GeorgeW Posted May 29, 2012 Author Share Posted May 29, 2012 On the other hand, I am not above "taking my needs before God", sort of like talking to a friend about some problem - not expecting my friend to fix the problem, just getting it off my chest. Yvonne, Rabbi Kushner (When Bad Things Happen to Good People) has said something to the effect that prayer is a way of expressing our concerns and wishes (I would argue our more benevolent wishes) and group prayer is a way of of expressing community concerns. I see nothing wrong with this. George 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 I like that, George. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Perhaps this is appropriate here - in a special recommendation announcement emailed out by Jack Spong just yesterday, he recommends a book and a course. The book just happens to be called Amen: What Prayer Can Mean In A World Beyond Belief . Product Description Prayer is an essential part of the daily lives of many people. Some believe it connects them with God, a cosmic force, the universe or life itself, and that it can change circumstances or bring them comfort, protection and peace. Others engage in the act of prayer as a traditional ritual from which they neither demand nor expect results. Many who pray cannot imagine living without it. For many others, however, prayer has no significance in their lives at all. Having left a practice they once knew or matured without religious intervention or instruction, the idea of praying regularly might be considered by these individuals as nothing more than a waste of time. In Amen, Gretta Vosper, United Church minister and author of the controversial bestseller With or Without God, examines these diverse positions in the light of the harsh realities of unanswered prayer, the secular critique of supernatural intervention and the need for a deep sense of ownership for the suffering in the world. With characteristic honesty, she calls the reader to submit the tradition of prayer to the test of integrity. Can we draw from it useful principles for addressing human and global needs? Or is it safe, and maybe even more effective, to get up from our knees and live out the answers we seek? About the Author GRETTA VOSPER, author of the national bestseller With or Without God, is pastor of West Hill United Church in Toronto, and founder of the Canadian Centre for Progressive Christianity. She received her master of divinity from Queen’s Theological College in 1990 and was ordained in 1992. Vosper is a widely sought-after speaker and is regularly interviewed in the national media. Visit her at progressivechristianity.ca. Cheers Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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