Not directed at any one person. I’ve made that same note in many past posts because there are several posters who, absent inflection of voice, take the written word literally.
You don’t have to pray, you could just Daydream 
The distinction between the Buddhist concept of prayer and the “western” concept is that Buddhists are not praying TO any particular entity. This may be what’s bothering you.
Buddhists are simply praying - opening their minds to the state of complete mindfulness and understanding required to advance them along the Eight-Fold Path. (I speak here specifically of Theravada Buddhism; my understanding is that this is true for Mahayana and Zen as well, but I welcome correction on these points).
There’s no good reason NOT to call this prayer. It’s a concentrated meditative state, intended to further you along towards vipassana (and, presumably, ultimately nibbana).
But! But! But! It’s a WIKI cite! It HAS to be the Gospel!!
“Efficacious”? Actually? No, I don’t think so.
But whatever. My point isn’t that prayer is useless and wasteful, although I certainly do believe that. My point is that by calling for a day of prayer, Bush (and other presidents before him, including some I like) is assuming that everyone agrees that some form of prayer is useful. Ergo, as noted above, an endorsement of religion even if no endorsement of any given religion.
Not true, but I know what you meant.
Where has anyone in this thread said it does? Bush can pray over New Orleans all he wants, as can anyone else. It’s still galling for him to ask me to do it, because I know it’s useless.
Bricker, two things. 1. 'Cuz Wikipedia says samadhi is a prayerful state, that don’t make it a prayer. First, as I’m sure you’re aware, Wikipedia isn’t a definitive source. Moreover, it sounds to me that the quoted passages from Wikipedia are really talking about some form of meditation, not supplication, which is the most common use of the word prayer, and also pretty clearly what is being invoked when you call for a prayer day after a disaster. But all this doesn’t really matter. Whether there are religions that don’t pray is irrelevant to the topic at hand because it is uncontroversial that 1) some religions pray differently than others and 2) some people don’t pray. (Foxholes don’t count.)
- As Justice Jackson would acknowledge, just because the Supreme Court said something doesn’t violate the Constitution, that doesn’t mean they’re right. Or if it does, than you and me could have a long conversation on the wonders of substantive due process. (I’m pretty sure we’ve had this same discussion before somewhere. ;))
–Cliffy
Well, except for the fact that I don’t see how it is in fact praying. I call it bull. If we are claiming that things are as the common use is, then - Ah, on preview, I see **Cliffy **summed it up just fine.
The Wiki entry isn’t quite accurate. For one thing, samadhi is a state of mind, not a “practice” as such. It’s just the Hindu word for Enlightment or Nirvana, it’s not a meditative practice in itself. For another thing, calling meditation “prayerful” is misleading in that it implies that there is any sort of attempted communication with- or even acknowledgement of- any theistic entity or entities. There are no gods in play with meditation or with the state of samadhi. There isn’t even anything supernatural. It’s purely a cognitive exercise. It’s not truly “religious” in any Western sense. It does not involve theistic belief or worship.
I don’t get this. Terrorists fly planes into buildings, killing thousands, and we start bombing and shooting in several directions. But an act of God kills thousands in Louisiana and Mississippi and the President wants us to negotiate with the perpetrator? Sounds like* someone*'s soft on disasters.
This is obviously the time to step up our military presence in the middle east. Lots of God, or at least “God-related-activity-systems-and-operations” in that area. See, we have to fight God there, so we don’t have to do it here. Praying? Sounds almost as suspicious as speaking French to me. Why does everybody but the atheists hate America?
Too bad that ah, preview, didn’t show your fucked up coding…
damned insomnia.
Wow, that’s just…idiotic yourself.
Your allegory makes no sense in this situation. It would be more accurate to say that you and your friends belong to Club X. You’re the leader of this club one day you say “Today we’ll go out to a dinner and a movie”
Now does that sound like dinner or the movie is optional? Now no doubt the people in this club would be free to ignore you or only take you up on part of the offer but that’s NOT what you’re saying. Also your point is basically the same as Mr Moto’s which I already acknoweleged before your post so not only are you an ass but an unnecessary one as well. The good lord knows there’s nothing worse then a useless ass.
Right and why did he include the word prayer at all? Couldn’t just be a day of remembrance?
Yeah I really have that stick far up my ass don’t I? Hold me back I’m about to explode. :wally
I better slaughter a lamb or something, that was just a 'Reply w/ Quote" and it’s as fucked up as Scott’s shit.
Then it’s not prayer. Prayer, by definition is an attempt to communicate with a deity or other supernatural force.
The reason not to call it prayer is that it does not meet the definition. A concentrated meditative state per se is not prayer unless it involves an attempt to communicate with something.
Yup, I was about to posit my definition of prayer, then decided to cut it when I say he posted. Problem is, I forgot to restore the part of the code I cut along with it.
Well, if your heads are so full of bullshit that you need to be reminded to pray, it can’t be all that meaningful, now…can it?
I like my lamb grilled and on a kebob.
Bwaaaa-Haaaa-Haaaaa!
I’m gonna eat spagetti while wearing a pirate’s outfit and mastrubating. Now that’s a religion! RAmen!
No sweat, my post busting your balls over it turned out just as fucked up…and I didn’t try to cut and snip or paste anything…some strange shit going on, ever since that Bricker post that looked like a screen shot…
I did not agree that prayer always implies attempted communication with any theistic entity or entities.
But I guess I should start agreeing. The word does seem to be limited in its definition to either asking for something, or supplicating oneself. I always had a broader, more meditative view of the process. When I say the Rosary, while I grant that the words are acknowledging a theistic power, the value of the exercise is the meditative state I enter. But I suppose it’s more accurate to distinguish the two, and not try to stretch “prayer” to cover the latter.
So, Scott: I agree with you. I’m wrong here. You’re right.
I am not going to touch the Lamb or goat dishes here. I heard the very same animal was used for Darkhold’s initiation, and they left the front quarter in.
Shove it, herbavore! 