One thing I really have struggled to understand for most of my life is intercessory prayer, or the act of praying on someone else's behalf. This is something I've been thinking increasingly of in the past several days since the latest school shooting happened down in Florida the other day. All over my facebook, twitter, and instagram feeds have been posts by millions that say they are sending their thoughts and prayers. This makes me pretty upset considering there are a million other things you could do in a situation like this that would provide tangible help to those going through this trauma (think donating blood or contributing to a memorial or funeral fund). But prayer? Having someone in your thoughts is a comfort, but to me the "praying for you!" narrative seems a little bogus. More than anything else, it just seems selfish. It's as though you'll come out feeling better about the situation knowing that you've thought about it and spent time reflecting it, but just exactly what does that do? If we're going to help a situation, or prevent this very thing from happening again, what good does this do other than to put it in the back of your mind?
While I would consider myself to be religious, I tend to think more about the practical and strive to do things that create tangible change in the lives of others in my participation at church. I'm curious as to what everyone else thinks given the most recent events in our society. Just something to think about.
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I agree with the idea that many people seem to use 'praying' as an excuse to be passive about certain situations. However, I find it very disrespectful that you, a self-defined religious individual, are so dismissive of prayer, and that upsets me. I am going to assume that we are of different religions (feel free to correct me if this assumption is wrong). I was raised a Christian, and was taught that mass prayer is the greatest way to reach God, and is one of the most selfless things that you can do. To me, your post makes me feel that you are devaluing my religious beliefs because yours differ from mine. The University of Minnesota defines intercultural competence as "the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in various cultural contexts" (http://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/8-4-intercultural-communication-competence/). I encourage you to consider that just because one's beliefs, values, culture, etc. are different than yours, you should not belittle them and label them as "selfish." To many, prayer is a huge factor in halting the violent path that humanity is on. I respect that you don't pray, but going forward, I hope that you also respect those who DO choose to pray and understand that their beliefs show that this quite selfless.
ReplyDeleteI would not go so far as to say that I had the intention of disrespecting you or anyone else's religious beliefs by expressing my thought on this. The point I was trying to make is that while the Christian faith does suggest that prayer is an important component of faith, the prayer part has always been something that has confused me. I guess maybe in part due to my upbringing and the way I was taught in the church I was raised in, there's quite a bit of value in going out and actively serving others. I guess I prefer that because being able to see that your work is going towards helping others is something tangible, something I KNOW is working to do some good. I just don't see that in prayer, and I've always felt bad about it. The Christian faith has many, many different branches and there is no correct way to interpret the teachings of the Bible, per se.
DeleteIn addressing the second half of your comment, I find it highly disrespectful that you have suggested that I am belittling others for expressing something that has been a point of confusion and internal conflict for me for much of my life. The context I am considering is specific to praying for a situation and praying on behalf of someone else (intercessory prayer, by definition). Given the most recent applicable context I have encountered this type of situation, it seems to be a blanket statement, and maybe my jaded heart sees that our current president uses this in every situation, but going forward real, tangible changes won't be made to prevent it from happening again.
Thanks for your input! I'll be sure to watch my word choice going forward!!
I apologize that you felt disrespected by my expression of feeling belittled. In saying that praying is "selfish" and useless ("what good does this do") as if it is fact, I felt that you were calling a practice I consider highly important to be unimportant. To my knowledge, this is the very definition of belittling. For further clarification, I felt disrespect in your original post as it seemed your comments were aimed at dismissing religion and prayer, and it didn't seem as if you were even acknowledging that prayer is a legitimate coping mechanism often projected onto others.
DeleteI didn't quite understand in your initial post how this was a personal grievance to you, rather I felt that you were disrespecting others for how they handle serious situations, such as this latest shooting in Florida. I was simply trying to help you understand how your comments could appear disrespectful to those who do use prayer as a form of coping, regardless of whether or not it's used "selfishly."