• Please use real names.

    Greetings to all who have registered to OPF and those guests taking a look around. Please use real names. Registrations with fictitious names will not be processed. REAL NAMES ONLY will be processed

    Firstname Lastname

    Register

    We are a courteous and supportive community. No need to hide behind an alia. If you have a genuine need for privacy/secrecy then let me know!
  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Prayer works, sometimes.

A number of years ago, I prayed to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, to award me about $85,000.00 that was owned me by a recalcitrant client. And (after about two years of complicated legal maneuvering) the Court did.

Note that I do not mean that I prayed to God for success in that.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Peter Dexter

Well-known member
No one is praying here but many accoutrements to prayer are shown.

18974884586_b398fff4aa_b.jpg
 
Last edited:

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
No one is praying here but many accoutrements to prayer are shown.



1403


Peter Dexter: “Accoutrements”
It’s very colorful. I know from the Hispanics who are the main workers in much of Southern California, that decorative religious votives are so popular.

But it seems what’s most distinguishing are the figures of Mary, mother of Jesus, so important in The Catholic Church.
AFAIK, “Adoration of Mary” is absent in the Protestant faiths.

Any attempts to create and market dedicated Arab or Jewish equivalents to such Catholic sacred figurines for either Arabs or Jews, in Jerusalem, for example, would cause uncontrollable riots and bloodshed!

But if one visits Thailand, not admiring their giant gold-leaf-coated figures and monuments, would be missing the fabulousness of an ancient culture.

For myself, however, all such votives are against the key dogma of all Abrahamic religions. The latter avoid even the appearance of any form of “idol worship”.
Nonetheless, in your detail rich, vibrant religious souvenir store picture, all customers know only joy! They appreciate the variety of these “portable symbols” of their faith which become treasured gifts and reassuring companions!
Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Any suggestion of knowing or expecting a definite outcome for a future event is guessing.
Some is more informed than other and probability can be calculated but even that is any sort of guarantee.

Wanting a specific outcome is wishful thinking when it comes to the self-interested prayer.

Tom,

You are mistaken in focusing in “prayer for gain”

...... or specific remedy is only one small aspect of personal or community prayer.

The majority of prayers are simply formulated as “Praise” to the Deity and recognition of the devoted supplicants adoration and respect.

If praying works I’m happy to comply
While it doesn’t I’m happy to ridicule.

Tom,

Really now, how would you then test whether or not prayer works? The prayer which is “Praise” has no ulterior motive save for the respect it shows to the Deity of the devoted!

Surely, we expect that even for those in earnest and free of sin, prayers, (for a purpose), may be granted or not!

So how would you test for a cancer cure or a mental health condition, or a slowly healing wound?

Is only a perfect and an immediate result acceptable in your tally of “the efficacy of prayer”?

Isn’t it that prayer, “to work” requires the devotees “faith”, that IF it’s appropriate, prayers will be granted WHEN it’s appropriate!


Asher
 

Tom dinning

Registrant*
I had a young woman and a male accomplice just come to the door.

It's Monday. Don't they have a day of rest, or appreciate the needs of others?

"I'm [include random female name here] and this is [include random male mane here]. We're Seventh Day Adventists Can we speak to you?"

"I'm about to get in the show. Unless you want to scrub my back while you talk".

"We'll pray for you", she added before almost running down the driveway.

How presumptuous, I thought. What was she praying for? Does someone else's praying work on atheists?
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I had a young woman and a male accomplice just come to the door.

It's Monday. Don't they have a day of rest, or appreciate the needs of others?

"I'm [include random female name here] and this is [include random male mane here]. We're Seventh Day Adventists Can we speak to you?"

"I'm about to get in the show. Unless you want to scrub my back while you talk".

"We'll pray for you", she added before almost running down the driveway.

How presumptuous, I thought. What was she praying for? Does someone else's praying work on atheists?
Exactly,

Whether to pray or not should be something your family does or doesn’t do according to your own tradition and thinking.


Asher
 
Top