Prayers in Private

[ANGLOIRISH]

Obviously if you comment there would be no anonymity but that is the chance we must take.
I pray, perhaps not daily but I do pray and I am not ashamed to admit that when in a jam I pray a little too much, Sort of the bargaining with God type of prayer. "God get me out of this and I promise I won't do it again. I think HE knows the last line in some of my promises - Right, Irish until the next time you have the opportunity! But HE does not condemn me for it.

So I ask you do you pray? Surly some of you must! I know I am not alone here. If you answer it would be interesting to know some of your religious background. I will start to allow you to see an example!:angel7:

[ANGLOIRISH]

I pray but unfortunately not on a regular bases. I "talk" to God and although I have been taught formal prayers I mostly use my own words to communicate with God!

I am an Irish Roman Catholic and have had a strict Irish Catholic up bringing in regards to the teachings of the Church.

[Nightwolf04]

I don't pray. I don't have any real religion, I only look at each religion and see what's going on in it. But that's not to say that I go against any religion or to people who pray. Infact I am very happy for them, they have someone to talk to, someone they can talk to no matter what and he, she whoever that might be will listen, that's got to be one of the best things in this life.

[spunkey monkey]

i pray just about everyday usually right before i go to bed but i dont concider my self religious but that im spiritual. but i havent alays done this both my parents are catholic and their parents were catholic. you would assume that i would be catholic too, nope, my parents decided that they wouldnt baptiese us or teach us about religion until we were older and then we could decide what we wanted to do and learn about it then.so as i got older i wanted something to believe in anyway first there were the people i knew who worshiped satan, i read their bible and went to 1 meeting with them and that was enough, then i went to my wiccan friends, i liked wicca but to me it just wasnt for me, then i went to a few christian and catholic churches and i didnt like them. eventually i ended up at a nondenomination church and learned about God,more about the Bible there, and how to pray.

[ANGLOIRISH]

Sounds very interesting, Spunky. There has only been one church I regret never have attended while in the States. An all black Southern Baptist church. When I see the black choir and how the people in the church get so into the service I wish I had been in attendance just once. I have only seen a service on TV and that was only in a movie.

[ajdean]

Hmmmm, on this one, as for prayer it is at least once a day. On the other hand I constantly talk to God for guideance and help throughout the day. I was born and raised Baptist, but when I was young I had a falling out with the big guy for taking away my grandmother. For the longest time I ignored God and was very upset with him, after entering the military I found that things were getting rough. I got to the point of planning my own death, at my own hands with my 9mm while I was on duty at the main gate of the base. Too make a long story short something happened that night it was suppost to be quiet and no traffic, but when I went and placed the gun to my head a car came to the gate. This gave me time to think and to look at my life, soon after I started to see that I had to be here for some reason and started looking back on my life. I don't attend church often, but I believe that worshiping God in private is what counts. For I have seen many act religious on Sunday and then the other 6 days do as they wish. I have found that the more I believe the more wonderous the things that happen, not saying all things are good. My life has been filled with things that can't be explained by just luck or being in the right place at the right time. People come and go in my life sometimes they are there to help me, others for me to help them. Yes, there has been times it has been for the benifit of both. Anyway, shall end this now and let others read my response.

[spunkey monkey]

Sounds very interesting, Spunky. There has only been one church I regret never have attended while in the States. An all black Southern Baptist church. When I see the black choir and how the people in the church get so into the service I wish I had been in attendance just once. I have only seen a service on TV and that was only in a movie.

i went to one, once the service was ok, however some people get out of their seats fall to the ground and begin (for lack of a better word) flop around on the floor. this i dont know if scared is the right word however seeing that made me feel quite uncomfortable

[ANGLOIRISH]

The church I know of that people flop around are the Holy Rollers. The members are white here. Some speak in tongues and yes it would be scary. I haven't seen that before though.

[GoingNova]

I try my best to pray daily, but I am a very forgetful person. When I do not pray daily, it is because I forgot. I know that sounds odd, if prayer is so important, how could I forget. Well, I forget to eat sometimes, because I am easily distracted. I assure you, I INTEND to pray every day! :laughing7

I was born and raised a Catholic. When I hit my late teens, and my early 20's, I "knew everything", and "had no need for God". I decided that prayer, and a belief in God was "for the weak minded" who "needed a crutch to get them by in life".

It was a very lonely part of my life. I eventually grew up, matured a little, and found my faith again. I do not think there is a major church around that gets more flack than the Catholic Church. From priest molestations to money scandals, it seems Catholics are one of the favorite targets of everyone. While I would be naive to say that some of these critiques were not warranted, I would like to point out that the Catholic Church does an overwhelming amount of good. Far more good than bad.

For me, the formality of my Church is one of the best things. After being away for almost 20 years, when I went back, not much changed. OK, they don't ring the bells in my current church, and there are girl alter "boys", now called servers, but that's pretty much it. It was very comfortable, and made me feel like I never left.

Anglo, great thread! Pride in one's Church and/or faith is a wonderful thing! :thumbsup:

[Damm]

Once again there is an option lacking on the poll, so I can't answer.

I don't pray, but I don't necessarily "not believe in prayer". I think a prayer is like a hope, and everyone hopes. So in essence, those who pray are just hoping, but addressing their hopes in a 'letter' to a person they believe in. I don't believe in God or any organized religion that I've encountered. I am spiritual. I don't pray to a god, but I take time every so often to think about my life, to consider (for lack of a better word) my blessings, and to hope for a change, or form a plan to make change, in the things that could be better.

[ANGLOIRISH]

Damm, I think I can add an option but how should I word it?

[Damm]

"I believe in "prayer", but not as it is defined by organized religion"....umm "I believe in a form of prayer, but not to a deity"....something like that.

[Moose]

Damm, I think I can add an option but how should I word it?

How about "other-please explain".

[ANGLOIRISH]

Thanks, Moose. I attempted to change it but the poll won't let me add to it so I explained it in the first post!

[Moose]

ANGLOIRISH, I added the fifth option for you and I edited your first post. Ahh, it's good to be the King.

[SISTER_KATE]

Good thread Irish. I use to pray daily. After my Dad died,(I was thirteen) I became angry with God as well, ajdean. I was angry and vowed to miserable and never smile again. Fortunately I grew out of that as time passed.

Then I went through the old "I am going to be a Nun" routine. Was impressed on how the Nuns had such fun in the African area where part of the film was shoot. Sydney Portier was in the movie. I wanted to wear a white habit and bomb around the plains in a jeep. Prior to my Dad dying I wanted to be an alter boy because it bothered the hell out of me that boys could serve Mass but the girls were stuck with the stupid teaching Nuns. The priests were nicer. And they never told me to act like a Lady like Sister Cranky Pants who was always going ballistic yelling at me to act like a young lady. When pigs fly!:eusa_ange

So Julie Andrews I wasn't and so instead of marrying God (nuns who take their final vows are said to be the bride of God) I married a man who thought he was God.Obviously that didn't last. I see now why some people were just meant to be single.

Still obsessed with wearing white I became a nurse. My patients were well cared for and actually were discharged (yes alive) before some of the other patients assigned to other nurses. There were many lovely nurses (from the old school) and I enjoyed working with them. As for the other 99.9% lazy, sloppy, dirty nurses I wished I was Management because I would have fired their asses! And I thought the Nuns were difficult.

Nurses who are more concerned with their coffee breaks and pour over schedules so they can complain about who went to first lunch yesterday; nurses who ignore the patients bells because they were too busy deciding what to order for take out or too involved in whether or not their husbands are going casual or formal to their damn Christmas staff party; nurses who complain that someone like me spends too much time with the patients and therefore are angry that I am creating monsters who expect the slovenly nurses to get off their butts and tend to the needs of those who are ill; nurses who go on strike for more money and less work; These are a few of my LEAST favorite things!
So I crossed pick lines, refused to support their causes and when my mother passed away I flipped them all the bird and walked out of the hospital!

I really should have been a Patient Advocate but the Union who protect those leeches who suck the blood dry of the health care system would more than likely succeed and I don't take defeat easily!

Back to praying I do almost daily but I seldom kneel. I can talk to God at anytime and do not attend Mass because I lose my breath in Church. Too many panic attacks and feelings of being trapped. LOL (although it really isn't funny!)

So many people jokingly call me Sister Kate ( since my name is Kate and I am a chocolate-holic) I did work briefly with recovering alcoholics and drug abusers. I liked that however I was too gullible. I believed everything they said.

I worked at a treatment center and on too many occasions I would give money to some of the "clients" who had to go home because they heard a family member died. Essentially I paid well for their first drunk after leaving the Center. I even gave one woman a suitcase and some of my "dressier" clothes so she could attend a funeral of an aunt. Never saw her again. When her "dead" aunt called her I informed the poor woman that the girl was on her way to the caller's funeral. Now that I think of it relatives of these clients always seemed to pass away on my shift when the Management were off for the day! LOL now that is funny! So I quit because I didn't know who to believe anymore and I was always in trouble for giving those in recovery money for "personal tragedy" needs!:p

[GoingNova]

ANGLOIRISH, I added the fifth option for you and I edited your first post. Ahh, it's good to be the King.

:laughing7 You are, at best, a PRINCE my friend. To be a King, you have to post more than once a month! ;)

[Pyxidragon]

Hmm. Well, I don't pray formally, being pagan. I do spend time daily reflecting on what is good in my life and what I can do to help others as I've been helped. I do thank my deities on a (more-or-less) regular basis for the blessings they've bestowed on me.

[SISTER_KATE]

Well that is excellent! That one calls her higher spiritual beings "deities" is awesome!

[ANGLOIRISH]

I pray that you have a Happy Birthdy, Kate. Happy 39th AGAIN! LOL

[chica_dulce_04]

I pray every once in a while. Praying was never a very big agenda in my life. So basically, I would forget about praying. Then I married my husband and he's catholic. So now I pray more frequently because he prays all the time. He's getting me in the habit.

[ANGLOIRISH]

It disturbs me that there are so many children today who have no form of religious instruction and think it is "lame" to pray. The kids in this small area of my neighborhood are so misinformed about religion it is not surprising to learn that there are some who have never stepped inside of a church even though their parents were brought up Catholic. Then again, I was reared Catholic and the last time I was in Mass was 2 years ago for a funeral of two little boys who had been murdered by their estranged father who also killed himself.

[gilean23]

I offer a small prayer when I hear about people going through rough times in their lives: illness, loss of a loved one, etc. Other than that, pretty much not at all.

[spunkey monkey]

i know alot of people who pray but they usually pray when they feel like death after drinking too much their prayer is usually something like "God please let me live through this and i will never drink again"

[gilean23]

Hehe my response to those people is the old adage: "God helps those who help themselves". Stop drinking and you'll never feel that way again (barring random illness). :)