Do you feel like if you see the word "Prayers!" One more time you're going to scream?
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You don’t know how sick I am of seeing those comments all the time. People think they’re doing a good thing by praying but I honestly don’t see the point.
God has never answered anyone’s prayers. Why should it start now?
I’m an atheist, as most here know, but I don’t take good will for granted. It’s just human nature. We all deal with atrocities as best we know how. When all else fails,some people have nowhere to look but up. They’re just trying to make things better. In a world that is becoming increasingly more apathetic, it gives me some solace that others are actually thinking about others. When people offer their prayers, it falls under the category of I’ll take what I can get.
Praying is useless ,to me, but it’s better than not thinking about something at all. It’s a gesture, largely. A positive one. Flowers on a grave don’t change anything either, but it’s about all we can do…
No. If prayer makes you feel better, I’m all for it.
A sincere and private prayer to God is one thing but publicly announcing your prayers is something else. The audience is quite different.
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
James 2:14–20 KJV
In my estimation, many times (probably subconsciously) it is an attempt to say “look how sensitive and caring I am”
I think it’s comparable to “I’m sorry for your loss” when someone loses a loved one. It’s a thing to say when there is nothing to say.
I don’t usually say it because I’m not religious and I am not one to go around praying. I did say it yesterday for LV. I’m with @2davidc8, @MrGrimm888 and @Muad_Dib. It’s a gesture, it’s a thing to say when there’s nothing to say and it may make people feel better.
Prayers are low cost. They don’t incur any cost to anyone. They make the speaker look caring, but don’t demand anything from the speaker.
Anything that required actual effort – like passing a law – doesn’t happen.
It’s a thing to say when you don’t want to bother coming up with something heartfelt in your own words. As @Muad_Dib said, it’s just a cookie cutter, knee jerk version of “Sorry for your loss.”
One time, on PM, I was talking to a former classmate whose father was having a difficult time medically. My former classmate is on the fence about religion, but as we talked more I learned that his father was very religious.
I said, “If it will help your dad tell him I’ll offer up some prayers for him.”
My friend said, “Yes, I think it would help.”
So I did. Privately. I figured my prayers worked as well as anyone elses.
I’m praying for all of you!
I will prey on all of you.
Don’t be so hard on the traditionalists. It’s been the standard “remedy” against anything we cannot understand or control since the dawn of time. Old habits die hard. And what’s the harm?
@jca I think you missed @Muad_Dib point. She’s saying that great words that are not followed up with action are useless.
God also said praying so everyone can see how pious you are is wrong too.
No God for me. But I totally understand that the belief gives meaning and comfort to others who are not constitutionally the same as me.
So no, it does not bother me. You say your prayers if you choose, I won’t say mine.
Bit fucking late for prayers, in it though.
Also…agnostic bad grammar pass
I admire your bravery to ask this question. I also want to ask this but fear that people think of me as rude and intolerant. And yes, I don’t appreciate prayers but I won’t be screaming for that as it’s a lot easier to just ignore them, unless they keep popping up in your face.
No I would never say a word about on a thread where someone was grieving.
I wouldn’t say it on FB at all. I understand some prople cling to their beliefs and it gives them comfort.
I just want to…... well when you see
Prayers
Prayers
Prayers
Prayers
Prayers
A hundred times in a row it’s really annoying.
I’m agnostic, but it doesn’t bother me when people will say they will pray for me or others. What bugs me is when people on social media answer general posts on events such as Las Vegas as simply “prayers for the victims”. Or some such thing.
To me that just says “look at me, I am a good person”
Or the crap with putting those “slogans” over your profile pic. “I stand with Las Vegas”. What does that even mean? And what is the purpose?
If people are comforted by praying, let them be. No skin off my posterior. Why are we so worried about what other people do? Rather like all the acrimony in some circles, about the words “under God” being included in the Pledge, or having “One Nation, Under God” stamped on our currency. I just can’t be troubled to give a rats ass. I don’t care what the Government stamps on my currency, as long as it is legal tender. Want to change it to, “One Nation, Under Elvis”? Break a leg. And if the term Under God in the pledge troubles people, just skip that part, don’t include it. I have done that for years, and I have never been confronted or been bothered.
The problem enters when people constantly offer “thoughts and prayers” as an alternative to fucking doing anything helpful.
Thoughts and prayers for Houston, thoughts and prayers for Florida, thoughts and prayers for the virgin islands, thoughts and prayers for Puerto Rico, thoughts and prayers for Vegas…
I’m so goddamn weary of hearing “thoughts and prayers”. Thoughts and prayers aren’t going to bring the dead back or pay medical bills or rebuild houses or turn the power back on or stop people from amassing huge arsenals and using them on crowds of innocents.
Amen Muad I was about to post something a long those same lines but you expressed my own thoughts perfectly. Kudos
Keep in mind. To those who believe, they are doing something by praying. We’re being kind of harsh on some of these people. Perspective…
Refer to my previous post, regarding faith without works being dead.
I have “friend” who was actually there. She’s been on my friend’s list for about 3 years. She graduated from the same HS I did, only 10 or 15 years later, and she still lives in the town I grew up in, about 30 miles away. She breeds German Shepherds so we have her 5 dogs and my Dakota in common.
She was in Vegas for her daughter’s wedding. Sunday night they were at the David Copperfield show, across the street from the concert.
She actually started posting as it was going down. It’s taken me this long to get a coherent story. Absolutely terrifying.
they were enjoying Copperfield when all hell broke loose, and people just started storming the venue (I think maybe it was Cesare’s Palace.) They burst in, screaming and bloody.
At some point her friend or relative managed to scream across the floor to them to come that way, there was an exit to an alley.
They got out and started running. A lady in a van stopped and picked them up and took them back to the MGM Grand where they were staying.
I was speechless, searching for words to say. I was trying to imagine the horror, the terror….
But then,
Prayers!!
Prayers for you and yours.
Prayers.
Prayers.
We will be praying for you.
Prayers.
Prayers.
It was like Seek said, people say that to be pious and so they won’t have to really think too deeply or put themselves in their shoes.
We exchanged a few messages, and she said she was still crying. This was Monday. They were home at that point.
Man. I have another friend who I think I went to high school with. She is a simple sort. Posting love memes and GIFs to almost every post.
I posted that video that shows each of the victims and their names.
This friend said, “I pray that they know JESUS!!”
I said, “Why?”
“So they won’t go to hell.”
Now if that wasn’t the most fucked up, horrible thing to say, should one of the survivors or their families see that, I don’t know what is.
All in the name of love.
^Offensive as it is, remember who said it. Some people are too ignorant to understand what they declare. You wouldn’t be as upset if a child said it, right? Ignorance knows no age. Who cares what a fool says?.....
If I was the parent of a child who said that I’d sit them right down and help them understand why that could be so cruel.
As far as the “fool” comment, we can’t apply our logic to everyone who might see that. It doesn’t matter what we think (that it’s a foolish comment.) It only matters how it might make the victims and their families feel.
I did say to her that I hoped none of the victims or their families would come across her comment. Maybe force her to think in the future.
^You’re right Dutch. That wasn’t me practicing what I preach. I guess I knee jerked there. Apologies.
^No. Bless yours. You called me on it, and you were right. My bad…
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