How do you feel about being prayed for?

Started by bfiddy100, October 25, 2013, 07:56:53 PM

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Mermaid

#30
October 27, 2013, 08:08:23 PM
Quote from: "bfiddy100"
Quote from: "Mermaid"If someone is praying for me because I am sick or something intense is happening, I find it flattering and sweet and I thank them. If someone is praying for me because I do not conform to their personal standards for how a person SHOULD be, it's irritating. I don't spend any brain cells on it, but I do think they are douchey for doing it. That all goes into the mental file.

I wasn't referring to someone praying that their girlfriend would be hotter or something ridiculous like that.  Christians believe that we've ALL failed to meet God's standard (Romans 3:23).  Recognizing God's righteousness and our sinfulness the Christian would be praying for you because they care for you and want you to receive the mercy from God that they feel they've received.  They believe that if you don't receive mercy that you will be justly punished by God.  But they don't believe they are somehow better than you, knowing that they too deserved to be punished and the only reason they won't be is because Christ was punished on their behalf.  Would you still find that offensive and/or irritating?
Yes. Yes I would. I also find it ludicrous.
A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticise work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life’s realities â€" all these are marks, not as the possessor would fain to think, of superiority but of weakness. -TR

dgirl1986

#31
October 27, 2013, 08:17:20 PM
It does not bother me and I do not really have an opinion on it. If they want to pray for me, then that is their business. Nothing will come of it.

Mermaid

#32
October 27, 2013, 09:09:51 PM
Mmm. I have had time to ponder this and I think I change my last answer. I don't know if I'd be irritated, but it would make me sad for the person doing the praying since they are sure they are Not Good Enough and are Bad and Unworthy unless they do (insert task of choice here). Life is hard enough without all that manufactured guilt.
A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticise work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life’s realities â€" all these are marks, not as the possessor would fain to think, of superiority but of weakness. -TR

bfiddy100

#33
October 28, 2013, 12:27:39 PM
Quote from: "Mermaid"Mmm. I have had time to ponder this and I think I change my last answer. I don't know if I'd be irritated, but it would make me sad for the person doing the praying since they are sure they are Not Good Enough and are Bad and Unworthy unless they do (insert task of choice here). Life is hard enough without all that manufactured guilt.

Interesting. The way I see it is that Christians have recognized that they're not good enough because of how good God is. But rather than trying to make themselves good enough they receive Christ's atonement and joyfully set their eyes on His goodness. But everyone else thinks they're a good person and thinks that because (insert reasons here). Would you still think someone was good enough if they didn't feed their children or murdered your family? We all have a standard of what it means to be 'good enough.' Christians just believe that standard is perfection...because God is perfect.

Mermaid

#34
October 28, 2013, 07:50:54 PM
Quote from: "bfiddy100"
Quote from: "Mermaid"Mmm. I have had time to ponder this and I think I change my last answer. I don't know if I'd be irritated, but it would make me sad for the person doing the praying since they are sure they are Not Good Enough and are Bad and Unworthy unless they do (insert task of choice here). Life is hard enough without all that manufactured guilt.

Interesting. The way I see it is that Christians have recognized that they're not good enough because of how good God is. But rather than trying to make themselves good enough they receive Christ's atonement and joyfully set their eyes on His goodness. But everyone else thinks they're a good person and thinks that because (insert reasons here). Would you still think someone was good enough if they didn't feed their children or murdered your family? We all have a standard of what it means to be 'good enough.' Christians just believe that standard is perfection...because God is perfect.
I think people who are raised with a built in sense that they are Bad and Unclean and need to repent grow up with an abnormal psyche. You can rationalize it, but I think that is extremely harmful.
A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticise work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life’s realities â€" all these are marks, not as the possessor would fain to think, of superiority but of weakness. -TR

MrsSassyPants

#35
October 29, 2013, 11:00:58 AM
Fuck if u want 2 pray 4 me go ahead. Wont do a bit of damn good just like praying 4 starving Africans and curing cancer wont help anything.
If you don't chew big red then FUCK YOU!

MrsSassyPants

#36
October 29, 2013, 11:05:27 AM
Pray 4 your own strength.  Every other request is wasting time and useless. I do believe meditation or prayer can help your own well being. But not a grand scale that dumb ass xtians think.
If you don't chew big red then FUCK YOU!

AllPurposeAtheist

#37
October 29, 2013, 12:23:39 PM
It's the do-gooder thing.. Most people have it to a degree. Hell, I help people from time to time, but I don't sit wishing some invisible non entity will help them nor me, but if someone else wants to waste breath asking the invisible spook to remove all evil from me or ask that I change my ways or even I like their lousy cooking it's no skin off me. If they even want to wish that I hit the lotto that's fine as long as they hand me the winning ticket, but I'm not partaking in magical thinking with them..
All hail my new signature!

Admit it. You're secretly green with envy.

PghPanther

#38
October 29, 2013, 10:33:45 PM
I joke and tell them I can use all the prayer I can get..........

Knowing it is a non issue.............

When I was a Christian involved in prayer circles everyone.........and I mean everyone we prayed for saw their situation get worse........

Gods will of course........

Sal1981

#39
October 30, 2013, 05:34:47 AM
That they care for me, in their twisted warped way.

Jorjor

#40
October 31, 2013, 08:47:21 PM Last Edit: November 01, 2013, 01:51:23 AM by Jorjor
No one in my family knows I'm an atheist, but I think I'd have mixed feelings. I'd be somewhat annoyed on one hand. On the other hand I know they mean well, so it honestly wouldn't be something I'd loose sleep over.

Savior2006

#41
October 31, 2013, 11:50:35 PM
Quote from: "bfiddy100"I was curious if any of you have family or friends whom are Christian and are praying for your salvation.  If so, how do you feel about that?

Perhaps I do, because some of them no I'm an atheist. Honestly, I don't give a shit. As long as they don't get in my face about it, it's their issue, not mine.
It took science to do what people imagine God can do.
--ApostateLois

"The closer you are to God the further you are from the truth."
--St Giordano

The Skeletal Atheist

#42
November 01, 2013, 04:00:00 AM
Good, pray for me. I'll keep fornicating and drinking and having a good time.
Some people need to be beaten with a smart stick.

Kein Mehrheit Fur Die Mitleid!

Kein Mitlied F�r Die Mehrheit!

Plu

#43
November 01, 2013, 04:31:13 AM
Quote from: "bfiddy100"Interesting...thanks for the replies.  So, it seems, in general, you don't mind being prayed for.  Do your Christian friends and family members ever discuss the gospel with you?  And if so, how do you feel about that?  Oh, and by "the gospel" I don't mean the four gospel accounts of the New Testament, I mean the core message of Christianity...the good news.

I don't have any christian friends and family members who discuss the gospel with me.

By definition.

Because anyone who would try would be told to shut up about it exactly once, and then to just piss off. :)
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