praying to...

[confused453]

i wanted to say something like, 'so god won't protect your home if you don't ask him too...??" or "do you know better than god, is god not aware that your home means a lot to you?"

So you don't get robbed, it means God protected your house. If you get robbed, it means God was testing your faith. Either way God wins. Unless you get a security system.

 

[painted wolf]

Do you think it makes more sense to pray to the universe, the sun, the earth, nature, or even cosmic microwave background radiation (the oldest light in the universe) than to some imaginary deity?

To me it's all the same thing.

wa:do

 

[painted wolf]

Asking for stuff, while sitting or standing in a quiet place, hoping or believing it will become true miraculously.

Is there another way?

Yup.

wa:do

 

[confused453]

To me it's all the same thing.

wa:do

In a way, everything is the same, just glued differently. It all comes to elementary particles. Is God made of something else?

 

[Bob Dixon]

In a way, everything is the same, just glued differently. It all comes to elementary particles. Is God made of something else?

Is God made of anything at all?
Actually, are the elementary particles made of anything at all?

 

[confused453]

There are gods for all of these things.
Except maybe microwave radiation... Maybe this is what Spaghetti Monster rules (pasta lama laikum).

Hyperion, the titan?

 

[painted wolf]

In a way, everything is the same, just glued differently. It all comes to elementary particles. Is God made of something else?

...God is...
As a pantheist/panentheist it really is all the same to me.

wa:do

 

[confused453]

Most of us don't think of God as Santa Claus. I pray for well-being for my fellow human beings, mostly and more directly my family and friends and a couple of my neighbors here who have cancer- that God watches over them and their families.

Interesting point, but I think you got it the other way.
We wish for free presents from Santa Claus, instead using the hard earned money to buy the items. We pray for free cure from God, instead of eating well, and taking good care of our bodies.

 

[confused453]

Is God made of anything at all?
Actually, are the elementary particles made of anything at all?

Wikipedia says "it is not known to be made up of smaller particles." I think particles follow the laws of the universe, so those can't be God.

 

[ChristineES]

Interesting point, but I think you got it the other way.
We wish for free presents from Santa Claus, instead using the hard earned money to buy the items. We pray for free cure from God, instead of eating well, and taking good care of our bodies.

Nothing wrong with doing both: Eating well, taking care of ourselves, exercising, etc. and praying to God for guidance. We don't really expect a "free cure" though, just for God to be with the person and watch over him or her- which God does anyway (the way we see it).

 

[1137]

Do you think it makes more sense to pray to the universe, the sun, the earth, nature, or even cosmic microwave background radiation (the oldest light in the universe) than to some imaginary deity?

Eh, it doesn't matter. Prayer works when one thinks it works. If an extrememly religious theist is in the hospital and knows their congregation is praying for them, they may get better just because they think God is answering those prayers. Other groups call this magic(k) but really it's just psychology. So actually, maybe, praying to the most popular imaginary deity may be the most sensible thing to do if you can't come to terms with reality and take control. That's also why magic(k) is more respectablr than prayer, it's about that mastery of your own mind. Who cares if the tools that work are imaginary as long as you realize they are?

 

[George-ananda]

Do you think it makes more sense to pray to the universe, the sun, the earth, nature, or even cosmic microwave background radiation (the oldest light in the universe) than to some imaginary deity?

It doesn't make sense to pray period in your question with the assumptions it has.

Of course some people believe their diety is more than 'imaginary'.

 

[Jainarayan]

Do you think it makes more sense to pray to the universe, the sun, the earth, nature, or even cosmic microwave background radiation (the oldest light in the universe) than to some imaginary deity?

Imaginary is in the eye of the beholder.

People claim there are subatomic particles; I have not seen any.
People claim there are microscopic microorganisms; I have not seen any.

Are they imaginary because I have not seen any? No, I take it on faith that they exist. I take it on faith that God is real. If I need proof, how steady is my faith?

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio than are dreamt of in your philosophy." corollary: "The universe is not only stranger than we imagine; it is stranger than we can imagine."

 

[Katzpur]

Do you think it makes more sense to pray to the universe, the sun, the earth, nature, or even cosmic microwave background radiation (the oldest light in the universe) than to some imaginary deity?

I can't imagine praying to "some imaginary deity." On the other hand, exactly what would you pray to the sun, the earth of radiation for? Do you see them as cognizant of your concerns?

 

[confused453]

Imaginary is in the eye of the beholder.

People claim there are subatomic particles; I have not seen any.

Just get a job where you get to use a high energy particle accelerator, that can allow you to smash atoms, and observe those particles.

People claim there are microscopic microorganisms; I have not seen any.

What's keeping you from trying to use a microscope?

Are they imaginary because I have not seen any? No, I take it on faith that they exist. I take it on faith that God is real. If I need proof, how steady is my faith?

There's no need for faith for what you're asking, those things are based on proof. How would you feel about your faith if you were to find out that God doesn't exist?

 

[confused453]

I can't imagine praying to "some imaginary deity." On the other hand, exactly what would you pray to the sun, the earth of radiation for? Do you see them as cognizant of your concerns?

I would ask the sun to keep my body energized, without causing damage, to protect our solar system from other stars and gamma ray cosmic radiation or something like that.... I'd pray to earth for clean water and nourishment, I'm not sure what I'd ask the background radiation,,,, maybe to reveal stuff when its too dark to properly see??
Doesn't mean I believe in doing it this way, but it'd feel better than giving yourself up to some deity, imaginary or not.

 

[Katzpur]

I would ask the sun to keep my body energized, without causing damage, to protect our solar system from other stars and gamma ray cosmic radiation or something like that.... I'd pray to earth for clean water and nourishment, I'm not sure what I'd ask the background radiation,,,, maybe to reveal stuff when its too dark to properly see??

So you think it's within the sun's power to consciously do these things? Interesting.

 

[confused453]

So you think it's within the sun's power to consciously do these things? Interesting.

I know the sun has a lot of power, and it also keeps us alive, but I don't know if it's conscious. I know about God as much as I know about Wolverine from Marvel comics.

 

[Jainarayan]

There's no need for faith for what you're asking, those things are based on proof.

But I haven't personally experienced that proof, so for me it doesn't exist. I have to take it on faith.

How would you feel about your faith if you were to find out that God doesn't exist?

How would one go about proving that? What is God? God has to be defined first to prove or disprove.

 

[confused453]

But I haven't personally experienced that proof, so for me it doesn't exist. I have to take it on faith.

No you don't. Get a microscope, work in a garden for few minutes, don't wash your hands, point the microscope towards your skin, and you should see the tiny microbes.

How would one go about proving that? What is God? God has to be defined first to prove or disprove.

Totally true, and there's no single definition as far as I understand. So if we don't know what God really is, why do we bother interacting with it?