the road is not fine.

 

[connermt]

I'm not sure I agree with the statement "In America, it's generally okay to be religious in public." Replace "religious" with "Christian," however, and I would agree. Though I suppose it depends somewhat on which area of the country you live in...

Christianity is a religion, but not all religions are christians. They are all fundamentally negative though.
Six of one, ½ dozen of the other, so to speak

 

[Breathe]

Christianity is a religion, but not all religions are christians. They are all fundamentally negative though.
Six of one, ½ dozen of the other, so to speak

What do you mean by that?

 

[connermt]

What do you mean by that?

By what, exactly?

 

[Breathe]

By what, exactly?

"They are all fundamentally negative though.", this.
What do you mean, they are all fundamentally negative?

 

[Falvlun]

I always thought it was incredibly insensitive to pray for victory or aid for something as ultimately inconsequential as a ball game (I've seen 'em do it on Survivor too). Really? God doesn't have better things to do, like, I don't know, solving hunger or stopping the breakout of war in the Middle East? And if God does care enough about the ball game to help you win, but apparently not enough about that kid who just got shot by out-of-control militias, then what does that say about God?

So I tend to find the whole thing rather distasteful, with a poor reflection both upon the religion and the blinder-like existence of the believer.

I suppose thanking God for something you've already done is slightly different than asking for help beforehand, so it's not quite as bad. Of course, either display should certainly be allowed, regardless how I feel about it.

Though, I do think the response to boy-wonder Tebow would be a bit different if he espoused some other religion besides Christianity.

 

[ChristineES]

Christianity is a religion, but not all religions are christians. They are all fundamentally negative though.
Six of one, ½ dozen of the other, so to speak

What's up with that? I am not negative at all. So your theory about all Christians being fundamentally negative has been shot down.

 

[ChristineES]

I used to pray before tests- was that wrong?

 

[Falvlun]

I used to pray before tests- was that wrong?

I find it to be rather selfish, yes. I suppose on one hand I don't really understand the purpose of asking God for things through prayer: ultimately, God's going to do whatever he wanted to do anyway.

Although prayer probably does work as a calming, focusing mechanism.

 

[Kerr]

I used to pray before tests- was that wrong?

Of course not.

 

[ChristineES]

I find it to be rather selfish, yes. I suppose on one hand I don't really understand the purpose of asking God for things through prayer: ultimately, God's going to do whatever he wanted to do anyway.

Although prayer probably does work as a calming, focusing mechanism.

Maybe you can explain to me why you would find it selfish. It wasn't like I didn't pray for others to do well on tests, too. And I wasn't praying for an A, I was praying that my mind didn't go blank- which it sometimes does when I am nervous. And my doing well on a test wouldn't keep anyone else from doing well. :shout

 

[Kerr]

Maybe you can explain to me why you would find it selfish. It wasn't like I didn't pray for others to do well on tests, too. And I wasn't praying for an A, I was praying that my mind didn't go blank- which it sometimes does when I am nervous. And my doing well on a test wouldn't keep anyone else from doing well. :shout

Even if it was selfish I fail to see how it could be wrong. Its like talking by a store, see candy in the window and then go in and buy some.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Maybe you can explain to me why you would find it selfish. It wasn't like I didn't pray for others to do well on tests, too. And I wasn't praying for an A, I was praying that my mind didn't go blank- which it sometimes does when I am nervous. And my doing well on a test wouldn't keep anyone else from doing well. :shout

Even knowing that God was leaving other people to starve, die, or otherwise suffer despite their prayers for relief, apparently you thought your test was important enough that if you prayed for it, you stood a good enough of a chance of being answered to make it worth your time to pray.

IOW, your actions implied that your test score was more important than some famine victim's starvation.

 

[ChristineES]

Even knowing that God was leaving other people to starve, die, or otherwise suffer despite their prayers for relief, apparently you thought your test was important enough that if you prayed for it, you stood a good enough of a chance of being answered to make it worth your time to pray.

IOW, your actions implied that your test score was more important than some famine victim's starvation.

And what makes you think the test was the only thing I ever prayed for? I pray all the time, and for many different reasons- mostly for others. And if I passed school, I could get my college degree and get a better job and be better off to help people in need as well- including my own children.
Honestly, do you really see me that way? It makes me kind of sad. I am not perfect but I certainly have tried all my life to help others when I could. I can see that you think that if I said that was the ONLY thing I ever prayed for.

 

[ChristineES]

I am wondering if any of you feel guilty for eating. Every time you eat something, someone else doesn't get to eat what you are eating and may starve! If you buy a new car, you care more about driving than you do about using that money to send to famine victims.
You guys need to take stock of what you say. I am deeply hurt by those statements.

 

[Kerr]

Even knowing that God was leaving other people to starve, die, or otherwise suffer despite their prayers for relief, apparently you thought your test was important enough that if you prayed for it, you stood a good enough of a chance of being answered to make it worth your time to pray.

IOW, your actions implied that your test score was more important than some famine victim's starvation.

What? In what way does her actions imply that she doesnt consider starving people as important as her test? I am confused, are people not allowed to wish that tests will go well?

 

[not nom]

one thing just occured to me: I submit it's utterly wrong to pray for a win in a sports match, wether public or in private... and that's simply because it's a zero sum game! you can only win if the other party looses (also see mark twain's "the war prayer"). there is no sane way to pray for that for anyone paying any attention to anything, basically.

now, that's just about the win, you could still for example praise god for everybody having such a great time, without any serious injuries... but for some reason that never occurs to those heroes.

 

[not nom]

Even knowing that God was leaving other people to starve, die, or otherwise suffer despite their prayers for relief, apparently you thought your test was important enough that if you prayed for it, you stood a good enough of a chance of being answered to make it worth your time to pray.

IOW, your actions implied that your test score was more important than some famine victim's starvation.

then again, not praying for the reversal of entropy basically means you want everyone, everywhere, to die, forever. what's famine to an infinity of existence, for an infinite number of people... ??? so heartless.

 

[ChristineES]

one thing just occured to me: I submit it's utterly wrong to pray for a win in a sports match, wether public or in private... and that's simply because it's a zero sum game! you can only win if the other party looses (also see mark twain's "the war prayer"). there is no sane way to pray for that for anyone paying any attention to anything, basically.

now, that's just about the win, you could still for example praise god for everybody having such a great time, without any serious injuries... but for some reason that never occurs to those heroes.

I personally can't imagine praying that I win a contest or a game, I don't think I've done that. But what about praying that you do well? Is that the same thing? I think it could be, but I don't really know. Praying that you do well may or not be praying that you win.
All said, football isn't all that important to me.

 

[not nom]

But what about praying that you do well? Is that the same thing?

no.. if you do well, nobody else gets hurt by that, actually it adds to the well-being to everybody. poker is a zero-sum game, too. there is a fixed pot, and for someone to get more, others have to get less.

and I don't think it's fair to say praying for X means you don't care about Y, either. though personally, I actually find the idea cynical that god could do something for people, but only does so when asked. so I am not sure if I want to step on that kind of treadmill, where I imagine my prayers to have an effect without ever getting actual feedback. it would seem more sensible to help in more tangible ways. I guess I overthink such things too much to be a very good prayer anyway.

but being grateful for having done well in something which hurts nobody, or that something will go well, for which you did your best to prepare, how could that be bad in any way? one might say it's at the very least simply acknowledging the ultimate say so of god.

but to say you wouldn't wish someone else well because you wish yourself well too, is just silly IMHO. I mean, by that logic, which famine victim should I pray for? and if the answer is "all of them", does that mean lethal diseases are still fine by me?

actually,wait a second.. may everybody find peace and love and happiness, always, amen. solved!