| Hands that pray |
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 I feel so special right now, look Ma! I won an award! 
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posted by: PastorDave (reply) post date: 01.18.07 (6:57 am) Nice pictures. Quite thoughtful. Just a question or two: Is Marily Monroe, praying for success with some acting award, equivalent to Mother Theresa praying for the lepers of India? How about praying to a rock contrasted with praying to Jesus Christ? posted by: fairmoon (reply) post date: 01.18.07 (5:17 pm) Reply to: PastorDave I have no idea what they're praying for. And how about praying to a rock instead of, or at the same time as Jesus? FM posted by: PastorDave (reply) post date: 01.18.07 (6:50 pm) Reply to: fairmoon Of course, being a creature of free choice, one can do that. Such has been done through the centuries. In the understanding of monotheism, embraced by Judaism and Christianity, it is called idolatry. It's not acceptable. posted by: musicalhair (reply) post date: 01.20.07 (9:16 am) Excellent pictures! I agree fully with the sentiment as well. posted by: musicalhair (reply) post date: 01.20.07 (9:31 am) Reply to: PastorDave How do you know what Marilyn Monroe is praying for? She might be praying for a release from the cage of fame and insecurity she built around herself because it didn't fill her spiritual lonliness which so many confuse for social or romantic lonliness; and maybe Mother Theresa is praying for a future sainthood? I'm not knocking either person, but we don't know what is going on inside them. Do you really think someone if praying to the rock? Do you think they see the rock as much as an alter to God as any alter in any church you may attend? If you call it praying to a rock, ignoring what might be a deeply spiritual understanding of the universe, how can you expect someone from that culture to respect your praying to a guy crucified as a criminal by the Romans? If you can see God in all things, and if symbolism and tradition matter then you shouldn't knock someone praying before a rock. Isn't every cross, and every crucifix idolatry? Isn't mistaking God's holiness for a book's holiness a kind of idolatry? It is one thing to say "There is a God", a leap to the trinity (and interpretations of that) that may or may not make sense and inspire people, and then insisting that there is one book that is the "Word of God", when still most of the world is illiterate and most of the world has always been illiterate making a written word of God an amazingly ingorant or amazingly biased concept. You don't have to diss using a "rock" (hmmm like Peter?) as a symbol of God's creation and showing respect for it. Dividing people is essentially judging them: leave that to God. Teach, find common ground and let truth that is in each persons heart express itself through understanding. Regardless of how God sees any of these prayers, when we try to express what we suspect is God's view of it we engage in what Gandhi called "passive violence". posted by: PastorDave (reply) post date: 01.30.07 (6:50 pm) I've been wanting to give a thoughtful response for quite some time. Life gets busy, and I could easily find reasons to quit this blogging. But I enjoy it, exchanging conversation with people like you and fairmoon is so personally rewarding that I will continue to find time for t-blog. I do not know, of course, the essence of the prayer of any person. Indeed it may be totally self focused, getting nowhere. Or it may be quite divine, hidden in simplicity. I was simply sharing a visual for the purpose of making a point. My understanding of worship and prayer is pretty much inline with many conservative Protestants. I do not use any symbols or any statues/images in worship. Such items too easily lend themselves to idolatry. God is invisible. So I do not think it appropriate to pray to a rock. Same with praying to a Saint, or Mary. God alone deserves our prayers. Now as far as praying to a guy crucified as a criminal- I also do not believe in the use of a crucifix in worship. The cross is empty, for Jesus arose. If one must insist upon a symbol of the Christian faith, I think an empty tomb to be most appropriate. God alone is Holy. The book, again, does not deserve our worship. It relays a message, but God is the Message. We need to be consistent in our aversion to idolatry. No worship of any other man, book, object, theology, etc. Christ alone. Now, you write of the need not to divide people. The message of Jesus Christ is quite divisive. A line is drawn. Sheep and goats. Black and white. Heaven and Hell. Even Jesus said he came not to bring peace, but a sword. But, it's not my job to create the division- just acknowledge it. Passive violence? You seem to interpret the willingness of someone to believe some things are more right than others as "passive violence". All beliefs are not equal, all roads do not lead to God. posted by: PastorDave (reply) post date: 01.30.07 (6:53 pm) Reply to: musicalhair I've been wanting to give a thoughtful response for quite some time. Life gets busy, and I could easily find reasons to quit this blogging. But I enjoy it, exchanging conversation with people like you and fairmoon is so personally rewarding that I will continue to find time for t-blog. I do not know, of course, the essence of the prayer of any person. Indeed it may be totally self focused, getting nowhere. Or it may be quite divine, hidden in simplicity. I was simply sharing a visual for the purpose of making a point. My understanding of worship and prayer is pretty much inline with many conservative Protestants. I do not use any symbols or any statues/images in worship. Such items too easily lend themselves to idolatry. God is invisible. So I do not think it appropriate to pray to a rock. Same with praying to a Saint, or Mary. God alone deserves our prayers. Now as far as praying to a guy crucified as a criminal- I also do not believe in the use of a crucifix in worship. The cross is empty, for Jesus arose. If one must insist upon a symbol of the Christian faith, I think an empty tomb to be most appropriate. God alone is Holy. The book, again, does not deserve our worship. It relays a message, but God is the Message. We need to be consistent in our aversion to idolatry. No worship of any other man, book, object, theology, etc. Christ alone. Now, you write of the need not to divide people. The message of Jesus Christ is quite divisive. A line is drawn. Sheep and goats. Black and white. Heaven and Hell. Even Jesus said he came not to bring peace, but a sword. But, it's not my job to create the division- just acknowledge it. Passive violence? You seem to interpret the willingness of someone to believe some things are more right than others as "passive violence". All beliefs are not equal, all roads do not lead to God. posted by: apyjo (reply) post date: 02.08.07 (7:59 am) Beautiful post and pictures. posted by: fairmoon (reply) post date: 02.08.07 (3:51 pm) Reply to: apyjo thank you! FM |
Demystifying Misconceptions This Blog chronicles the journey of one woman as she attempts to define her faith and place in the universe. 
I'm a geeky sort of Fae most of the time
Blog Posts of Note: *Christian and Wiccan at The Same Time *A Walk with Jesus’ Mom *Finding God in Wicca *Universal Myth and Personal Myth- Definitions in Consensus Reality The Matrix: Systems Healing and Thinking, an Introduction *Magic, Witches and the Bible *A brief History of Wicca *Wicca 101 part 1 *Wicca 101 part 2 *Spells and the Modern Witch *Do Witches Worship Satan? *Religious View *Interview with a Witch *A Witch's Story of Creation *One Definition of the Divine *I am a Witch * Original Sin, from a Witches point of View *Why a Witch Could care less about Harry Potter *Satan is not my Sidekick *The other people: Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the Bible |
Sometimes I wonder about my hands that pray, are they so different from everyone else’s hands that pray?
It makes me wonder why we think we’re so different.