Religion
Related: About this forumDo you find peace when you pray?
I have to say when I pray I find strength in it. If I quiet my soul I can feel the presence of the Almighty with me. I feel God's abundant grace when I pray for others and when I pray for forgiveness. I find joy and peace when I sit in the presence of my God.
Do you find peace when you pray?
zazen
(2,978 posts)I know prayer, from a nondualist perspective, entails making infinite reality/consciousness/one whathaveyou into an object of consciousness, but it really helps me to form a conversation with that higher power. Nothing gets me back into the present, which is the only way I can be aligned with God's will, more than brutally honest prayer.
It's such a blessing to be able to talk about faith on this forum. I know the atheist types are getting what they need in other DU groups and that's fine, but to me, faith and commitment to social justice are deeply intertwined. Faith is the ground out of which I'm ever going to be of service to anyone, and the only way I can remain conscious of injustice without going insane, so it's wonderful to be able to find like-minded souls on DU. Thanks for posting.
RoccoR5955
(12,471 posts)To me, it is nothing more than the belief that some mythological character will come and save something, or someone.
Personally, if I do something that is wrong, I try to look at it, see what I did, study it, and its outcomes, and try not to do the same thing the next time. This gives me peace
I do not pray for others, because it has been my experience that when people pray for me, or anyone close to me, bad things happen to me or them. I always ask that people refrain from praying for me for this reason.
To me, it is more realistic to face the fact that life has its ups and downs, and we must deal with them in a logical way, without believing in mythology. Thought, examination, and logic gets me through the day, much better than prayer ever did.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)"no"?
goldent
(1,582 posts)Maybe if you could get people to pray for harm to come to you, then instead something good will happen.
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)Of intercessionary prayer if the object of the prayer knew they were being prayed for.
Fortinbras Armstrong
(4,473 posts)Yes, there was a slight preference for harmful effect, but it was within the margin of error for the study.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)What would seem to be the take-away from the study is that prayer simply has no positive effect whatsoever; it just doesn't work. And actually DOING something will achieve far better results. YMMV.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)As evidenced above, it's still the same shit pile.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)Fortinbras Armstrong
(4,473 posts)cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)First...
Followed by ...
All in the very same post.
First you contradicted, then you confirmed Warren's assertion. Many would see that as a passive-aggressive taunt. I see it as pure fail.
Fortinbras Armstrong
(4,473 posts)The study, which can be found at http://www.templeton.org/pdfs/press_releases/060407STEP_paper.pdf the difference between positive and negative effects of prayer was 1%, with the negative being the slightly greater. However, the margin of error was 1.02%. Thus, the actual difference was within the margin of error.
Now do you understand?
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)Definition of CONTRADICTION
1: act or an instance of contradicting
2 a : a proposition, statement, or phrase that asserts or implies both the truth and falsity of something
b : a statement or phrase whose parts contradict each other <a round square is a contradiction in terms>
3 a : logical incongruity
b : a situation in which inherent factors, actions, or propositions are inconsistent or contrary to one another
Lets review your post.
First...
Followed by ...
Response to cleanhippie (Reply #32)
Post removed
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)You really should see someone about your anger issues.
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)no slight intended.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)And I also find peace when I say the creeds in church because I not only reaffirm my faith but I feel a connection to generations of christians stretching back not only to the fourth century but the apostles themselves. Same as when I take Holy Communion.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)For me, it is most likely an opportunity for inner reflection.
When I do find myself in situations where prayer is included, I inevitably take the opportunity to reflect, and that is generally a positive experience for me.
I never feel that I am speaking to something that is listening and I never ask for anything.
Now, blowing out birthday candles is a whole other matter.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)But the inner reflection you speak of is probably the common denominator, IMHO. For instance, in my church we recite a prayer of confession from our prayer book asking forgiveness for things we have done and things we have left undone. For me it primarily serves as a moment in which I reflect upon my actions and resolve to be a better person. There are other members of my particular denomination here, including the OP who may experience that differently, but we accept those differences and are bound, not separated by the experience.
EvilAL
(1,437 posts)and the priest/minister etc., says 'let us pray', I sing a Slayer song in my head.
Adsos Letter
(19,459 posts)goldent
(1,582 posts)I feel apart from the world and have feelings much like you describe. It allows my mind to work in a different way. This is not always the case - the place and time have to be right.
rug
(82,333 posts)I am usually distracted or distract myself. But when I do, it's when I can recognize the presence of something more than myself. The best prayer I experience is silence and slowly realizing all that is around me and that I am simply part of it.
Adsos Letter
(19,459 posts)It is proving to be effective in some cases of PTSD as well.
I took part in a Kaiser health study which utilized it.
rug
(82,333 posts)The closest I've seen is centering prayer.
http://www.centeringprayer.com/
A few of the Trappists speak well of it.
Adsos Letter
(19,459 posts)And, on an only very, very marginally related note: I want my next house to have an interior like that one in the heading on the page you linked to.
In fact...if I knock out a couple of walls before she gets home, I might be able to produce a fait accompli in terms of proceeding with it in our current home. If I call it a monastery I may even be able to get a tax break to assuage the financial pain.
Adsos Letter
(19,459 posts)was without a specifically religious component, and was part of a larger study which evaluated Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a treatment for PTSD
Mindfulness in Psychology
bringing ones complete attention to the present experience on a moment-to-moment basis,[8]
or involves
paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally (emphasis added),[8]
or involves
a kind of non-elaborative, non-judgmental, present-centered awareness in which each thought, feeling, or sensation that arises in the attentional field is acknowledged and accepted as it is.[9]
Bishop, Lau, and colleagues (2004)[10] offered a two-component model of mindfulness:
The first component [of mindfulness] involves the self-regulation of attention so that it is maintained on immediate experience, thereby allowing for increased recognition of mental events in the present moment. The second component involves adopting a particular orientation toward ones experiences in the present moment, an orientation that is characterized by curiosity, openness, and acceptance.[10]:232
In this two-component model, self-regulated attention (the first component) involves conscious awareness of one's current thoughts, feelings, and surroundings, which can result in metacognitive skills for controlling concentration.[11] Orientation to experience (the second component) involves accepting one's mindstream, maintaining open and curious attitudes, and thinking in alternative categories (developing upon Ellen Langer's research on decision-making). Training in mindfulness and mindfulness-based practices, oftentimes as part of a quiet meditation session, results[citation needed] in the development of a Beginner's mind, or, looking at experiences as if for the first time.
Practicing mindfulness can help people to begin to recognise their habitual patterns of mind, which have developed out of awareness over time [12] and this allows practitioners to respond in new rather than habitual ways to their life.[12]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness_(psychology)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
While Western psychology has typically operated under the "healthy normality" assumption which states that by their nature, humans are psychologically healthy, ACT assumes, rather, that psychological processes of a normal human mind are often destructive.[6] The core conception of ACT is that psychological suffering is usually caused by experiential avoidance, cognitive entanglement, and resulting psychological rigidity that leads to a failure to take needed behavioral steps in accord with core values. As a simple way to summarize the model, ACT views the core of many problems to be due to the concepts represented in the acronym, FEAR:
Fusion with your thoughts
Evaluation of experience
Avoidance of your experience
Reason-giving for your behavior
And the healthy alternative is to ACT:
Accept your reactions and be present
Choose a valued direction
Take action
Core Principles:
ACT commonly employs six core principles to help clients develop psychological flexibility:[6]
Cognitive defusion: Learning methods to reduce the tendency to reify thoughts, images, emotions, and memories
Acceptance: Allowing thoughts to come and go without struggling with them.
Contact with the present moment: Awareness of the here and now, experienced with openness, interest, and receptiveness.
Observing the self: Accessing a transcendent sense of self, a continuity of consciousness which is unchanging.
Values: Discovering what is most important to one's true self.[7]
Committed action: Setting goals according to values and carrying them out responsibly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acceptance_and_commitment_therapy
The Six Core Principles provided some very useful tools for living with PTSD.
rug
(82,333 posts)Rowdyboy
(22,057 posts)Call it meditation, call it prayer, I don't care. I believe in a power greater than I am, certainly, though I don't pretend to understand it (I'm an Episopalian, I don't have to). I'm very lucky. I also wish for an easing of pain and help for anyone suffering from hunger, oppression or fear. I hope that those suffering might somehow find comfort.
Do I think it actually works? I don't know. I know it doesn't hurt and I think it makes me a better person because for a moment I focus on people other than myself and my circle who are hurting and who (once in a while) I may be able to help. I also sometimes work at a local food kitchen, donate food to the pantry, and pick up trash on the highway. It's not particularly holy but it helps make my corner of the world a little better. Its not much but its all I can do at present.
So, yes, I guess you could say I find peace in my life.
Fortinbras Armstrong
(4,473 posts)It depends on a lot of things.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)madrchsod
(58,162 posts)i put my faith in the people around me who have saved me and that is where i find my peace.
i know my spirit live on after i am gone.