Matthew 6:5-6: "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men....when thou prayest, enter into thy closet and when thou has shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret...."
2007-03-03 14:09:57 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
those that do are hipocrites
so, also are those that recite the "lord's prayer", they seem to have totally missed the point of jesus' instruction to not repeat the same things over and over.
the point of the example jesus gave was to show christians the things they should be concerned with and pray about, it was never meant to be a rote prayer, as the masses of so-called chriatians have made it.
2007-03-03 14:11:37 · answer #1 · answered by Tim 47 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
If you finished the scripture you would see that they get their reward here on Earth and Nada up in Heaven.
Now, Praying in Church is acceptable, or at a meal or event where it is desired, but I think the rules still applies.
Notice in your scripture that it says they are not Christians but rather hypocrites.
You will find that there are many do's and don'ts for the believer and whether they think it or not they will be held accountable for their transgressions as all will be.
2007-03-03 14:18:57 · answer #2 · answered by crimthann69 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Excellent question, but not all Christians pray so that they may be seen. I actually believe that each body is a temple to the Lord so I don't have attend a church or hall to pray.
2007-03-03 14:16:15 · answer #3 · answered by just wondering 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know any Christian that goes to a synagogue or prays on a corner. We do praise and worship the Lord in Church. I pray privately except when giving thanks for food.
May God Bless you.
2007-03-03 14:20:06 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"that they may be seen of men" is a key to the phrase. People saw Jesus thank God at the table, the contxt is that he was not doing it to gain the favor of men. He was giving thanks to God the Father no matter who thought what of it.
I am not one of those that want everyone to know that I am praying. I choose to pray alone with only myself who knows that he's not talking to himself. In the car, even in heavy traffic, people might see me with my lips moving, and they might think that I am nuts, but I don't care. The prayer is between me and God alone, I don't give an "f" what they think about it.
2007-03-03 14:16:21 · answer #5 · answered by Christian Sinner 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think most people pray in private. They might say to another publicly that they will say a prayer for that person. That is like saying "God Bless You" when you sneeze.
2007-03-03 14:27:41 · answer #6 · answered by Marg 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's for private prayer. Jesus himself was used to praying in the synagogue every week....pretty public: "...on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom." (LK 4:16)
2007-03-03 14:14:55 · answer #7 · answered by The Carmelite 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't think many Christians pray in synagogues either.
2007-03-03 14:16:47 · answer #8 · answered by Michael S 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When does this happen? I pray exactly how it says. Going to mass is not public prayer but a worship service in communion with ones fellow man if thats what you may be referring to
2007-03-03 14:14:27 · answer #9 · answered by Gods child 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It's called egoistic behavior and is usually matched to a herd instinct and thoughtless oration. It's rather common among those who cleave to the Jesus Theory.
2007-03-03 14:16:03 · answer #10 · answered by Terry 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋