Why pray?

[reen12]

Simple question to reen:

Why are you posting to yourself?

Is not this turning inward?

And festooning, as well?

… Make that three questions, then …

~~ the phoenix

I assume that the 2800 viewings of this thread,
indicate some interest, in that which is being said,
which makes me happy.

Occassionally, I will reply to given post.
For those who have an interest in those
thoughts that I do express, this is fine.
Others may choose to zoom right on by
my shared cogitations.

That’s the lovely thing about the forum.
There may be thousands of viewings, so one
may speak to those who do not post,
yet follow a thread.

Humming along, I enjoy presenting thought.

Others, with an interest in Christian doctrine -
can yet steam full ahead,
passing my own little craft of words.

I shall continue to offer thought, to those
who are kind enough to consider same,
grateful for their interest, and even, at times,
sharing my drawings - in case they would
make someone happy, as they did me,
as I was working on them. I festooned this
drawing, of Reb Zusia, with a little red bird.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

reen12

 

[the_phoenix]

Thanks, reen12,

For the links. One year I had a calendar of medieval Japanese landscape and nature art, very much in the style which you appreciate.

As for my own artwork, here’s the closest I’ve come so far to your example of Wild Geese Descending to Sand Bar:

Mountain Intensity, which has mountains, but no geese — I’m the photographer. My name on the Flickr website is CountryDreaming.

flickr.com/photos/95994086@N00/2514871294/

You have in your post to me summed things up quite nicely, leaving me next to nothing to really do but acknowledge your post. The only thing about which it appears we would have a difference of opinion (within the limits of the one particular post, that is) would be when it comes to the rebirth into the cycle of existence. Funny thing contemplating such a topic, given that my name here is the phoenix.

As for Merton, thanks for pointing out to me your experiences in reading his work. I’d only just begun reading the briefest quotes from him, and having heard about the direction his writings took, decided not to venture further.

Now then … being a hermit in the middle of Times Square? Well, it IS possible to find oneself alone in a crowd … and then there was the time I heard about where Mother Teresa visited a big city department store, maybe even in NYC, and remarked something like, “Look at all these things that I don’t need.”

Have a good night / morning.

~~ the phoenix

 

[the_phoenix]

I shall continue to offer thought, to those
who are kind enough to consider same,
grateful for their interest, and even, at times,
sharing my drawings - in case they would
make someone happy, as they did me,
as I was working on them. I festooned this
drawing, of Reb Zusia, with a little red bird.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a106/reen12/RebZusia-1.jpg

reen12

Now this is turning outward. And I do enjoy your drawing.

~~ the phoenix

 

[reen12]

Thanks, reen12,

For the links. One year I had a calendar of medieval Japanese landscape and nature art, very much in the style which you appreciate.

As for my own artwork, here’s the closest I’ve come so far to your example of Wild Geese Descending to Sand Bar:

Mountain Intensity, which has mountains, but no geese — I’m the photographer. My name on the Flickr website is CountryDreaming.

flickr.com/photos/95994086@N00/2514871294/

~~ the phoenix

Oh my goodness, the phoenix, that’s perfectly wonderful!!!

I ran my own art-based business, for 5 years, in my early 40’s.
Oddly enough, while I chose to earn a degree in philosophy, I took an ‘art course’ - to fill out 4 needed credits - prepared to think of this as wasting time, I’m ashamed to say - and it was this art course that enabled me to run a very successful business, many years later.

It was the wonderful teaching, that that Sister did,
that opened a closed mind - my own.

Do you use a digital camera, to take that photo?
Used to use an SLR, 35mm black and white film.
Have you ever considered trying black and white photographs? With the talent, displayed in that photograph, I would think that you could do much fine work, in black and white, also.
Are you familiar with the work of Ansel Adams?

Read Merton, starting at the age of 16, in 1962. He had an
amazing ability to craft a simple declarative sentence, and
make it sing.

Thank you very much, for sharing that photograph, the phoenix.
It’s beautiful. I’m so pleased that you are familiar with the landscapes done in ink on silk.
Some of them are truly exquisite.
I’ve taught myself how to draw, using Corel Photo House and
Corel Print House, as well as Windows Paint. Many hours of
contented enjoyment, doing same.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

reen12

 

[reen12]

One’s prayer reflects one’s beliefs.

The God of Israel met His people at the point where they were -
in terms of their understanding of the expression of worship,
as animal sacrifice.

God knew, from all eternity, that animal sacrifice would be discarded
among the nations, as time went forward.
Did He prepare Israel for just such reality to come?
[Not for a continuation of fleshy sacrifice.]

Did Israel begin to learn, in the Babylonian captivity, that the Savior God of Israel
demanded that a contrite heart be offered to Him? That to walk with Him,
loving mercy and doing justice, was to make true sacrifice to Him?
{Sacrifice - ‘to make sacred.’ sacra facere.] }

My prayer shall be established as incense before Thee, the lifting up of my hands
as the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141: 2

reen12

 

[steve_b]

Thanks - but while that is appreciated, it does not answer any of the questions. There’s not much point in feeling better thanks to someone’s prayers, if the intellectual problems that caused the trouble in the first place are not addressed. That means they will stay unresolved, & cause more trouble later on.​

Thanks again though.

Have you lost your faith, or are you going through a dark night of the soul?

 

[reen12]

Were one to drop down from another planet,
one might take an interest in the beliefs held
by the inhabitants thereof.

---

There’s a big group that thinks that there
is a one god, but that this deity is really
3 in 1.
Someone wrote something that says that
the first inhabitants did a bad thing and that
now everybody has this sin. They put
water on somebody and this makes this
sin go away. I asked them about inhabitant
infants who pass away without the waters.
They said they didn’t know for sure, about
what happens to them, but that they hoped
that their deity would have mercy on them.
When I asked them why did an infant need
mercy, they said that they did because all
inhabitants are born with this sin that
happened a really long time ago.

There is a group that goes way far back
who says that their deity is only one.
They say that some writings told them
that the first inhabitants did something bad.
That they were thrown out of a really good place,
and that’s why life is hard for everybody.
When I asked them about the big sin that
was supposed to be there, that needed water,
they said that this was a new made-up thing.
They said that infant inhabitants are born innocent.
When they got big they would do sins, but that
their deity forgives these sins.

It is very interesting to hear about this.

---

reen12

Visitor from another planet.

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[RebeccaJ]

Doesn’t an omniscient deity know that help is needed?

Humans beings are urged to pray.
Does this indicate that God would fail to intervene - if not importuned to do so?

What sense does that make?

“Deliver us Lord from every evil…”

In rolls a tsunami, taking the lives of a quarter of a million people.

Why does anyone bother praying? What is - or what is to be,
is going to happen anyway.

Is prayer a form of spiritual placebo?

reen12

How about, it goes something like this.

 

[reen12]

How about, it goes something like this.

My point, throughout this thread, was the suffering of that 3 year old child,
who was abducted in Portugal, in the summer of 2007, for God knows what purpose.
Jesus had his mother standing at the foot of his cross, and he a grown man -
who* knew* that there was evil in the world. He was a man at the height of his powers,
when he suffered. As a helpless child, he was safe in his manger, being watched over
by Mary and Joseph, with the sofl noises of animals singing him to sleep.

Yet this 3 year old was taken from mommy and love and
was all by herself, in her terror. What kind of God allows such
a thing to happen? I’m just waiting for someone to say that
'God brings some good, for all those who love him."
Oh, really. Tell it to that little 3 year old, who needs the
loving arms of her mommy, just like Jesus did, as he was
crucified. His mother was there. He was 33, not 3.

Mommy for Jesus, at his crib - and his mother at the cross -
but no mommy for this little one. That is the horror, here.
Even when a child is ill, he/she often has a mommy
to soothe and comfort, giving the child a sense of protection and love.
Where was that for this little 3 year old, who suffered God
knows what and still may be suffering.

*God is responsible for every tear shed by a child who is in pain. *
It’s his creation, and he went forward with his plan,
which includes the horror suffered by this little heart, and her all alone,
not understanding why mommy wasn’t there.

So much for praying. What was the problem here, God?
Weren’t you notified that this had happened? Did you need to
be begged to do something to spare this little 3 year old
the horror and the cries she must have made, crying out for her
mommy? What kind of God are you? Why pray for anything?
Prayer as palliative? To make us ‘feel’ better, thinking that there
is something that we can do for that little one?

God, forgive God.

reen12

 

[reen12]

My point, throughout this thread, was the suffering of that 3 year old child,
who was abducted in Portugal, in the summer of 2007, for God knows what purpose.
Jesus had his mother standing at the foot of his cross, and he a grown man -
who* knew* that there was evil in the world. He was a man at the height of his powers,
when he suffered. As a helpless child, he was safe in his manger, being watched over
by Mary and Joseph, with the sofl noises of animals singing him to sleep.

Yet this 3 year old was taken from mommy and love and
was all by herself, in her terror. What kind of God allows such
a thing to happen? I’m just waiting for someone to say that
'God brings some good, for all those who love him."
Oh, really. Tell it to that little 3 year old, who needs the
loving arms of her mommy, just like Jesus did, as he was
crucified. His mother was there. He was 33, not 3.

Mommy for Jesus, at his crib - and his mother at the cross -
but no mommy for this little one. That is the horror, here.
Even when a child is ill, he/she often has a mommy
to soothe and comfort, giving the child a sense of protection and love.
Where was that for this little 3 year old, who suffered God
knows what and still may be suffering, and she was all alone.

*God is responsible for every tear shed by a child who is in pain. *
It’s his creation, and he went forward with his plan,
which includes the horror suffered by this little heart, and her all alone,
not understanding why mommy wasn’t there.

So much for praying. What was the problem here, God?
Weren’t you notified that this had happened? Did you need to
be begged to do something to spare this little 3 year old
the horror and the cries she must have made, crying out for her
mommy? What kind of God are you? Why pray for anything?
Prayer as palliative? To make us ‘feel’ better, thinking that there
is something that we can do for that little one?

God, forgive God.

reen12

 

[reen12]

I went in search of answers. I put God forgive God into a search engine.
Finding God through an instrument that He has given in our day. A computer.

Who was able to answer? A rabbi.

It is a .pdf file.

hilleluw.org/UserFiles/File/Forgivng%20God%20Kol%20Nidre%202005.pdf

I should have known that God would answer through a rabbi.
The rabbi begins his thoughts, speaking of Reb Elimelech -
the younger brother of Reb Zusia.

reen12