Most Commented Religion & Spirituality Blogs (1,493)

"The Prayer" Beinsa Douno

"Many people ask if it is possible to live without praying. It is not. The prayer is an internal human necessity.
If the prayer becomes an internal necessity for you, you will pray naturally, without any force, without an external force. For you the prayer is as natural as feeding, breathing, feeling and thinking are.

Why should we pray? Paul the Apostle said once, “Be consistent in praying”, and Jesus said, “Be alert and pray”. The prayer is of threefold nature. It is equal to breathing. One should pray so that the soul to breathe and perceive things. The prayer is needful for the soul. It is the contemplation of the highest feelings. Through the prayer we see that a child is praying. It is an appeal and is as needful for the soul as breathing is. Humans need air much more than food. It is proven that a human may stay without air for 25 minutes at most and if we equalize the air with the prayer, which is food for the soul, we see that it is of great significance to it.

If people of today did not know how to pray, they would have lost even the little that they have preserved today. Everything good, everything great and beautiful, which is persevered by them, is thanks to the praying spirit that works in their souls. So, thanks to the prayer, though not so correct as it is in modern humanity, still something beautiful has remained and something new is being acquired. Thanks to the prayer, we become conduits of the sublime powers and noble means, on which the entire human race rests. The soul needs an internal spiritual food that can be provided only through a prayer. If one stops praying, life disappears. The prayer is a great thing. It is not expressed by chattering, by whispering of words. When you learn to pray, your life will become worth living.

The reason for our misfortunes is that we do not pray. Our contact with God brings inexhaustible riches. The Divine blessing and strengthening of the spirit come through it.

I would like you to pray constantly for you to be in contact with God. Only in this way, that influence from above will come to you. Then you will feel that Divine ennoblement and strengthening. Only when one prays, his body strengthens, as well as his feelings and his thoughts. One, who prays, cannot have a cruel heart. He can be delicate by structure, but his body is healthy, his thoughts are stable and his feelings - strong. It is not possible us to be in communion with God and be feeble.

If one’s prayer is pure, deep, it is always accepted. God does not make difference between souls. Jesus said to his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Knowing that the Spirit of Jesus lives forever and has power and authority, do not be discouraged! You can always call upon Him and receive His help. Everyone has the power of Jesus in him. One just has to work on himself to develop that power. Once people develop that power in themselves, they will know what God is, what the Divine principle in humans is.

There is nothing, about which man has asked God and which hasn’t been fulfilled. And it happens just when it is needed.

One has to be bearer of Divine thoughts, must be convinced that every thought that he sends in the world is Divine and he must not think about the consequences. One must study the Word and practice praying and contemplation simultaneously. This is the path and one should not worry. Open your heart and soul. The light will penetrate there and the comprehension will come."

---

When people don't pray and awake Divine will, they shouldn't blame God for worldly events, wars, massacres , etc.nothing to do with God , also not a proof that God doesn't exist

Prayer is the act of 'talking to God'. Even reciting a 'pre-set' prayer can equate to the same thing... sometimes. Unfortunately, not everyone understands or believes in the power of a simple "heart-to-heart" with God. Regardless of your purpose - expressing thanks, giving praise, making a request, venting one's fears/frustrations - one has to believe that God is listening, caring and willing to answer, if one wants the best results for one's effort.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 says to "..., pray without ceasing,...", as an encouragement to be persistent in one's talk with God. I believe that that persistence is not only supposed to strengthen one's appeal/praise to God, but also to keep one's mind fixed on one's purpose whilst waiting on God. It is not a mere chanting/repeating of words for the sake of doing so.

Yet, what about those who don't ascribe to this need to "pray without ceasing"? Will they be faulted? I don't think so (but I could be wrong). I just believe that, because 'God knows what I need before I even ask, or think it', there should be no need to "remind" Him all the time, but there's always a need to talk with Him (as one would his/her earthly father who he/she loves).

Just remember..."Prayer changes things", but only if you make use of it:)

I often read articles about Centenarians celebrating another birthday. In fact, just yesterday, I read about one who finally passed away; she was 113. But whilst some remain vibrant and somewhat active, being blessed with few medical issues, many aren’t so blessed. We know that, like an old car, problems usually arise with our bodies due to years of wear and tear, and poor choices with the quality of ‘fuel’ that we use daily.

How long would you like to live on this earth? Are you interested in living here any longer than you have to? Things are already very bad – war, crime, economic constraints, medical/scientific diseases, etc. It’s not going to get any better, so…?

VSEP (Voluntary Separation Employee Package) was once offered for employed persons to retire early from work (in my country). If God had such an offer, would you consider taking it?

It is said that scientists are searching for a way or a cure to make humans live forever. But sometimes I wonder, do we really want that? Many would say a resounding yes, without much thought. However, I sometimes ponder, does someone, somewhere in this world, possess this gift/curse (and you'll see why I use both terms for it)?

First of all, we need to go back to the beginning of time when God created Adam and Eve, followed by their banishment from heaven to Earth, where theoretically, they lived for nearly 1000 years (Adam around 800 and something and Eve around 900, according to the Bible). However, this is what the Bible teaches us, a book that, even though it should be sacred, has been written and edited by many different hands. Therefore, I can't help but wonder if the truth might be different. Could it be that Adam and Eve are still among us, disguised as one of us, and with good reason (but I'll get to their reasons for hiding/disguising themselves a bit later)?

If we think about it, Adam and Eve were the first humans created by God, and a thought crosses my mind in the middle of the night. Would God really create the first two humans with mortal bodies? Would He want His first human creations to perish? Or would He prefer them to live forever, as a constant reminder for both God Himself (to see what His first creations looked like) and for the two of them (to remember the mistakes they made)? Even during the moment when God got angry with them and banished them to Earth to experience life with its ups and downs... would He really punish them by giving them mortality? Or would He prefer to punish them by giving them the opposite of mortality - immortality?

Why do I say this? Well (and here's where you'll learn why they might be hiding/disguising), immortality might be seen as a blessing, but it could actually be a curse. If what I believe is true, if Adam and Eve are immortal, they must have witnessed many pleasant events in their eternal lives, like the birth of their first children and those who followed. But they also witnessed unpleasant and very unpleasant events, such as the deaths of their own children, and the struggle between Cain and Abel, which ended, as we all know, with the first murder ever committed, and not just any murder, but a murder between brothers. And if what I'm trying to say is true, they must have witnessed so many unpleasant events in their eternal lives that most likely, while scientists are searching for immortality, the two (Adam and Eve, that is) are probably searching for death.

And maybe some of you are wondering, "Okay, but if that's true, why don't we know about them? Why would they hide?" Here's my answer: Probably over the years, in their desperation to find immortality, they've tried many times to offer themselves to scientists for experiments, hoping that scientists would be able to achieve what neither of the two parties could achieve separately. Namely, 1. Scientists finding immortality, and 2. Adam and Eve finding a way to die. Maybe they thought that if they joined forces, they could make everyone happy. After years and years of experiments, and most likely, torment for the two, they realized that the result was not satisfying for anyone. And then, they realized that they had to give up and continue living their lives, whether it's as a blessing or a curse for them.

As for us, ordinary people, and the question of why we don't know about their existence, I have two possible answers. First, someone who worked on writing the Bible altered the truth. Here, motives can be diverse, and I won't list them all. And second, personally, they will never tell a human, no matter how close they are (if they are family friends or something... I'm sure they've had enough of those in their lives, so they're used to lying). They will never be able to tell anyone, "You know, we're immortal because I'm Adam, and my wife is Eve." That's if they're still together... if not, they might have chosen to live separate lives, forming couples with various people.

But let's get back to the topic... how crazy would that sound to someone, "I'm immortal because I'm Adam, and my wife is Eve"? And if they said that to someone, who in this world would believe them? And if, after some time, they somehow managed to convince someone, who would that be to not recommend that they try what they've already tried - "to offer themselves to scientists for experiments"?

I'll end this lengthy subject here, although I could go on for a few more lines... but since I believe I've taken enough of your time, and I think some of you have thought enough... I can only thank you for your attention and tell you... stop searching for immortality because someone out there may have it and want to get rid of it.

As a student (pre-university), I was introduced to important scientific theories and issues such as ‘Creation vs Evolution’ and ‘Nature vs Nurture’, that presented arguments about which is more responsible for life on earth, and an individual’s social development. I narrowly believed that one was more important than, and independent of, the other. What I much later realized (post-university), in fact, was that their relationships are much more symbiotic, than dichotomous.

Yet another important life issue, ‘Spirituality vs Religion’, has given me reason for analysis. When completing one’s CS profile regarding “religion”, one of the options for your answer is “Spiritual, but not Religious”, and recently, I had cause to ‘discuss’ it in one of my forum threads. There were some rather interesting comments made highlighting aspects of the perceived dichotomy, hence my following attempt at dispelling the popular notion that there is more ‘dichotomy’, than there is ‘symbiosis’, between them.

Just as Evolution cannot take place without there first being Creation and Nature cannot effectively flourish without Nurture, I believe that Spirituality cannot blossom without the influence of Religion.
“Spirituality means different things to different people. For some, it's primarily about a belief in God and active participation in organized religion. For others, it's about non-religious experiences that help them get in touch with their spiritual selves through quiet reflection, time in nature, private prayer, yoga, or meditation (Psychology today).
The Oxford and Merriam-Webster dictionaries agree that “Religion” encapsulates the following:
1. the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.
2. a particular system of faith and worship.
3. a pursuit or interest followed with great devotion.

Both concepts are too closely intertwined to warrant any real separation. But then there never was any…in reality. However, I believe that some may be opposed to ‘religion’ because they perceive it as being the same as, or attached to, ‘denominationalism’. Why?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “Denominationalism” is defined as:
1 : devotion to denominational principles or interests.
2 : the emphasizing of denominational differences to the point of being narrowly exclusive : sectarianism.
Yet another definition (Christianity Essentials) states that “Denominationalism, then, is a devotion to one’s own denomination (“I’m a Methodist and proud of it”) or, more negatively, an emphasis on denominational differences to the point of being narrowly exclusive (“If you’re not a Methodist, then you’re wrong”). The negative type of denominationalism could be called sectarianism, and it is overly divisive. (Got Answers.com)

There is where the real dichotomy lies.

A belief in God, and the nurturing of one’s spirit through His examples and teachings should go hand in hand. Let’s not create, nor perpetuate, divisions where they shouldn’t be.

A song that I like and hear/listen to often enough is “The Goodness of God”. It reminds me of the truth of my life amidst all of my challenges, when I become doubtful and forget that God loves and cares for me more than I even do. I have become so angry with God in the past, that I not only blamed him for the bad things that happened to me, but I even stopped reading or listening to anything about Him altogether. I just didn’t care.

Sadly, there are many around me (on and off CS), who feel that they have not had positive experiences that show God’s goodness towards them. Hence they do not recognize the blessings that they receive every day of their life, as being sent from Him. I have been there. But, I have had many reminders to help me to ‘see’ the truth of His goodness.

During some types of Counselling therapy, a practice is to write down the pros and cons about a situation or a person in order to get a clearer picture of the matter before taking a decision. For example, if a person is dating more than one person and needs to decide who he/she should become exclusive with, it would be beneficial to make a list of the positives and negatives of each person and, based upon one’s own preferences, decide which is the better ‘fit’.

I learnt a long time ago, that making a list had many pluses – it kept me organized, helped me separate what I needed vs what I wanted, showed me how close/far I was from my planned goals, gave me a sense of real accomplishment the more items I could tick off as I completed tasks, reminded of things that had to be done as soon as possible, etc – so I make one as often as I need it (which is quite often these days ). One of the lists that I have made in the past was one itemizing the blessings that I have received from God.

No, not just what I or someone ‘human’ could have provided (e.g. finances, friends & family, a job, a home, etc) but also what only He could give, and still continues to. Here’s a quick look at some things that I claim God’s goodness for:
* LIFE
* (Reasonably) GOOD PHYSICAL HEALTH
* (Reasonably) SOUND MIND
* PROTECTION FROM UNSEEN EVILS
* SPIRITUAL SALVATION
* THE HOPE OF LIFE IN HEAVEN
* HIS LOVE & FORGIVENESS

You may count your blessings in a different way, focussing on the physical things more than the supernatural, but that’s a good list too. After all, those things are only possible because of the LIFE that God gave you. So, make a list today. Count your blessings and ‘see’ what God has done.

There were 200 people attending a seminar on mental and physical health.

At one point, the speaker told the group they were going to do an activity. He gave each attendee one balloon and told them to write their name on it. Then, the balloons were collected and moved into a very small room. The participants were then asked to go into the other room and were given 2 minutes to find their balloon.

It was chaos…People were searching frantically for their balloon, pushing each other and running into one another while they grabbed a balloon, looked at it, and inevitably tossed it to the side. At the end of the 2 minutes, no one had found the balloon that had their name on it. Then, the speaker asked the participants to go back in the room and pick up one balloon at random, look at the name, and return it to its owner. Within minutes, everyone had been reunited with their original balloon.

He then told the group, “This is what it’s like when people are frantically searching for their own happiness in life. People push others aside to get the things that they want that they believe will bring them happiness. However, our happiness actually lies in helping other people and working together as a community.”

According to the Dalai Lama, “If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”


Blessings everyone!

Apparently there were two sets of tablets of stone produced by Moses after his adventure up mount Sinai. The first set engraved by the finger of God and subsequently smashed by Moses at his annoyance with his followers worshipping a false idol. And a second set which he apparently chiseled out himself. So, did he just make the whole commandments up himself? Pity they didn't have photocopiers in those days and use paper.
Scrolls were quite common and ended up in caves. Like the dead sea variety.