Do you pray for those overseas too, or mostly your own country's people?

Today I found out about the CO shooting, and people are saying they will be praying for the victims and their families.

It occurred to me, that I don't hear people saying that for the people overseas, when the US bombs the heck out of people or the CIA gives guns to militias there. I could be wrong here. I'm sure someone can find some posts of people saying this.

But, isn't this the way it goes? People will be so sorry for the victims here, and yet there are so many more dying every day in other countries.

If we are to see ourselves as one world united and see ourselves as one and cooperate and get over all of this, maybe we should try to equally care as much for the sufferings of everyone around the globe and not mostly just our neighbors in the States.

All innocent lives are innocent lives. But, how many of those people who got hurt in CO would even bother to think about all the people dying overseas? Maybe they were even pro-war. Maybe they voted for Bush and / or Obama. (Both are the same, and if you thought Mr. O would stop the wars, I'm sorry, but the war is bigger than just Bush's agenda...) If you voted for either of those guys, you are helping to put a guy into position to wage war. Politicians lie. Don't tell me that you trusted one as shady as Mr. O.

The point, though, is that I wondering how many are almost sobbing over this CO incident or "Oh, let's pray for them" but not doing the same for people around the globe. The people around the globe are dying by the thousands, and it's being paid for with taxpayer money. I think they need the prayers more than the people here.

Note: I am ignostic, with an i. I do not do this thing that involves clasping hands. I have my own means of 'wishing people well.' Sometimes I do limit my concentrations to specific groups, like when Japan happened, but I try to think in terms of all the 'good people' who need it instead. (Don't leave it to me to define what is good or bad.)

I pray for those that need it regardless of location, age, race, gender, religion, etc. I hate to see human suffering anywhere in the world. People are people...it's that simple IMO.

There is a saying, which I cannot remember so I will have to paraphrase:

A million people die in another country, and you hear about it.
A thousand people die in your country, and it makes headlines.
1 person dies in your street, and you write about it.

Basically, the closer the tragedy the more associated to it you feel.

Now this isn't true in all cases. I am not in the US and I was on the thread last night, listening to the police scanner and reading as I heard, events unfold. Perhaps the proximity relies on a common spirit? I was hearing it the same time as people in the US, indeed people close to it.

I said I pray for the lost souls and their families also. But I am not religious. It's just my way of saying this tragedy is felt as far away as where I am - maybe just me, it's been all over the news here today.

I don't have any connection to the US. Apart from knowing that we're people.

Maybe I'm not the one to answer your question... because I do feel sadness for this world every time I hear of a tragedy. Even when it's 1 person.

?

Praying?
You guys do know that praying does NOTHING and in the end is just a massive waste of time?
If praying would help, we would say it. I bet a million of backwards thinking religious people started to pray after Fukushima and what happened? Japan was struck by even more catastrophics and people died.

Praying...my god there are too many stupid people on this planet

Originally posted by ShadowAngel85
Praying?
You guys do know that praying does NOTHING and in the end is just a massive waste of time?
If praying would help, we would say it. I bet a million of backwards thinking religious people started to pray after Fukushima and what happened? Japan was struck by even more catastrophics and people died.

Praying...my god there are too many stupid people on this planet

Indeed. And now we know who a few more of them are.

Why does it bother you if people pray? If it is a waste of their time, then it means they are not wasting your time. It hurts nothing to pray for someone and to call folks stupid for that is a bit much since their actions come from a place of love and are not hurting anyone else on this planet.

reply to post by mainidh


In a way and to a degree, I can understand how this happens. Maybe because we are more familiar with certain images of places, when something happens there, it 'hits home' more. If we hear about martians in a distant galaxy getting blown up by a space invasion of their entire planet, how can we care if we can't relate?

I guess the thing with me is that I am seeing what's going on in other countries. I don't know what the news reports on TV, so I don't know what people who tune in see. But if they are seeing it, then it could be as real for them as it is for me. If they are not sensitive to the needs of people overseas, why aren't they? Is it because they have been told these people deserve such things or that it's "out of control" (when really it is often the US and its allies that bring about the conflict)? Do they have enough to worry about without worrying about "the foreigners"?

I just wish most people really knew how much more similar we all are in this NOT being "our" war. It's THEIR war, and we could voice our opinions on it, but it would probably be met with disdain. People have been convinced the wars are our way of "helping" people.

I really do not want to point fingers here. I'm sure I'm guilty of being more affected by things closer to me than things far away. Lately though, I would like to make more efforts to see things from a global perspective and look at who is really worse off. I can't really say that, even, ...because there's so much we don't even know about. We can only pay attention to so much. I guess that is why a simple wish of wellness to those who need it most can be best? Not sure. I just thought I'd bring it up.

I always pray to our lord the Flying Spaghetti Monster that he should provide everyone in the world with tasty noodles so that no man will go hungry. But sadly it seems there is still a widespread noodle shortage with absolutely no plans to provide meatballs.

Prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the recovery of people who were undergoing heart surgery, a large and long-awaited study has found. And patients who knew they were being prayed for had a higher rate of post-operative complications like abnormal heart rhythms, perhaps because of the expectations the prayers created, the researchers suggested.
Because it is the most scientifically rigorous investigation of whether prayer can heal illness, the study, begun almost a decade ago and involving more than 1,800 patients, has for years been the subject of speculation.

www.nytimes.com...

reply to post by ShadowAngel85


Same here.

Do you think those 300,000 killed prayed during the Holocaust? I bet they did. Still happened.

Think the million or so Rwandans did during their genocide? ...It still happened.

It seems lying and cheating and doing whatever you have to...is much more effective in getting you what you want in life. Look at the most powerful people. They don't ask. They just take. They lie, cheat, steal, and kill. Pray all you want...that won't stop them.

Maybe we live in a world where, the only rules are physical. All else is fair game, maybe even encouraged. The 'holy books' make it sound like it's wrong to do the "all else" and set up rules they try to get people to follow. Why? So they can break them and get ahead while you stay down? Seems like an effective plan. It works well.

reply to post by daynight42


Agreed and this was one of my first thoughts when I saw the overwhelming, "Oh my heartbroken condolences go out to all those involved"!
I call bullspit!
With very few exceptions, many of these same folks grab a bucket of popcorn to watch those night vision helicopter films where the "defenders of freedom" massacre 20-30 "terrorists".
We all cheer on the state sponsored murder but when someone does the governments job, they get booed.
It is our governments job to murder innocents right?
We cheer it on all of the time is why I ask.

Many times I will pray with the intent that the prayers go where ever they are needed the most. Who am I to know that kind of stuff anyway?

reply to post by daynight42


Maybe the prayers of those killed in the Holocaust brought the war to an end one or two years sooner? Who are we to know these things? Do you think the prayers of millions of God's children bounced harmlessly off his ears? God answers all prayers and sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes you have to die, sometimes you have to lose that arm, sometimes your children are maimed and killed. Things happen for a reason even when we do not know what that reason is.

Do not use the Bible as your sole source for identifying God. We were simple people back in the timeless mists. We needed simple stories that we could understand to give form to the unexplained. When you look for God, you will find him.

Yes, I know I cannot present one bit of evidence to support any of what I have said. I have searched diligently for many of my 57 years. That is the current sum of my research. There are many paths, but only one destination.

Originally posted by groingrinder
reply to post by daynight42

 

Maybe the prayers of those killed in the Holocaust brought the war to an end one or two years sooner? Who are we to know these things? Do you think the prayers of millions of God's children bounced harmlessly off his ears? God answers all prayers and sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes you have to die, sometimes you have to lose that arm, sometimes your children are maimed and killed. Things happen for a reason even when we do not know what that reason is.

Do not use the Bible as your sole source for identifying God. We were simple people back in the timeless mists. We needed simple stories that we could understand to give form to the unexplained. When you look for God, you will find him.

Yes, I know I cannot present one bit of evidence to support any of what I have said. I have searched diligently for many of my 57 years. That is the current sum of my research. There are many paths, but only one destination.

edit on 7-22-2012 by groingrinder because: Edited for grammar and spelling.

I'd be impressed if they prayed for it to end a few years sooner, and that is what happened. I imagine they didn't want to wait that long, if you know what I mean.

Why assume "God" is a man? Sounds sexist. "Who are we to know these things?" (My thoughts too!)

Ultimately, we are like ants looking up at humans, when we try to speculate on anything higher up than the human race. Ants cannot understand why a tall thing with a noisy machine comes plowing over their hive every week or so during the warm periods of the year. (If they do, they don't bother to build them out of the way.) So, I compare humans to ants, when it comes to the "god/gods" issue. We simply are not capable of understanding something higher than our brains can comprehend, just like ants cannot communicate and understand us. They just defend themselves by biting our feet. It's an survival instinct, but not really a way to communicate anything other than "get away from our pile."

I know it is hard for people to accept that they probably cannot communicate with and understand the God(s) and Devil(s), but yea, that's people for you. They like to think they are good like that.

Even IF we saw the most magnificent display of "power," we could never, ever determine what entity was displaying that power. Was it the most powerful being? Was it an imposter? Was it something much less powerful than the most powerful?

We just...don't...know. Sorry to disappoint.

Id like to send this prayer shout for everybody plz God thx