The Workermonkey

Saturday, June 10, 2006

On Prayer 

# posted by wyldshaman @ 6/10/2006 08:49:00 AM

In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me.
Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue.
What shall be given to you, or what shall be done to you, you false tongue?
Sharp arrows of the warrior, with coals of the broom tree!
Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kadar!
My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace.
I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
-The Book of Psalms:120

Prayer is not a universal religious practice. In fact the Buddha spoke against it, in the Anguttara Nikaya. Also there is a school of thought about self-actualization prayer. Similar to a personal mantra, where you speak your plans or actions to be accomplished, thus creating in your mind/subconscious the will to act these things out. I think this is used by many sports players to visualize their personal victories whatever they may be and I think this can be successfully used in daily life.

This was part of a larger post in response to Damon’s anti-prayer rant. With all the problems in the world why even discuss the “Prayer Problem,” meaningless or not, im sure that it doesn’t hurt anyone. And if makes someone feel good about themselves or helps them to live a more compassionate life, why shoot it down?

11 comments

Please remind when and where my anti prayer rant is. Though I am not religious and think that religion sometimes causes trouble, I know that it helps some people, and think anyone is free to practice whatever they would like so long as it's not hurting others.

By  Damon, at Saturday, June 10, 2006 10:30:00 AM  

its not that i hate prayer (which i do) i'd just rather have people waste thier time for a good purpose, why aren't people praying to scientists or having faith in technology. wouldn't it be more productive if we all took a minute to bow our heads before microsoft? most of hte people who pray every day just need to feel something, why does it have to be religion? if they need to feel a part of a group, or that they belong, fuck, get involved and do something.

By  Supreme Monkey Overlord, at Sunday, June 11, 2006 10:46:00 AM  

To Matt:
To answer your first question i think its call Scientology.
2nd answer is Communism.

To Damon:
Not sure, it was about 2 months ago, you commented on an article about prayer being scientifically disproven, if it wasent you im sorry, it was one of you other HERETICS!

By  wyldshaman, at Sunday, June 11, 2006 12:07:00 PM  

Ok yes I remember that article. I think it was just a big waste to study prayer, because like you say the benefit is just like the visualization technique athletes use. Praying can help to calm, inspire, and energize those doing it, but of course nothing connects that person to a patient in a hospital suffering from a heart condition or whatever the study was looking at.

By  Damon, at Monday, June 12, 2006 3:05:00 AM  

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

By  wyldshaman, at Monday, June 12, 2006 7:52:00 AM  

Well... actually it does, we are all connected, if you look into Physics and what Einstein and others talk about. Being made up of atoms/molecules/whatever, the difference between a solid object and air is really not that much. There are vast spaces between even the most dense objects when looked at closely. Anyway, i dont understand all this, but what im getting at is if we are all just balls of energy floating in energy, why cant my energy have some effect upon your energy? I mean it must, right, being connected as such, how can it not? But to study this... well i think its near impossible at this time, but certainly not worthless.

By  wyldshaman, at Monday, June 12, 2006 7:55:00 AM  

Yes people, air, and solids are all made up of very similiar atoms. An alternative form of matter is energy, and these things can interact over distance through magnetic or electric fields, and electromagnetic waves. The reason people aren't connected or affecting each other through these means is that there are trillions of other equally energetic atoms in the way and the strength of fields drops off exponetially with distance. So pray for someone with this physical explantion or put a drop of water in the Thames River and think that I'll feel the resulting wave in the Baltic Sea.

By  Damon, at Monday, June 12, 2006 9:55:00 AM  

I like to discuss the "connectedness" issue. (In fact, i've considered devoting my life to it.) It incorporates science, religion, theory, philosophy, personal beliefes, the unknown. Damon your points are all coming from the science perspective. Which is good and neccessary. Jesse's points are coming from the personal beliefs and feelings. Which is just as good and neccessary. Now, beleive me, i am a man of science. There are certainly things we do not yet know or understand. And there may be things we will never understand. Right now there is more we can discover. There is. A new branch of science i think. It will be scoffed, it will be criticized, but it will prevail. Because we are all seeking the same thing afterall. Truth?

By  Brancibeer, at Monday, June 12, 2006 12:39:00 PM  

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

By  DJ Booze Piñata, at Monday, June 12, 2006 6:45:00 PM  

damn it macunas, you fucked up the whole thing. its just one long word so the site won't break it up. fuck. we're stuck with it like that for like a month.

By  Supreme Monkey Overlord, at Monday, June 12, 2006 8:54:00 PM  

This is what macunas said:

Transpersonal psychology is certainly a field I'm excited about,which hopefully will get some attention during our lifetimes. I'm with you Brian. It's very difficult to do any sort of empirical testing on such things right now, making them elusive.
Andyesmyspacebar'sbusted.

By  Supreme Monkey Overlord, at Monday, June 12, 2006 8:57:00 PM  

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