Brains that CANT pray to go to HELL

Hey there IIB,

I just want to put on record that there's no way that you'd be going to Hell for all eternity due to the simple fact that you find it difficult to concentrate & pray when you would want, in the sense of controlling your own inner voice when you hope to speak to God. Many, many people experience this problem, and very often they give up, frustrated that they can't pray, believing they must be 'spiritually deficient' in some way as a result; and therefore actually end up believing that they will be on fire for eternity as a result. Nonsense.

Firstly, I have significant difficulty with the doctrine of eternal Hell in the first place. Whatever Hell is, it's for the devil, his fallen angels, & demons (which are lowly creatures & seem to be the spirits of evil humans who died, but got 'stuck' in the vicinity of Earth's astral plane/lower dimensions, and then went insane due to brutalisation by the other demons/ fallen angels, which were also trapped in dimensional 'prisons' in the general vicinity of the Earth). This is why it is said: "Woe to the inhabitants of the Earth & the sea, for the devil has come down to you with great wrath, knowing his time is short." He knows time is short because he is aware of some of the secrets of the heavenly realms, and he knows that Time itself, as understood & experienced by Earth creatures, has a summation - a literal point of conclusion, when everything about this Reality we experience as a time-space continuum will be "..rolled up like a scroll", including Time, including the very skies, the Moon & stars that we will have looked up at for thousands upon thousands of years.

That time will be the demise of this universe, and I believe that rather than a science-predicted 'big freeze', or 'big crunch', or even just the fire & brimstone cataclysm expected by many believers, we shall instead become privy to the knowledge that yes, as we had begun to suspect, Reality (as per the most advanced physics & cosmology theories being put forward by modern scientists/ professors) is actually a simulation of some sort.

This could be the keystone of why it is said that "without faith, it is impossible to please God.."

Faith that will move a mountain perhaps comes when we know God, and also know that this Reality is a simulation. We recognise that there is an infinitely powerful, infinitely just & infinitely merciful God - who has love for each individual one of us & cares for what happens to us, and the outcomes of our actions - even in a simulation-type world. If we are certain of these things, then what we are faced with is the absolute surety that if we ask for the right things according to our exact moment-by-moment circumstances, there is NOTHING that will be able to prevent God from providing the answer to your prayer.

Whether it is a spiritual hug of healing when we're grieving for a lost loved one, or when we need to move mountains to block a powerful army from descending onto the lands of helpless civilians - who will otherwise be robbed, raped & murdered - then we are operating in a realm of pure faith, demonstrating trust in our closest friend. Our heavenly Father, who is father to all sentient beings that have ever existed..

This trust, this faith, is what most pleases God.

Think about it - in a relationship which you intend to be based on love & fellowship - who would ever feel happy about the situation if the other party was persistently afraid to trust you? If they kept holding back from the plans & opportunities you want to share with them? The gifts you want to give them? The protection you're able to provide? The guidance you're able to offer? Even holding off from spending time in each other's presence?

People who care for their elderly partners with conditions like Parkinson's Disease get a sense of what this is like, on a human level; their husbands or wives suddenly don't trust them, start to avoid sharing their thoughts, spend time hiding away or avoiding conversations.. Even calling the police & saying that your wife is plotting to steal your money; running away from the house when your wife is busy with some task.. My Grandparents lived through this, giving me understanding of the tragic, destructive cost when mutual faith & trust is lost - even in the face of undying, lifelong, perfect love.

If, instead, we trust in His word for us regarding love, comfort, protection & righteous justice - even in a so-called simulation universe, what stops Him from rearranging particles & forces at will, enabling the healing touch of an angel, or sending an unexpected army patrol to repel bandits at the border, by way of their GPS having 'malfunctioned'..?

A great & true statement, which even children can be taught to understand, is that God is like a good Father, who hears your concerns, who loves you deeply, preparing amazing opportunities for personal & spiritual growth. God's care enables you to succeed in life, providing helpful & enjoyable blessings as you work your way through Life. Why is it like this?

1 - He blesses you, just because! He knows your heart's desire to pray over your needs, even if you're temporaririly confused or can't formulate the words!!) As a good Father He gives good gifts, spiritual & material - in suitable measure, depending on what you're ultimately called to give as your own reciprocal gift of service for the Kingdom of God.

2 - He prepares you to take whatever you've created materially, intellectually or spiritually as a result of those blessings from (1), then to provide a portion of what is left over (taking account of assets, personal time & 'comfort gifts') to gift a portion of your wealth, or your time as a professional, contributing to the work of a church/ charitable project. You may be equipped to give simple practical assistance - helping young people to move house, taking the elderly to the doctor's surgery, etc. Or you may feel inspired to commit prayer time each day to reflecting on all the people in your life, in your community, praying for their healing, blessing, wellbeing & success. Different skills, honoured by God as equal gifts.

You really must try to drop the idea that you have some inner defect that God cannot forgive. You may have problems in concentrating for prayer due to conditions like OCD, bipolar disorder, or attention defecit disorder (etc).

SOLUTION?

ASK SOMEONE TO PRAY FOR YOU. Prayer, with laying-on of hands is incredible btw.

Just like every human, you have issues of life & health that aren't perfect. Struggling to overcome vices? You are not alone, so stop worrying! You may struggle to understand teachings relating to God, theology & spirituality/religion - perhaps because they haven't ever been adequately explained to you. Alpha

We're all 'fallen' beings. Why? It is a deep & enduring mystery, told in allegory in the Book of Genesis. 'The Fall' was apparently due to deception used against us at the dawn of ancient pre-history. It was an attack by a powerful 'angel', a compact of sorts, against the interests of the first sentient humans, at the critical juncture of emerging sentience & language processing capability - the first to 'awaken' were taken from their low consciousness primal, tribal environment & placed in a protected 'Garden' - where they could be taught of the gift of sentience in the direct presence of God.

Then, the Fall had to be reversed - but how?

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Praying, singing.... They were just things to make new songs with at the time.... Great for the imagination
The slate is black the chalk is white together we learn to eat and Shiite to eat and Shiite

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss
Don't talk to yourself unless you want answered back. You know if God started answering back stupid humans would think they are psychotic.
When psychos and geniuses are literally the same, one fears the voices the other takes the good advice.
Look at the sages through the ages for examples.

the action of Praying is just a method/way/means of Communication

the supposed Devine Being which 'hears'-your-prayers -> or Does-Not hear-your-prayers...will be the final authority on IF the act of Praying works... the Brain is NOT the responsible Organ for the Communication impasse or connection...


it (communication) is a Mystical Thing...

If I'm understanding what the OP is laying down, I kinda get it...from my once agnostic point of view.. " If you're skeptical about God, then God would know if your prayers weren't sincere, you can't fool God right ?

It's taken years of undeniable spiritual events and personal experiences with God, that give me the Faith he hears our prayers, lol, although he doesn't always answer them in the way I've hoped for !

originally posted by: IgnoranceIsntBlisss
Contrary to being raised Prebestarian / Baptist, I emerged as a agnostic purest. Meanwhile, the works of rest of my ideological existence my adult life prove that I'm something as immune to groupthink / indoctrination as is realistic. This stuff is genetic, meaning, I'M GOING TO HELL TO SUFFER THE ULTIMATE CONCEPT OF TORTURE FOR ETERNITY (which is literally beyond our comprehension).

As a child, I just couldnt focus when attempting "prayer".

Some might call that "ADD".

I've never disclosed to anyone until now that I never could pray.

Since then I've proven many lifetimes over that I'm not deficient in attention.

That instead my 'condition' is the opposite.

I see TOO MUCH.

Meanwhile, all those youthful prayee years, I just could never do it.

A creature possessed with the curse of a "gift" of creativity, and more, and his mind wandered when it attempted to pray... HELL IT IS FOR HIM!

Thing is, when you're too smart for your own good, you realize that if 'beings' can put their voice into your head then your prayers could be answered by other powers. Meaning we shouldnt listen to 'external' voices.

BLAH!

So, according to the "Jealous God"...

E6ternity in HELL for me, well if that's true then why not abduct & TORTURE me?

You have said it all. So just baptise yourself and call upon God to bless you. Done and done.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

You claimed you are agnostic purest. You don't know God's existence. Therefore, your OP make no sense.

How can you pray when you have no faith?

How can you claim eternity hell when you don't know anything about God?

Would you burn your own child for eternity just because your child can't speak to you??

a reply to: MountainLaurel

I was told once, by a rabbi of my acquaintance, that God hears all prayer, but that sometimes, maybe even most times, the answer is no.

The faith comes from believing that there is a reason for it all, whether the answer is yes or no.

originally posted by: IgnoranceIsntBlisss
a reply to: Raggedyman

All these pages I'm getting telling how to pray when you cant, they all say the same crap: repeat prayers / verses / hymns / names over and over and over and over and over.

The religious regularly repeat formal prayers in churches and temples or at home. With the aid of rosaries, many say Paternosters and Ave Marias. Others use prayer books. Millions of Orientals twirl wheels with prayers inside them as a means of repeating prayers rapidly.

What did Jesus say?

“When praying, do not say the same things over and over again, just as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words.”* (Matthew 6:7) Other versions express it this way: “In your prayers, do not go babbling on like the heathen.” (The New English Bible) “In praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do.”​—Revised Standard Version. *: The word rendered “say the same things over and over again” (bat·ta·lo·geʹo) is used only once in the Bible and means “‘to babble’ in the sense of trying to achieve success in prayer by heaping up repetitions.”​—Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.

Some people confuse verbosity with piety, fluency with devotion, repetition and length with a guaranteed response. However, God does not measure the value of a prayer by the yard or meter. Obviously, Jesus did not want his followers to use rigid formulas or to recite prayers. Hence, of what lasting value are rosaries, prayer books, or prayer wheels?

After saying the above, Jesus went on to give his disciples a model prayer​—the well-​known Lord’s Prayer. (Matthew 6:9-13) But did he intend for them to keep parroting those very words? No. In fact, when restating it more than a year later, not even Jesus used the exact words. (Luke 11:2-4) Is there any record of early Christians’ doing so or of their repeating other formal prayers? Again, no.

Furthermore, as Paul stated: “Without faith it is impossible to please him well, for he that approaches God must believe that he is and that he becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.”​—Hebrews 11:6.

Without that, there's not much point in prayer. Anyway...

originally posted by: IgnoranceIsntBlisss
...when you're too smart for your own good, ...

Perhaps you're not as smart as you think you are:

One Myth Leads to Another (page 1)
Myth 1: The Soul Is Immortal

...
What does the Bible say?

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”​—Ezekiel 18:4, King James Version.
...
When nominal Christians adopted the myth of the immortal soul, this led them to accept another myth​—the teaching of hellfire.
...
FACT:

At death a person ceases to exist

Myth 2: The Wicked Suffer in Hell

What is the origin of the myth?

“Of all classical Greek philosophers, the one who has had the greatest influence on traditional views of Hell is Plato.”​—Histoire des enfers (The History of Hell), by Georges Minois, page 50.

“From the middle of the 2nd century AD Christians who had some training in Greek philosophy began to feel the need to express their faith in its terms . . . The philosophy that suited them best was Platonism [the teachings of Plato].”​—The New Encyclopædia Britannica (1988), Volume 25, page 890.
...
What does the Bible say?

“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, . . . for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.”​—Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10, Revised Standard Version.

The Hebrew word Sheol, which referred to the “abode of the dead,” is translated “hell” in some versions of the Bible. What does this passage reveal about the condition of the dead? Do they suffer in Sheol in order to atone for their errors? No, for they “know nothing.” That is why the patriarch Job, when suffering terribly because of a severe illness, begged God: “Protect me in hell [Hebrew, Sheol].” (Job 14:13; Douay-Rheims Version) What meaning would his request have had if Sheol was a place of eternal torment? Hell, in the Biblical sense, is simply the common grave of mankind, where all activity has ceased.
...
FACT:

God does not punish people in hell

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Perhaps the real difference between yourself and most others is that you have a heightened awareness to the wandering of your mind. Whereas others are not able to perceive it as easily as you can.

Think as yourself as a watcher of your mind. Instead of prayer just watch each thought as they arise. Don't ride with them into new thought. Just let them die by their own accord.

This perhaps will give the watcher more control. It is the watcher than needs to commune with God. Words and thought are a distraction.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Please show me where God is going to strike down people who dont pray?

originally posted by: seagull
a reply to: MountainLaurel

I was told once, by a rabbi of my acquaintance, that God hears all prayer, but that sometimes, maybe even most times, the answer is no.

The faith comes from believing that there is a reason for it all, whether the answer is yes or no.

I like to say that if you have any bias toward hearing a "yes" or "no," you may not yet be ready to ask the question...

a reply to: Lazarus Short

Does anybody praise God any more or just ask for allowance?