Mayahi It’s not news to note that Jesus attempted to realign human religion – typically some kind of combination of fear and self-praise – but human religion has managed to continue mostly unfazed by his critique. But occasionally the divergence still amazes me. Intercessionary prayer is one of those things. I hear Christians talking about “praying on” things all the time, and it’s clear what they intend by it: they intend to fix problems (usually other people’s) and improve the world. Like all things that don’t work, this always strikes me as dangerous. How many times do we have to hear people talking about being ten years old and praying praying praying so hard for something – that they would no longer be beaten, or that their mother would not die, or whatever it might be – not getting it, and giving up on God? Kudos to my mother on this account, who always taught that the one thing you could ask for in prayer was strength, to suffer well, so to speak. Jesus at Gethsemane was not given what he asked for (“that this cup may pass from me”).
buy clomid privately Sullivan notes a study which indicates that intercessionary prayer has no effect on cardiac patients if they don’t know people are praying for them; and if they know that people are praying for them, they do worse! Si papa essem – if I were pope – I would commission a thousand more studies like this and put to rest the idea that “the race goes to the one who prays the hardest for victory,” and perhaps we can all get beyond religion as a means of controlling the world around us. That’s all an ego-trip and nothing more – religion starts once you get over it.
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
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