In yesterday's post, I Will Pray for You, I discussed that someone praying on my behalf doesn't bother me all that much; it has more to do with the fact that too many folks seem compelled to wave their self-piety in my face.
I mean, really. If you want to pray for me -- silly as I might think that is -- go ahead and pray your little heart out. All that I ask is that you not announce it to me. Psst. Keep it to yourself.
Of course, when I've made such a request in the past, a good many of the prayerful folk get indignant. "Don't you know that I'm doing this for YOUR own good?" they squawk. "Since you're not willing to look out for your own soul, you should be damn thankful that I am willing to do FOR you."
In their world, it doesn't matter what the person being prayed for (me) believes. They have the darn right to ask God to intervene on my behalf or to provide me with a manner of comfort that I haven't sought. I have absolutely no say-so in the matter! They are very firm in this belief...
...unless a person of another faith announces that they will pray for them. All of a sudden, it no longer matters what the person offering this different prayer believes! No, No. If the prayer involves some other divine entity not named the Christian God, then they want no part of it!!
For example, if Person A declares they will pray to Gawd on my behalf, nothing I could say will dissuade them from the rightness of their act. I could protest all I want and it won't mean a hill of beans to them (other than being indignant at my lack of gratitude).
However, if Person B tells Person A that they have offered a prayer on A's behalf to Allah, Bahá'u'lláh, Zeus or Brahman, Person A will become indignant and tell Person B, in no uncertain terms, that they don't NEED such prayers. If Person B persists, then Person A will explain that they don't believe that way and Person B should honor Person A's beliefs.
All I'm saying is that what's good for the goose is good for the gander!
I mean, really. If you want to pray for me -- silly as I might think that is -- go ahead and pray your little heart out. All that I ask is that you not announce it to me. Psst. Keep it to yourself.
Of course, when I've made such a request in the past, a good many of the prayerful folk get indignant. "Don't you know that I'm doing this for YOUR own good?" they squawk. "Since you're not willing to look out for your own soul, you should be damn thankful that I am willing to do FOR you."
In their world, it doesn't matter what the person being prayed for (me) believes. They have the darn right to ask God to intervene on my behalf or to provide me with a manner of comfort that I haven't sought. I have absolutely no say-so in the matter! They are very firm in this belief...
...unless a person of another faith announces that they will pray for them. All of a sudden, it no longer matters what the person offering this different prayer believes! No, No. If the prayer involves some other divine entity not named the Christian God, then they want no part of it!!
For example, if Person A declares they will pray to Gawd on my behalf, nothing I could say will dissuade them from the rightness of their act. I could protest all I want and it won't mean a hill of beans to them (other than being indignant at my lack of gratitude).
However, if Person B tells Person A that they have offered a prayer on A's behalf to Allah, Bahá'u'lláh, Zeus or Brahman, Person A will become indignant and tell Person B, in no uncertain terms, that they don't NEED such prayers. If Person B persists, then Person A will explain that they don't believe that way and Person B should honor Person A's beliefs.
All I'm saying is that what's good for the goose is good for the gander!
As I recall, Jesus said you shouldn't make a big deal out of your prayer,calling attention to it; it should be done in private. (Matthew 6:6)
ReplyDeleteAnd secretly.
ReplyDeleteWhat does he know? Praying without announcing it is a non-starter. That dude should learn to read the bible like any god-fearing contemporary Christian. Oh, wait a minute... :-D
ReplyDeleteBaroness,
ReplyDeleteMatthew 6:6 is about a lot more than just keeping prayer private. Jesus was talking about "the hypocrites". He was addressing a problem. Before this verse, we see that the disciples are being called to a standard of living that is different than the people around them.
Jesus was asking them to check the motives of their heart. Yes, you should not pray in public, if your intention is to be noticed. No one should think that God will look better on them if they offer prayer for another. That's not how prayer works. If you look in the verses right after Matthew 6:6, you see what prayer is all about. Jesus taught the disciples how to pray.
You see if Jesus really meant that prayer was supposed to be completely private, then the early church really got it wrong. And they were there listening to Jesus. But they prayed out loud all the time. That's just not what Jesus meant.
He did mean for us to examine our hearts. Our motives have to be right. We can't pray hoping someone will acknowledge our prayers. That's not going to do us any good!
Rambling Taoist,
ReplyDeleteI want you to know that I completely disagree with the behavior of those who have pushed prayer in your face. That's not appropriate! Prayer is not something to be pushed! God never intended for that! That's not who God is. He didn't go around pushing people, neither did Jesus.
It's truly unfortunate that you have experienced this! It's quite obvious that prayer wouldn't be for your own good if your not accepting it. And your right, it is your privilege and right to not accept it.
No one should ever force it on you! I just hate to hear that it's been used in that way! That grieves my heart! That's not the kind of God I serve and that's not how I look at prayer at all.
I apologize for those who have offended you and used prayer as a tool to beat you over the head! I hope your experience will be different from here on out!
I'm with Sarah...I'm sorry you've come across Christians such as those that would announce their intentions to pray for you...whether you liked it or not. One thing I can tell you after many years of observation...most people that would do such a thing: Preen and prance and push their agenda to "pray for you"...probably went home and never did. Hopefully you will meet some Christians along the way that, if they offer prayer, it's not "to save your soul", but to offer you encouragement, to let you know you are being thought of and cared about. And for the record, this is one Christian that will not turn away the offer of anyone, anywhere to pray to whomever they choose on my behalf. If it comes from a sincere and kind heart...then I'll take it!
ReplyDelete