Are you really PRAYING to your GOD... Are you sure you're not just TALKING to YOURSELF?

Question

:-)

note:i post it in the Philosophy section because if i put in at R&S, i would sound insulting. dont want 2 hurt anybody's sentimentality.
at least i know i would never hurt anybody's own philosophy here.

Answer 1

Does it matter? If it accomplishes the same thing...taking time to set your priorities and be thankful for what you have and asking for guidance about the future, etc..it shouldn't matter who or what you are talking to. So whether it is faith in yourself or faith in a god, the bottom line is that I don't think it matters one bit who you are talking to.

Answer 2

You're halfway there just by saying "your God."

(I know, I know. But read on, I end up giving an answer to your question eventually.)

It is true that we cannot completely imagine or conceptualize what we have never completely experienced.

It is also true that we can never know what anyone else means when they say the word God.

Considering, everyone's concept of God is different and incomplete by nature. This means that we are all making God up in our heads. Even atheists, when they conceptualize the God or Gods they believe don't exist.

However, just because human's can't perfectly conceptualize God, doesn't mean there is no God.

Many of the major religions have (rightly) come to the ultimate conclusion that God cannot be understood perfectly. However, people that claim to follow these same religions have settled upon a less than perfect representation of "their God." Interesting, in the Bible, the way God describes "himself" by saying "I am who I am."

Anyway, if the concept we have of God included that of praying we then are not talking to God, or ourselves, but participating in God, or our views of the divine.

Answer 3

Leaving aside one's convictions about God, interactions with God can be on different planes. (Different: Not superior or inferior)

One is offering worship. In this there is no supplication. Only reverence. The other is supplication for help. This is prayer.

Hinduism caters to various levels of understanding of God.

At the lowest level a particular manifestation (e.g.The Mother Force, Shakthi) is worshipped in one particular graven image in one particular location. The rituals are always performed by a priest. It is always a worship and not a supplication. The supplication comes in the devotee's contract before the worship. Each one declares,'I am taking part in this for such and such to happen'.

There is also the individual ritual worship, which is performed at home, where also it can be just a worship, or a supplication. The ritual is same. The initial declaration decides the nature.

There is also the ritual free mental prayer, which can be an anguished plea for succour.

It is possible that in this one is psyching oneself up to face the problem. Hinduism is fatalistic. If a prayer is not granted, the devotee assumes that God is testing or that what is happening is because of misdeeds in a previous incarnation.

Failure of a prayer does not diminish faith.

The question rightly addresses the key issue:'When PRAYING to your GOD...'


I believe that belief in God is individual conviction. May be a conditioned response but, individual nevertheless.

Yes, at the core, you Are talking to yourself...
your SELF.

Answer 4

I often wonder what Michelangelo would think if he realized how his painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel had affected the world.
You know the one I'm talking about, the whole "pull my finger" scene
With the stroke of his brush he indelibly etched the idea of a god as a large powerful man, sitting up in the clouds in a kingly fashion, bestowing his graces upon the world.
It was almost cruel.
At what point will humanity realize that something that is everything is not separate from it we may never live to see.
All we can do is do what we do.
I'm reminded of something Plato once said, it went something like 'Mankind may never achieve Utopia, but wise men will put all their hopes in it"

Answer 5

Great question Enki. For some reason I don't believe you would intentionally try to insult someone.
As to your question, when I pray I do believe I am talking to God. I have grown in my faith and view God as a friend. I used to believe I was simply talking to myself but time has proven to me that with the his help I can make it through my rough times. When I pray I feel a peace come over me and I feel a comfort in talking to God. It seems to make the burden I feel I carry a lot lighter. When I was younger I was always told that I could lay my worries at the Lord's feet and his arms would embrace and comfort me. To some that may sound odd but I kind that thought very comforting. Sorry if I rambled on a bit, but this is just the way I feel. Thanks again Enki for the great question.

Answer 6

You really are praying to God. He gives you this feeling, and you know he is there. No one can ever make you feel as happy as he can. I was really deep into depression and drugs, then one of my friends who was very sexually active just changed. I saw through her that God was real. And now I have this feeling all the time that he is with me. He really loves you even if you don't believe in him, he still believes in you. He sent his only son to die for you. While he was on the cross he was thinking of you. Everytime I have a bad day at school, I pray during lunch and all of the sudden all my anger is taken away and I just feel so loved. When my family totally ignores me and I feel like I am doing something wrong to them, I pray and God just makes me feel so wondeful. So yes you are not talking to yourself you are praying to God, the only person who will be with you when no one else cares.

Answer 7

I know I'm talking to G-d because:
1. I feel love pouring over me that isn't anything like the love I feel from other people or from myself.
2. When I pray, I sometimes already sense the answer and it isn't usually what I expected.
3. I forget about prayers I've prayed sometimes, but if I have asked for something (one time it was a christian tape for my birthday-came out of the blue on my birthday in a weird way and I asked no one else but G-d for it because no one I knew back then was christian) it often comes to me and then I remembered what I had asked G-d for and I get like.. butterflies in my stomach. (Of course then I go thank
G-d in prayer).

Answer 8

Good choice of locations. You will probably get more sincere answers here.

I used to think I was talking to God but when little or nothing happened I started wishing on a star. I found the results to be indistinguishable, one from the other. Unless of course, God only knows one answer, "NO".

So I gave it up and now consider myself to be an open minded Atheist. I will listen to anyones REAL evidence that a god exists. I don't give a damn what they feel or believe only evidence. Like Joe Friday on Dragnet, I'm just interested in the facts any more. And a lack of evidence that proves God doesn't exist does not constitute evidence that God does exist.

Answer 9

So u ain't figured it out yet huh? properly gods do no longer consult with human beings. They in no way have and in no way will. some human beings lie and say a god talked to em. and a few human beings even write books and say a god informed em to jot down it. yet it extremely is a hoax. Now u have been given human beings in the present day who do comparable issues. and a few might desire to certainly have self assurance it cuz of the brainwashing they have have been given. Like somethin stable occurs and that they at present day say it extremely is cuz they are on the factor of or talkin to a god. Or somethin undesirable occurs and purely the alternative...they omitted the god or did no longer pray or in spite of the fact that. Now we could see.....U sinned and it blocked your courting with the god....think of approximately it. somebody has been doin a stable activity of brainwashin u it sounds opt to me. And purely fyi....i comprehend this answer ain't gonna do nothin for u...cuz u are already brainwashed. whether it would desire to help different people who're readin this to perhaps think of for themselves extra.

Answer 10

According to Islamic faith God is present everywhere, He sees what u do, He hears what u say. So to them who believe in this it really doesn't matter whether u r talking to ur self or to someone else He's always hearing u but he may not answer u.
In this sort of faith whenever u address God in particular, it is 100% sure that He will listen to u and answer u because He is being spoken to this time. His answer comes in results not in words one needs to understand that.
I know u needed a philosophical answer but this sort of question can only be answered by religious philosophy.

Answer 11

You may not be sure we (those of us who believe in any kind of god) are praying to our gods, if you don't believe they exist... obviously. If you have a god I don't believe exists, I will not believe you are actually praying to any god. I do not think anything in life can every truly be proven. I only believe in evidence.. .and evidence does not look the same to everyone... it does not always produce the belief that something is proven. I could say that God has proven to me he exists, but that can only be true for me. If he did not prove it to you, you don't have proof... and the way I see it, I couldn't look down on you for your beleifs. They are as unique as any other thinking person's beliefs, and no one can ever prove to me whether your beliefs are true or false. I can only believe what I choose to believe, and appreciate your beliefs for what I think is good about them. So, after all my rambling, I guess my point is, yes I'm sure.. and I understand and accept that others are not sure I am praying to a God who is real.