And Trump tries to sell bibles? Shee! He’s only trying to get the votes of Evangelicals, like any other crooked politicians (hmmm, are there any politicians who AREN’T crooked!? I wonder)! Besides who knows how much Trump was Epstein’s “bosom buddy” and any would be presidential candidate who says “women are great because you can grab them by the pussy” doesn’t get my vote! Folks, all the signs were there before he was elected and anyone who supports that egotistical phony got what was coming to them and I DO NOT apologize to Trump supporters!
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As I have said countless times over the past few years: “Prayer - When god’s Perfect Plan is not quite perfect enough for YOU.”
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but God exists, and he’s American. The charismatic old man on TV said so.
I never understood prayer after being lectured about God’s Plan. Like, this guy has you set on an iron clad path that’s non negotiable. Praying seems like arguing and protesting that plan. Just a thought.
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In fairness there are two broad classes of prayer. One is petitioning for something you want that you don’t have or to avoid something you don’t want. The other is more of a “not my will be done, but thine” sort of thing – like a Christian form of Buddhist meditation where you yield to whatever God in his alleged wisdom has prepared or allowed for you to experience.
There are Christians who don’t believe in that first kind of prayer – either because they believe everything is predestined as you mentioned – or because they think it’s selfish. Or both.
The other extreme and probably more like what you & I experienced in fundamentalism is the so-called “name it and claim it” sort of prayer where you try to speak things into existence like yanking the levers on some cosmic vending machine. One way some people view this is that god WANTS to “open the windows of heaven” and rain down all sorts of largesse on you but Satan tries to prevent it and you have to “do warfare” against him to thwart that. Things get weirder and weirder from there.
I’m much happier just letting life flow through and around me and letting it be what it actually is.
As I have said countless times, I even picked up on that when I was a young kid. Never made sense to me. One day I am taught how God’s “Perfect Plan” for EVERYBODY is set and can never be changed. Period. End of story. Then, the next day, I am taught, “Pray to god and ask him for the things you want in life, and he will give them to you.” My little brain was like, “HUH??? But you told me god already has my life planned out exactly the way he wants it to go.” THEN there was always my question of, “Wait…. I’m told god knows everything about me. From long before I was born, he already knew every single thing I would ever think, say, and do. But I’m supposed to drop to my knees, look up at the sky, and TELL god what I want/need??? Somebody please make it make sense.” (Suffice it to say, nobody could ever make it make sense to me. And they still haven’t to this very day.)
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