Why do Christians pray to their god?

[Sassy]

That's right, why do Christians pray to their god?  I never really got the point.

Millions of Christians will pray to their god and ask for his help, mercy, etc.  Yet I keep hearing how the Christian god is all-merciful and good, so why bother begging him to be something that he already is?

Christians also believe in the devil who they see as the source of evil.   Perhaps they should ask Satan not to be so evil by praying to him?  Christians can't make their god any more merciful than he already is and neither can they make him act in their personal circumstances.

However, praying to the bad guy might get them a result.

Have you studied anything to do with Christianity? Your threads suggest NOT.

God has already provided for us before we ask.

King James Bible
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

And if you really understood God and Satan, you would never have written this thread.

[Leonard James]

Have you studied anything to do with Christianity? Your threads suggest NOT.

God has already provided for us before we ask.
And if you really understood God and Satan, you would never have written this thread.

From the evidence of Christians themselves, very few of them "understand God and Satan".

[floo]

Have you studied anything to do with Christianity? Your threads suggest NOT.

God has already provided for us before we ask.
And if you really understood God and Satan, you would never have written this thread.

One has got to hand it to Sass she has the makings of a stand up comedian!

[Khatru]

I think it was CS Lewis who said ''prayer doesn't change God it changes me''

To use the parent offspring analogy, the daughter talks to the parent, the parent talks back....there is guidance from the parent and petition from the daughter.
Usually the parent comes to their own solution to the child's petition unswayed by what the child wants but what the child needs. Prayer is a parent offspring dialogue.

Sounds like one of the items on my list of stock Christian responses:  The one about adopting a child's perspective.

In terms of evil there is a specific irrational hatred of God and Christ which manifests itself now and then which goes beyond mere disbelief in gods.

We can hardly hate that which we don't believe exists.  That would be like hating the Dark Lord Sauron.

When it comes to hating other deities, that's the Christian's department.   Why your own holy book contains instructions to kill those who practice freedom of religion.

[Shaker]

One has got to hand it to Sass she has the makings of a stand up comedian!

I disagree - although the end effect can be decidedly otherwise, stand-ups are at least supposed to make an effort to be funny.

[Khatru]

It has to do with asking Satan not to act according to his nature.

Is that the nature that your god endowed him with?

What's the harm in asking Satan to tone his God-given evil down a bit?

[Khatru]

Actually, a ringing endorsement of prayer is exactly what it is.  The point of Christianity is that it should lead to the improvement of people, and often prayer gets one to understand that you can be the answer to that prayer.

Of course, Christianity has no monopoly on prayer and what you say can be applied to any religion.

[Khatru]

Have you studied anything to do with Christianity? Your threads suggest NOT.

God has already provided for us before we ask.
And if you really understood God and Satan, you would never have written this thread.

I don't understand because I'm not a biblical scholar
I don't understand because, unlike you, I'm not a "true Christian"

[Sebastian Toe]

I disagree - although the end effect can be decidedly otherwise, stand-ups are at least supposed to make an effort to be funny.

Just before Sass wrote that, she 'felt a bit funny', so her ...........

Oh no I've turned into Vlad!   

[Sassy]

From the evidence of Christians themselves, very few of them "understand God and Satan".

You are not in a position to know if that is true...are you?
Evidence is something you cannot recognise spiritually.

[floo]

You are not in a position to know if that is true...are you?
Evidence is something you cannot recognise spiritually.

Evidence is something you definitely don't have, Sass! 

[Sassy]

Evidence is something you definitely don't have, Sass! 

It's only you Floo... the atheists do not respect you and all know you haven't a clue about Christianity.
Not viable as a weapon for atheism against Christianity and more likely to cause atheism embarrassment than anything else.
Keep up the good work, Floo. Atheists... Keep on supporting your embarrassment.

[floo]

It's only you Floo... the atheists do not respect you and all know you haven't a clue about Christianity.
Not viable as a weapon for atheism against Christianity and more likely to cause atheism embarrassment than anything else.
Keep up the good work, Floo. Atheists... Keep on supporting your embarrassment.

And you know that for a fact do you, or are your talking out of your rear end as usual?

I think I probably know a lot more about Christianity than you. I don't think there are too many Christians who see it your way, judging by some of the remarks directed at you by them over the years?

[Sassy]

And you know that for a fact do you, or are your talking out of your rear end as usual?

I think I probably know a lot more about Christianity than you. I don't think there are too many Christians who see it your way, judging by some of the remarks directed at you by them over the years?

Poor thing... Christianity.... know a lot more... there again you show you know absolutely nothing about Christianity.
It is not a seeing of a way it is about Spirit and Truth. Don't worry you haven't the knowledge to even know when to be embarrassed about your ignorance showing.

[floo]

Well at least some of Sass's posts make me giggle!

[Leonard James]

Poor thing... Christianity.... know a lot more... there again you show you know absolutely nothing about Christianity.
It is not a seeing of a way it is about Spirit and Truth. Don't worry you haven't the knowledge to even know when to be embarrassed about your ignorance showing.

Don't be such an ignorant, rude old bag, Sass. 

[Khatru]

Poor thing... Christianity.... know a lot more... there again you show you know absolutely nothing about Christianity.
It is not a seeing of a way it is about Spirit and Truth. Don't worry you haven't the knowledge to even know when to be embarrassed about your ignorance showing.

Trouble is, you can't tell the difference between your god and a figment of your imagination. 

Lighten up, Sass.

Try some hilarious black comedy.

Perhaps you should read James Morrow’s “Godhead Trilogy”

Towing Jehovah

God has committed suicide. His gigantic body is adrift in the north Atlantic where it remains a menace to faith and shipping. It must be God's body because it’s two miles long and doesn't have a bellybutton.   The heavenly host who are dying off very quickly from sympathetic death syndrome have hired an oil tanker captain to tow the body to the North Pole where they plan to lay Jehovah to rest.

Along the way they have various adventures and at one point they get becalmed and are practically dying of starvation until they realise they have two miles of meat in tow.  The book does contain some recipes.


Blameless in Abbadon

This is the next book in the series. Here you can read how the body of God never made it to its final resting place - instead becoming the centre of attraction at a South Carolina amusement park.  A short time afterwards a man dying of cancer puts God's corpse on trial for the existence of evil. You'll probably enjoy the part where they take a walk through God's brain where they encounter several saints, and heroes from the Bible.  Among these characters we meet the colossally perverted Saint Augustine of Hippo, Lot, his pregnant daughters and his transformed wife. Lot carries her around wherever he goes because he's drilled a hole in a position he can use (his daughters have lost interest) and besides, she's very useful when it comes to salting margaritas.

Eternal Footman

The final instalment - God's bloated corpse has exploded and his huge skull has made it into orbit.

This bit is straight out of the book....

Cirrus clouds rimmed God's skull. He appeared to be wearing a white toupee. At least there weren't any ads today. Why the Vatican permitted the multinationals to aim their lasers at His brow was a mystery she couldn't fathom. Contemplating the Cranium Dei was depressing enough. You shouldn't have to read COKE IS IT in the bargain.

[2Corrie]

To me it's not merely bizarre but demeaning and infantilising - I think you said only a few days ago that the ultimate goal of a parent is to raise secure, stable offspring who will grow up to be independent adults not needing parents (which in most cases they won't have anyway, eventually). The analogy in theistic terms seems to encourage a state of perpetual childish dependency.

Mark 10:15 indeed

[floo]

Mark 10:15 indeed

Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Silly nonsense! If Jesus was correctly reported he spoke out of his rear end from time to time! 

[Shaker]

Mark 10:15 indeed

1 Corinthians 13:11 indeed.

[floo]

1 Corinthians 13:11 indeed.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways.


Exactly!

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Trouble is, you can't tell the difference between your god and a figment of your imagination. 

Lighten up, Sass.

Try some hilarious black comedy.

Perhaps you should read James Morrow’s “Godhead Trilogy”

Towing Jehovah

God has committed suicide. His gigantic body is adrift in the north Atlantic where it remains a menace to faith and shipping. It must be God's body because it’s two miles long and doesn't have a bellybutton.   The heavenly host who are dying off very quickly from sympathetic death syndrome have hired an oil tanker captain to tow the body to the North Pole where they plan to lay Jehovah to rest.

Along the way they have various adventures and at one point they get becalmed and are practically dying of starvation until they realise they have two miles of meat in tow.  The book does contain some recipes.


Blameless in Abbadon

This is the next book in the series. Here you can read how the body of God never made it to its final resting place - instead becoming the centre of attraction at a South Carolina amusement park.  A short time afterwards a man dying of cancer puts God's corpse on trial for the existence of evil. You'll probably enjoy the part where they take a walk through God's brain where they encounter several saints, and heroes from the Bible.  Among these characters we meet the colossally perverted Saint Augustine of Hippo, Lot, his pregnant daughters and his transformed wife. Lot carries her around wherever he goes because he's drilled a hole in a position he can use (his daughters have lost interest) and besides, she's very useful when it comes to salting margaritas.

Eternal Footman

The final instalment - God's bloated corpse has exploded and his huge skull has made it into orbit.

This bit is straight out of the book....

I see the author is as given to pretentious shite as you are.......IMHO.

[Khatru]

I see the author is as given to pretentious shite as you are.......IMHO.

Not as pretentious as claiming the universe was created for me and that same creator died for me. 

James Morrow writes like Kurt Vonnegut.  You should check him out.

[Bubbles]

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways.


Exactly!

I've never become a man, that's my excuse   

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Not as pretentious as claiming the universe was created for me and that same creator died for me. 

James Morrow writes like Kurt Vonnegut.  You should check him out.

I never detected an overarching antitheist axe grind in Vonnegut.

Mind you who says that wouldn't be true if Vonnegut were writing today......After all ''thar's gold in them there New Atheist tomes''.