Prayer

[georgecostanza]

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[Gadfly]

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[Dionysus]

georgecostanza is the only one to even attempt to answer the question, and he got it right.

 

[Perham1]

georgeconstanza didn't come close to getting it right.

So you're both saying that all those cancer patients who pray for recovery (or the family members who pray) but don't recover just aren't "pure" enough, they have doubt, but those who do pray and are cured, they're the ones without doubt?

I don't think so.

 

[georgecostanza]

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[Perham1]

geo, I'm responding to your 2 paragraphs above, starting with "It's quite simple" about your "theory" of prayer.

It is not quite what you're now saying.

 

[georgecostanza]

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[Dionysus]

I said he got it right, but I'll put it another way, probably better stated: I think the belief aspect is critical in achieving what we seek. Whether it is effective in every scenario imaginable, I don't know. And it doesn't speak to the existence or non-existence of supernatural influence.

 

[Perham1]

I think the belief aspect is critical in achieving what we seek.

Maybe. Maybe not.

I'm talking about what was actually written, see above, about prayer and prayers being answered. Unless I've got that wrong.

I still am of the mind that my example refudiates geos post, where he said, iirc, a prayer is only answered if one has no doubt.

 

[georgecostanza]

I refuted your post. Whether you accept that or not is up to you. Because of past experiences, I don't really expect us to see eye to eye.

 

[Coelacanth]

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[ADMIRALSTOCKDALE]

this is a great thread on a topic that usually devolves by now.

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[Perham1]

No, not a great post:

This means that they may ask God for healing, but they also request that whatever happens is a result of God's plan. They understand that if they are not supposed to be healed, they will not be.

This pseudo-faux-philosophical musing justifies Christian Scientists who forego medicine for faith-healing.

Now, at a rather simplistic, let's-all-hope-our-uber-daddy-looks-over-us level, this is ok. As a workable sort of ethic, it fails.

The idea that if one is "not supposed to be healed, then one is not healed" is rather absurd, imo. A better idea is to eat healthy food, exercise, and get regular medical checkups. I think god works more in those ways than in nonsensical platitudes such as "if you're not supposed to be healed then you won't.

 

[ADMIRALSTOCKDALE]

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