Question for Catholics?

Question

I noticed some of my catholic friends when they pray this prayer,

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one."

they seem to speak it so fast I just had to ask them if they even knew what they were praying for and they actually had to stop and think about it and couldn't give me an answer. Are many catholics out there like that also, pray because they have to and not know what they are praying for?

Answer 1

LMAO!

Are your friends Latinos, by any chance?

Cheers!

ST

Answer 2

No. When i was growing up, the whole mass was on plastic cards with the priest's words in red and the congregation's words in black. It was the same recital every week. You knew how long mass would last because you knew the exact words that the priest was going to say and how quickly he was going through the drill.

That's what Catholicism is; rote memory and ceremony. The only thing that changes from week to week is the story from the Bible that comes about halfway through the mass. Otherwise, it's just mindless incantations. In all the years of Catholic mass and Catechism, I never once looked at a Bible.

That's the other side of Catholicism; worshipers cannot speak directly to God, they need the priests to intercede on their behalf. That's what the Reformation was all about. That's why Catholics pray to Saints instead of directly to God. They are not worthy to speak to God, so they have to ask the Saints to speak for them (or, conveniently enough, the priests). It's a racket that targets the weak-minded in order to subjugate them.

When I was growing up, it went:

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil. Amen.

Talk about a kid not knowing what the hell he's saying...

Answer 3

What's the difference "how many"? How many is not the issue. The issue is preventing vain repetitious prayer. Repetituous prayer is not a bad thing. The Our Farther itself would not contain the phrase "Give us this day, our Daily Bread", if prayer was not meant to be repeated.

The problem with the recitation of daily prayers is exactly the harzard you illustrated here; that people become so conditioned to what they are saying, that they say it without having to think out it. When one's heart and mind are disengaged in what they are saying, the prayer is vain.

As far as how many others pray that way, never you mind about them. Concern yourself just with the ones you do know. Perhaps you can do something about that one, so that person no longer prays in vain.

Let's others worry about those who also pray in vain.

Answer 4

Actually. the media made a fuss about the RCC scandal because it was lay Catholics themselves who made a big deal over it. Catholics do not like their kids being molested, and they were royally pissed that the people they trusted as spiritual authorities and moral guardians, of all people, had covered up for the (few) bad apples in their ranks. The Catholics want their leaders to clean house, but good. The RCC heirarchy deserves everything they have coming to them.

As for the prayers, the only Catholics that i've heard rushing through their prayers were priests! Go figure.

Answer 5

"Are many catholics out there like that also, pray because they have to and not know what they are praying for?" - Yes.
This proves nothing as there are more Catholics that do know exactly what each word means, and who wrote each prayer, and why. Each Catholic is usually responsible for themselves only, some are serious while others are less. What are the actions of those you are laughing at? If they are involved in their community and care for others - then they may get the final laugh if your not careful. Peace.

Answer 6

It's not just Catholics, but anyone who's memorized the prayer and say it often. Catholics, Protestants, and even agnostics who say, rather than pray, it often.

It's psychology, and when saying something memorized, and not really intent on it, people will tend to speed through it.

It's not a Catholic thing, but a human thing.

Also, there are lots of Catholics who really understand what is being said, along with a number of non-Christians who can give assent to it as well.

I'm willing to bet that there are tons of Protestants who haven't a clue what the prayer is about, and would have to think just as long as your Catholic friends.

Answer 7

The thing I find hilarious is that a Catholic cleric wrote the prayer, "For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever Amen", and yet it is Protestants, and not Catholics who attached it to the Lord's Prayer and say it as a single item.

What was that about not adding to or subtracting from Scripture?

Answer 8

Well, this is a good question. I wouldn't say most Catholics don't know what they are saying, but i agree that a good amount of them don't. I personally am not catholic, but have lived with catholics for most of my life. I have gone to a Catholic school from 1st grade to highs school. What i learned is that, many many catholics are catholic because their parents are. So it is natural that some just do it because of their parents. Other cases may be that, some catholics assume that just saying this makes them a good person. so they say it without knowing really what they are saying. Of course im not talking about a large quantity of catholics, just some. A lot of kids who go to catholic schools, (like me) have been taught repetitively to say prayers throughout our days. We learn that Jesus says that praying to God is good, and that the Our Father was taught to us by Jesus. This is all in the bible. It's not a bad idea and all, but since we are taught from young with the concept of praying because its good, we pray without taking the time to know what we are saying. hope this helps.

Answer 9

Perhaps he was a soldier, policeman, or someone similarly employed, and in the habit of praying, shorly before going into action.

Suggesting that someone doesn't understand the meaning of a prayer, just because it's said quickly, doesn't make much sense.

One can say a prayer quickly, specifically because one understands it's true meaning and purpose, and has prayed it many times before..

Answer 10

Many Catholics recite words and do not pray. Is that a failing of the religion or a laziness on the part of worshippers?

If you want to start ascribing the failings of the adherants to the religions, shall we look up what religion most members of the KKK are? How about Jeffery Dahmer? How about any of the USA-born terroristic bombers? How about the guys who assassinated presidents?

Judge an idealology by its own merits, not by the people who follow it. The media loves making a fuss over the whole RCC child molestation issue even though statistically, a lower percent of Catholic priests molest than do many other ministers of other Christian denominations.

Answer 11

People chant montras and prayers without knowing what they mean all the time. Hindus are the most famous for it and chant many things in Sanskrit which have relatively NO MEANING.

You can chant "Belt Buckle, Belt Buckle, Belt Buckle" or "Nana Puddin', Nana Puddin', Nana Puddin" repetitiously and get the same calming feeling...any chant will work just fine but...

Have you ever noticed that people in mental institutions do this incessantly? It truly does have a calming effect but anyone so distraught that they need to have a calming ritual are not in a good space. I tend to avoid people who do that as it seems insane to me.

(When individuals chant meaningless words IN ANY LANGUAGE over and over, it is considered insanity and they are given medication for it and put in isolation. When groups of people chant meaningless words IN ANY LANGUAGE over and over, it is considered religion and they are packed together in churches. SCAREY, ISN'T IT???)