prayer...a few questions.

[FearGod]

LOL! You're talking about one place, Intermountain Healthcare that did one study, a study that most certainly does not align with your claims even remotely.

Seems you didnt read well.

Study finds routine periodic fasting is good for your health, and your heart

Fasting found to reduce cardiac risk factors, such as triglycerides, weight, and blood sugar levels

Murray, UT (4/03/11) – Fasting has long been associated with religious rituals, diets, and political protests. Now new evidence from cardiac researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute demonstrates that routine periodic fasting is also good for your health, and your heart.
Today, research cardiologists at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute are reporting that fasting not only lowers one's risk of coronary artery disease and diabetes, but also causes significant changes in a person's blood cholesterol levels. Both diabetes and elevated cholesterol are known risk factors for coronary heart disease...Read More

 

[A Troubled Man]

Seems you didnt read well.

No, it seems you've been quite dishonest in your claims. It is well known what is required for the body so as not to deprive the brain and vital organs of necessary glucose.

Detoxification and cleansing diets are something entirely different from your claims.

 

[FearGod]

No, it seems you've been quite dishonest in your claims. It is well known what is required for the body so as not to deprive the brain and vital organs of necessary glucose.

Detoxification and cleansing diets are something entirely different from your claims.

i do respect your VOP,but dont say i am dishonest,because that is what i believe,
and you are free for what you believe.

i cant understand what is the relation between honesty and one's belief.

 

[A Troubled Man]

i do respect your VOP,but dont say i am dishonest,because that is what i believe,and you are free for what you believe.

No, it isn't what you believe, it is what you're dishonestly attempting to portray as fact, and you know it.

 

[waitasec]

i do respect your VOP,but dont say i am dishonest,because that is what i believe,
and you are free for what you believe.

i cant understand what is the relation between honesty and one's belief.

why did you ask

what a benefit he got by forcing
us to fast for one month

 

[Erebus]

Hi waitasec I've taken a few quotes that caught my eye as I scanned through the thread. I figured I'd have a go at answering them from my own perspective.



seems to me prayer is externalizing what is already internal...so i don't get it.
what is so important about externalizing what one feels internally to god...isn't it the same as externalizing the internal to oneself?

Words have power (assuming the prayer is spoken out loud, many people prefer silent prayer). Swearing for example helps relieve pain while tone of voice can radically alter the meaning of what you say. In the form of spoken prayer this can manifest as a confession, a plea, gratitude etc and essentially serves as a means of turning thoughts into a tangible "thing". For some people this serves to reinforce the power of the thought.


does one have to pray to show god they want his will?
isn't that already determined by how one acts or approaches the situation rather then what one says in a prayer?

Now I don't believe in fate as a linear concept, I think of it more as being a huge tree. Every one of the countless choices and external circumstances forms a new branch leading ultimately towards a new outcome. Prayer will thus alter your course on whatever particular branch you're currently on simply by being a choice to reflect on your situation.
This is a hideously complicated concept though so I may have to come back to it after a decent night's sleep


what is the point in ceremonial prayer?

Have you been involved in a ceremony? Not just out of duty or going through the motions, but actually putting everything of yourself into it? I ask that as a serious question and not as a cheap shot by the way.

is god more concerned about appearances rather than substance?

I would say no, but then I don't think of prayer as being for a deity's benefit. If you don't mean what you say or think then what benefit will it provide for you?
Incidentally this is the most common trap people fall into in both prayer and magic IMO. No matter how arcane a prayer or incantation may sound, if you don't mean them then they're little more than a sequence of noises.

 

[waitasec]

Hi waitasec I've taken a few quotes that caught my eye as I scanned through the thread. I figured I'd have a go at answering them from my own perspective.



seems to me prayer is externalizing what is already internal...so i don't get it.
what is so important about externalizing what one feels internally to god...isn't it the same as externalizing the internal to oneself?

Words have power (assuming the prayer is spoken out loud, many people prefer silent prayer). Swearing for example helps relieve pain while tone of voice can radically alter the meaning of what you say. In the form of spoken prayer this can manifest as a confession, a plea, gratitude etc and essentially serves as a means of turning thoughts into a tangible "thing". For some people this serves to reinforce the power of the thought.


does one have to pray to show god they want his will?
isn't that already determined by how one acts or approaches the situation rather then what one says in a prayer?

Now I don't believe in fate as a linear concept, I think of it more as being a huge tree. Every one of the countless choices and external circumstances forms a new branch leading ultimately towards a new outcome. Prayer will thus alter your course on whatever particular branch you're currently on simply by being a choice to reflect on your situation.
This is a hideously complicated concept though so I may have to come back to it after a decent night's sleep


what is the point in ceremonial prayer?

Have you been involved in a ceremony? Not just out of duty or going through the motions, but actually putting everything of yourself into it? I ask that as a serious question and not as a cheap shot by the way.

is god more concerned about appearances rather than substance?

I would say no, but then I don't think of prayer as being for a deity's benefit. If you don't mean what you say or think then what benefit will it provide for you?
Incidentally this is the most common trap people fall into in both prayer and magic IMO. No matter how arcane a prayer or incantation may sound, if you don't mean them then they're little more than a sequence of noises.

thank you for your thoughtful post.

i suppose my question is to point out, that there is no difference between prayer and meditation because ultimately the person is pulling strength from within.

i think the idea that the one who is finding something out about their self by way of "prayer" is really undermining the human experience
as it perpetuates a notion that answers are given, not realized...

 

[Erebus]

thank you for your thoughtful post.

i suppose my question is to point out, that there is no difference between prayer and meditation because ultimately the person is pulling strength from within.

i think the idea that the one who is finding something out about their self by way of "prayer" is really undermining the human experience
as it perpetuates a notion that answers are given, not realized...

Hi, sorry it took a while to reply.

I'm kind of inclined to agree with you here, though I wouldn't say it undermines human experience. It's just another thing in life that some people will find helpful and some won't. I would suggest that one of the dangers of prayer and religion is that it's easy to fall into the trap of following dogma and ritual without purpose. Droning along to a hymn in church while desperately wanting to be back in bed isn't helpful, it's just a waste of time. A walk in the countryside is a much better use of time IMO.

 

[waitasec]

Hi, sorry it took a while to reply.

I'm kind of inclined to agree with you here, though I wouldn't say it undermines human experience. It's just another thing in life that some people will find helpful and some won't. I would suggest that one of the dangers of prayer and religion is that it's easy to fall into the trap of following dogma and ritual without purpose. Droning along to a hymn in church while desperately wanting to be back in bed isn't helpful, it's just a waste of time. A walk in the countryside is a much better use of time IMO.

good things are worth waiting for.