Prayer doesn’t work, and hope is highly overrated when divorced from action.

Terry

“Religion began when the first scoundrel met the first fool.”
—Voltaire

I started to see the power of faith in the lives of other people around me. These were people I admired and hoped to emulate. They didn’t try to control situations, and yet somehow they were in control of their lives.

I explored what it truly meant to be Catholic. I bought the Catechism of the Church and read it, and I came to the inescapable conclusion that if I chose to live my life consistent with the Creator’s plan for me (which is spelled out in the Catechism, the Holy Bible and other books such as Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life) that the problems and challenges of life would be easier to handle.

What I didn’t expect was that as I moved towards that way of life that the problems would go away completely. They have.

Some of you have stated pretty clearly that you think it’s a fantasy. If so, I’m delusional because quite by accident it has become the most real, most significant part of my life. I don’t believe in my government, the corporations who sell me products or the people who preach tolerance and then treat their fellow man like dirt. What I do believe in is my faith, because I have learned through experience that it is the only thing in my life that is real and that I own. My belongings can be stolen, my wealth can be taxed away, my friends and family will pass. My faith is all I have, literally. It has become very dear to me and it provides me comfort in a very hostile world.

I’m not trying to convince anyone otherwise, but I’ve learned not to discount the power of prayer. I know that it will carry Ms. James through a very difficult time. I hope that it will help her and her family to know that others are praying for her well being. I suspect that it will, and for that I am thankful.

I wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season with those who are dear to you.

You were close, but there is another definition for “faith” from Mark Twain that is closer to the truth…

“Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.”

It isn’t a case of wanting to believe something that makes it true. I might want to believe that I can fly but that doesn’t make it so (and some would call me delusional if I did).

I think you are the one that we need to feel sorry for since you seem to be so unhappy with the life you have now that you find you need something more. I think it is amazing enough that we are even here at all, that we have life and self-awareness, and are able to contemplate the universe we live in. If your parents had not had sex when they did, or if that particular sperm hadn’t made it to that egg, you wouldn’t have even been here. Just think, you are here! You made it! You aren’t a plant or a frog! You have self-awareness and the ability to think and experience life!

But that isn’t enough for you. You have such a negative view of life that you feel sorry for people that have no expectations (delusions) for anything more.

You talk about being humble, yet you think you are so important that you will have eternal life. What a sad, arrogant, and delusional person you are. It is too bad you can’t accept reality for what it is and enjoy it to its fullest without having to suppose some fantasy afterlife where an imaginary Supreme Creator of the Universe has an intimate interest in your personal life.

Even if it were true, something tells me that if you aren’t happy with this, you probably wouldn’t be happy there either.

Ask yourself……why don’t you……. want to believe in a Loving God…..has something happened to you that you just cannot forgive…..and…if he(God)revealed himself to you….which he has for many of us who know he’s there…..(Faith)”the evidence of things hoped for….the evidence of things not seen!” would you still not……..want to believe…and why is that?

I hope that you do search for him…..he is there…and he will always accept you….if you humble your heart.

Best Regards,

Dennis

The problem with your declaration that “on our knees is the most rational place for us all to be” is that you did not rationally examine whether or not the presumption was correct, that there is a creator god. Your presumption deserves just as much thought as your conclusion, and obviously you did not give it such credit.

If the three do not manage to survive their climb, then you will likely credit it to “God’s Plan” or something of the sort. Likely, the reason they did not survive in this case is just that the conditions and odds are against them.

If they do manage to survive, you will likely attribute prayer. However, the article notes that the three are experienced climbers and that they planned the trip… so why not give them the credit they are due for their feat of survival?

Anyway, what I’m trying to point out here is that there are two likely conclusions to this event, and that both would be exactly the same and have the same chance of happening with or without prayer.