Author Topic: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"  (Read 15321 times)

Agnostic007

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Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« on: October 24, 2018, 08:10:51 PM »
When are people going to learn asking people for prayers because Billy is in the hospital is a waste of time? I have seen it 50 times. Billy goes into the hospital, Martha asks for prayers. Martha gets 400 "Thoughts and Prayers" replies. Billy still dies or loses his ____ and not a single one of them ask the obvious question...

Las Vegas

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2018, 04:17:39 PM »
When are people going to learn asking people for prayers because Billy is in the hospital is a waste of time? I have seen it 50 times. Billy goes into the hospital, Martha asks for prayers. Martha gets 400 "Thoughts and Prayers" replies. Billy still dies or loses his ____ and not a single one of them ask the obvious question...

What is that question?

Agnostic007

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2018, 06:23:35 PM »
What is that question?

It's pretty obvious  :)

Las Vegas

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2018, 01:35:46 PM »
It's pretty obvious  :)

A007 - What do you know about the prayers, to make you believe it should be obvious?

Man of Steel

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #4 on: October 29, 2018, 11:02:45 AM »
One of the many existing threads about prayer:

http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=476374.msg6758285#msg6758285

Take care,
MOS

Kwon3

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2018, 10:40:18 PM »
One of the many existing threads about prayer:

http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=476374.msg6758285#msg6758285

Take care,
MOS

That thread is from 2013.

This thread is from 2018.

Deferring to another conversation from the past about the same subject to avoid discussing it today is intellectual laziness. Something fairly common in the religious community when you ask precise questions or require an explanation for things such as proposed in the first post in my experience. You guys get comfortable in your echo chamber and don't feel the need to reiterate the same talking points to the uninitiated and skeptical or just plain curious. It's a subject that bears repeating and should be discussed a million times if need be if you care about spreading your message outside the comfortable confines of your fellow devotees.

Man of Steel

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #6 on: November 01, 2018, 12:34:11 PM »
That thread is from 2013.

This thread is from 2018.

Deferring to another conversation from the past about the same subject to avoid discussing it today is intellectual laziness. Something fairly common in the religious community when you ask precise questions or require an explanation for things such as proposed in the first post in my experience. You guys get comfortable in your echo chamber and don't feel the need to reiterate the same talking points to the uninitiated and skeptical or just plain curious. It's a subject that bears repeating and should be discussed a million times if need be if you care about spreading your message outside the comfortable confines of your fellow devotees.

“Never memorize something that you can look up.”  Albert Einstein

Suppose that makes him intellectually lazy LOL?

Difference is my position is memorized.  It's also unchanged; therefore what I wrote 5 years ago I stand by 100% today.

How bout you stop being lazy and read the other thread?  :)  If you had you'd find that I already wrote on these things at that time.   All these objections are rehashed repeatedly anyhow...often regurgitated with zero study behind them...don't have enough fingers and toes to count the times I've encountered that on this topic alone.

Agnostic007

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2018, 08:44:52 PM »
i haven't looked, but I know what is there from experience. "God works in mysterious ways" "He answers all prayers, sometimes the answer is no" "They must have lacked faith" etc etc. The fact is, praying to a door knob and praying to the Christian god, as long as there is the "outs" of "you must have faith" and "it has to be his will" and "Some times the answer is no" is statistically the same

Man of Steel

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #8 on: November 02, 2018, 06:36:40 AM »
i haven't looked, but I know what is there from experience. "God works in mysterious ways" "He answers all prayers, sometimes the answer is no" "They must have lacked faith" etc etc. The fact is, praying to a door knob and praying to the Christian god, as long as there is the "outs" of "you must have faith" and "it has to be his will" and "Some times the answer is no" is statistically the same

You should read it too LOL, but if history serves (and it always does) it won't be read and my response has nothing to do with anything you wrote above.

Look I'm not gonna beg anyone to read anything I've written....read it, ignore it, do whatever you please with it....in the end it isn't my problem.

I've repeatedly put forth my concern for the eternal security of others, but I can't overcome stone cold suppression of the truth of God.

I just check in once in awhile and if I feel like posting I do, but majority of the time I don't anymore.....pointless when it's basically communicated to dry bones.

Humble Narcissist

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #9 on: November 07, 2018, 03:30:57 PM »
“Never memorize something that you can look up.”  Albert Einstein

Suppose that makes him intellectually lazy LOL?

Difference is my position is memorized.  It's also unchanged; therefore what I wrote 5 years ago I stand by 100% today.

How bout you stop being lazy and read the other thread?  :)  If you had you'd find that I already wrote on these things at that time.   All these objections are rehashed repeatedly anyhow...often regurgitated with zero study behind them...don't have enough fingers and toes to count the times I've encountered that on this topic alone.
Atheists always ask these stupid questions and think they are the smartest people in the world who just thought up the question.

IroNat

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #10 on: November 07, 2018, 05:24:39 PM »
Odin never let me down yet.


Humble Narcissist

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #11 on: November 08, 2018, 03:26:50 AM »
Thor listens much more!

leshion

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #12 on: November 08, 2018, 03:55:12 AM »
I think Zeus is the best though

Humble Narcissist

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #13 on: November 08, 2018, 05:00:18 AM »
He's a little too arrogant for my taste.

avxo

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #14 on: November 12, 2018, 12:37:22 AM »
When are people going to learn asking people for prayers because Billy is in the hospital is a waste of time? I have seen it 50 times. Billy goes into the hospital, Martha asks for prayers. Martha gets 400 "Thoughts and Prayers" replies. Billy still dies or loses his ____ and not a single one of them ask the obvious question...

I don’t mind people asking that stuff. I don’t think it helps in any supernatural way although it wouldn’t surprise me if people predisposed to believe that prayer produces results would derive some “benefit” (if only psychological) from knowing others prayed from them.

Man of Steel

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #15 on: November 12, 2018, 12:04:17 PM »
I don’t mind people asking that stuff. I don’t think it helps in any supernatural way although it wouldn’t surprise me if people predisposed to believe that prayer produces results would derive some “benefit” (if only psychological) from knowing others prayed from them.

This is one of the most reasonable atheistic perspectives I think I've ever read on this topic......I mean that too.

avxo

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #16 on: November 13, 2018, 07:50:19 AM »
This is one of the most reasonable atheistic perspectives I think I've ever read on this topic......I mean that too.

I can be reasonable! ;)

Agnostic007

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #17 on: November 13, 2018, 08:20:18 PM »
I don’t mind people asking that stuff. I don’t think it helps in any supernatural way although it wouldn’t surprise me if people predisposed to believe that prayer produces results would derive some “benefit” (if only psychological) from knowing others prayed from them.

I guess the thing that strikes me is I see it many times, and in many of the cases the worst case scenario comes about. People then offer prayers for the family in their time of loss... I wonder why they think the second prayer will carry more weight than the first prayer. More specifically, rather than the people count up the times that happened and realize it is just a mind game, and prayers don't have an impact, they just forget the unanswered prayers and continue with the game.

avxo

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #18 on: November 13, 2018, 10:02:51 PM »
I guess the thing that strikes me is I see it many times, and in many of the cases the worst case scenario comes about. People then offer prayers for the family in their time of loss... I wonder why they think the second prayer will carry more weight than the first prayer. More specifically, rather than the people count up the times that happened and realize it is just a mind game, and prayers don't have an impact, they just forget the unanswered prayers and continue with the game.

I don't find a request for "thoughts and prayers" offensive. I tend to read "please keep us in your thoughts" or "please pray for my sick child" as "Going through a hard time. I don't know what, if anything, you can do, but please do something. Anything. I need help." It may not be the kind of thing I'd ask for, but it's certainly the kind of request I can understand at a very raw, emotional level.

To me, the problem isn't people asking for "thoughts and prayers". Rather, the problem is when "thoughts and prayers" becomes an empty phrase; a standardized thought-ending cliche in response to just about anything.

Got recently diagnosed with cancer and have months to live? Thoughts and prayers are coming your way from people that have never thought of you before and, likely, never will again.
Crazy person shoots up your kid at school? Thoughts and prayers are coming your way from people that would probably never know your kid from an electric pole.
Having suicidal thoughts? Thoughts and prayers are coming your way from people that don't want to hang out with you because you're a stick in the  mud.

In other words "I acknowledge you. Now won't you please go fuck yourself?"


Within reason, of course! If an alcoholic is waiting for a liver transplant and says "I'm shit-faced drunk and going crazy waiting for a new liver. Please pray for me!" I'm not very sympathetic.

Agnostic007

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #19 on: November 14, 2018, 03:02:06 PM »
I don't find a request for "thoughts and prayers" offensive. I tend to read "please keep us in your thoughts" or "please pray for my sick child" as "Going through a hard time. I don't know what, if anything, you can do, but please do something. Anything. I need help." It may not be the kind of thing I'd ask for, but it's certainly the kind of request I can understand at a very raw, emotional level.

To me, the problem isn't people asking for "thoughts and prayers". Rather, the problem is when "thoughts and prayers" becomes an empty phrase; a standardized thought-ending cliche in response to just about anything.

Got recently diagnosed with cancer and have months to live? Thoughts and prayers are coming your way from people that have never thought of you before and, likely, never will again.
Crazy person shoots up your kid at school? Thoughts and prayers are coming your way from people that would probably never know your kid from an electric pole.
Having suicidal thoughts? Thoughts and prayers are coming your way from people that don't want to hang out with you because you're a stick in the  mud.

In other words "I acknowledge you. Now won't you please go fuck yourself?"


Within reason, of course! If an alcoholic is waiting for a liver transplant and says "I'm shit-faced drunk and going crazy waiting for a new liver. Please pray for me!" I'm not very sympathetic.

Agree. I don't find the request offensive. I guess I just find them useless for the most part short of getting sympathy from friends. I'm sure that helps in some way,. It's the ignoring the failed prayers by the believers that I find "interesting" as if the request never existed. I guess it is like betting on number  4 on the roulette wheel. 30 times it doesn't come up, 31'st time it does, I guess you will be telling all your friends about that one time. 

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #20 on: November 14, 2018, 03:14:50 PM »
I guess the thing that strikes me is I see it many times, and in many of the cases the worst case scenario comes about. People then offer prayers for the family in their time of loss... I wonder why they think the second prayer will carry more weight than the first prayer. More specifically, rather than the people count up the times that happened and realize it is just a mind game, and prayers don't have an impact, they just forget the unanswered prayers and continue with the game.

Because they are indoctrinated/ Brainwashed by religion
And lose the ability to think rationally about the nonsense
They are doing.

Very similar to the Liberal Leftists & their self hating self destroying
Views & Beliefs.

A lot of Brainwashed induced Mental Illness around.


 ;D

Agnostic007

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Re: Facebook Friend doing the "prayer request thingy"
« Reply #21 on: November 14, 2018, 04:56:35 PM »
Because they are indoctrinated/ Brainwashed by religion
And lose the ability to think rationally about the nonsense
They are doing.

Very similar to the Liberal Leftists & their self hating self destroying
Views & Beliefs.

A lot of Brainwashed induced Mental Illness around.


 ;D

I suppose