Yesterday I created a letter made from the post I wrote the day before. In doing so, I did notice a lot of typos - sorry about that. In the letter I removed reference to my husband, and made the issue about the hole in his heart vague.
I addressed the letter to "mentors of Bradley," copied it and mailed it to some key people at Bradley's school, the youth and main pastor at our church, my good friend and a previous pastor that I am still in touch with, along with the list of 14 prayer suggestions.
Maria from my last post offered the verses from Phil 4:6-7 and those verses provide a good perspective on things.
So that's all I have for today. If you haven't read the previous post, maybe you could do so now. If you have, maybe you could pray for Bradley again, from the list of prayer suggestions from the last post. God bless, and thanks!
I addressed the letter to "mentors of Bradley," copied it and mailed it to some key people at Bradley's school, the youth and main pastor at our church, my good friend and a previous pastor that I am still in touch with, along with the list of 14 prayer suggestions.
Maria from my last post offered the verses from Phil 4:6-7 and those verses provide a good perspective on things.
So that's all I have for today. If you haven't read the previous post, maybe you could do so now. If you have, maybe you could pray for Bradley again, from the list of prayer suggestions from the last post. God bless, and thanks!
posted by An Ordinary Christian | 5:20 PM
12 Comments:
Do you really think "praying" is effective? Wouldn't a secular approach of communication, friendship, and empathy be far better?
Sincerely,
An Ordinary Atheist
;-)~
I was a bit shocked by your first post. However I know that prayer works. So we continue to pray. Communiction, friendship and empathy are not just secular, they are skills that we as Christians use also. We are also blessed to be able to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us. I thank you for being such a good mom and both praying and following the lead of the Holy Spirit to write to your son's mentor's.
Patti: shocked at my post previous to this one or at Free Thinker? Free Thinker: Thanks for visiting. Come back again. Oh, yes, I do think prayer is effective. BTW, respectfully speaking, do you think you are an accident? Look at your face, your mind, your hopes, your loves. Logic without faith concludes you were created on purpose. Evolution is a faulty theory and to believe we are all accidents takes a closing of the mind to what is obvious, in my opinion.
I will continue to pray for Bradley!
I would agree with you that prayer can be effective in that it can provide comfort, much like rubbing a lucky rabbit's foot or pricking a voodoo doll. But prayer has no more effect on anything than does the rabbit's foot or voodoo doll.
Of course, it's free and quick and easy to "pray" for Bradley or anything, but as an atheist I hold that it would be infinitely more effective to invest some time, expense, and guidance. I like to say, "get off your knees and roll up your sleeves!"
As for evolution, what you call an "accident" implies that our current state was not supposed to happen ... well, it did happen, over millions of years, and you should be proud to exist! A "god" didn't make you, your ancestors made you!
Sincerely,
An Ordinary Atheist
;-)~
An Ordinary Christian said...
... why don't you like any type of authority? And, do you think people can think free of any type of bias? As a psychiatrist I am continually surprised how far people go in terms of mental gymnastics to maintain their own personal world view, despite evidence to the contrary.
It's not that I don't like authority, I just don't blindly follow authority, especially any kind of supernatural authority. "Evidence" is an authority I follow, which is why I hold to the natural world, not the supernatural world.
No, people will always have bias (you do, and I do too!). We must be aware that bias can influence us and we must continually challenge our biases. Do you challenge your religious biases? Have you ever asked yourself: "Hey wait a minute ... is there any shred of evidence that prayer accomplishes anything, or that there is such a thing as an invisible man in the sky, or that the earth is only 6000 years old, or that humans live in some spirit dimension after death?"
Sincerely,
An Ordinary Atheist
;-)~
Wow, I love this comment section because it's heated. :)
Ordinary Christian, I have Bradley on my prayer list. You, too! I think you're doing a wonderful thing for him! You're a great mom!
As for the freethinking psychiatrist, I'd like to tell him it takes just as much faith to believe there is no God as it does to believe there is. Also, although the theory of evolution is faulty, it doesn't mean WE are an accident. God definitely planned for us.
Also, Freethinker, somewhere along the line you must've wondered where you came from, why you're here and where you're heading. If atheism can't answer those questions, than maybe it's not the truth. Don't stereotype believers, do the research yourself and come to your own conclusions. If you want to pop into my site sometime, you are very welcome. :)
Free Thinker: Thanks for sharing, but I don't feel like debating any more because you have a closed mind, as do I . There are plenty of good books written from a Christian perspective that address those questions. If you want to know the truth, you have to be open to it. God won't impose Himself upon you if you don't want Him. Here's a text: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. God bless ! P.S. Why did you delete my comments from your blog?
Maria - I love good heated commentary, too!
I am a freethinker, not a psychiatrist. But people's belief systems fascinate me.
You say, it takes just as much faith to believe there is no God as it does to believe there is. I must disagree. To believe in such an extraordinary claim as the existence of a god - with absolutely NO evidence - requires something beyond belief, like "faith." To believe there is no god is easy and natural. It's like believing there are no leprechauns or mermaids. Easy! No "faith" required.
You are correct that I have often wondered where I came from, why I'm here and where I'm heading. Religions seem to have handy answers for these deep questions, but I reject all of them in favor of the most rational explanation: evolution.
Lastly, atheism is not a philosophy, nor is it a "belief system." It just means "no gods."
Ordinary - We don't have closed minds! Just by this dialogue, we are both trying to understand each other.
I do want to know the truth, and for me, it does not lie in Christianity or any supernatural belief system. I have read C.S. Lewis, but he does not cover the tough questions. I recommend to you: "Natural Atheism" by Larry Eller.
About the deleted comments, I like to keep my blog's comments on topic. Your (and Maria's) comments were left on a post about my Caribbean cruise. Like most bloggers, I love comments, and I would love to hear your perspective on any of my many freethought posts!
OC, I love C.S. Lewis. Of course, The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe and the Christian books. Mere Christianity is my favorite. Lee Strobel's Case for Faith is also very good. It covers evolution (how the theory was blown away in the 80s). Great stuff!
Freethinker,
Out of respect to Oridinary Christian, I won't debate here. If you want to carry it over to e-mail, I can be reached at ilyzu@earthlink.net
Hey sweetie~ I haven't read your previous post yet but will now. I will keep you in my prayers as well as my heart.
still praying for bradley.
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