I found this the most interesting post in this thread, knowing that Azadre is a Muslim. Is it true that Muslims don't pray for anyone outside of their community?
Jackie, I found it interesting that you found that so interesting. Are you suggesting perhaps this is a basis for war with Muslims ? I know this is stereotyping, but until relatively recently you Germans were noted for sort of liking wars. On the plus side, you were noted for doing better as soldiers than some of your r allies, like the Italians, who are mainly noted for other things. Let me make it clear you Germans are noted for other traits like precision, certain forms of music etc. I would cite your r welfare state as a magnificent achievement etc.
That's a bit of a leap there, isn't it? Having been raised catholic, I do remember that in church, we used to pray for everyone, regardless of their religion. I am genuinely interested in whether this is different within the Muslim community. That's all. Your comments about Germans liking war, etc., sound a bit confused to me.
nope that is incorrect. Muslims pray for everyone. Almost every mosque (At least in the states) prayed for the victims of VA Tech at the very next prayer...
Perhaps on the German proclivity for war. I do admire your welfare state, in a non-confused manner. Having never been to Scandinavia, I have only I guess hearsay wrt to the superiority of theirs. I was impressed by your country the one time I went there for a couple of weeks. ONly two trips to Europe so I have to rely mainly on reading. BTW I had one German grandmother,also Catholic, who was in a German speaking school in the USA when WW I broke out and they made them stop speaking primarily German in even their private schools. Since Jackie, you are I assume 100% German could my 1/4 Geman be what makes me stubborn and some would say combative? Also, I believe you have some Protestants in Germany, . largely of a variety not in a majority in the southtern USA. Do your type(s) of Protestant pray for the dead or for live Iraqis who oppose US policy? Perhaps you have never attended one of their services. Do they have big TV shows like here? The one time I was in Germany I was doing typical tourist activities like Rothenberg, Auschwitz, the Rhine, Munich, Neuschweinstien, sp? (the Cinderella castle), and not paying attention to religion or even TV.
In general, for Protestants (enough qualifiers?) heavenly rewards flow from a relationship with the Living God -- through Christ Jesus -- not from good works. Good works naturally follow such a spiritual re-birth but the ultimate reality is the spirit life not the works.
Yes, the original question regarding praying for the dead Iraqis. Simply we haven't prayed for those already dead, but we have prayed for the Iraqi people still alive because so many have died. Imagine a high school teacher going to the Grand Canyon. He is overwelmed with the natural beauty and the awesome majesty of the height and depth of the canyon and he experiences first hand the treasures of waterfalls, river, sunsets and wildlife. It is a breath taking experience that changes his life. He goes back to the classroom and tells the students "I just want you all to have the same opinion I do about the heat in Arizona, the long trails that make your legs cramp in the canyon and the cost of going there." Christians have experienced the overwelming love of Jesus, the majesty of His sacrificial life and death and the beauty of His grace and forgiveness. They have experienced this, met Him spiritually speaking and all they want others to do is go there and see it for themselves. That is how my heart prays for people. We don't pray about ourselves, our own opinions or our beliefs. We pray for others to know Jesus Christ who loves them enough to die for there justification, we pray for their suffering to end in this evil world, we pray that they will find the world that will soon come where there is no war, suffering, pain or death. Our prayer comes from sincerity, love, and compassion. Do we pray enough? I don't. This thread is a good reminder for me to pray for the Iraqi people. In the past year we have not prayed enough at our church. Thank you.
But to me you are just a Maverick fan hassling everyone to become a Maverick fan, telling them there is no other way but to be a Maverick fan when you have no idea what it is like to be a Rocket fan.
Can we safely assume that conservative Christians would rather their tax money go to wmds and administrating the death penalty than poor people?
i sure hope not. but seriously..i go from post to post in this thread..and it's an assumption about what i believe/do as a christian based on someone else's preconceived notion of that..from a stereotype. skip down a couple of posts and it's an assumption about muslims...do they actually pray for other people???? SHOCKER!!!! GASP!!! yeah...i'm a protestant Christian I guess. though I shy away from the label protestant to the extent it makes someone think i would think that a catholic is any less a believe than I am. and i shy away from it to the extent that someone has some notion of how i would vote because of what Pat Robertson has said/done. i'm trying to follow Jesus. seriously, that's it. i have certain styles of actual church worship i prefer...but frankly find that it pales in comparison to what I see of God when searching for Him daily in the course of my ordinary day and in service of others. i go to a non-denominational chuch. i lead a small group there. i tell the folks in my group constantly that God is bigger than all the dogmatic boxes we try to fit Him in...that I can make compelling arguments directly from the Bible for virtually every issue that has divided the church over the years. i know people of all sorts of faith backgrounds. they are my friends. i've been involved in community service with many of them. i have no idea what mercies God has in store for those people but I know I've seen them appear to be far more Christ-like than many people i've met in churches. i disagree with them on the person of Jesus..on who he was and is. i know for me, my salvation is Jesus Christ. not just some salvation for a heaven like you'd see in a Greek play or in Clash of the Titans...but salvation in terms of a better life right here, right now. and i feel he calls us all to partner with him in the redemption of THIS world. not just some ethereal location in the cosmos or in another dimension. but in the here and now. justice in the here and now. compassion in the here and now. i can argue dogmatics all day long...with very little meaning. but i find that my life feels best when i put myself behind and serve others. not out of some duty or to check it off the list of things i can do to make God like me today...because I can't possibly earn any more of His love than He's already given. but because it's a response to that love. i TRY to make my entire life a response to that. i'm not there yet. but it's where i wanna go. meet real people. stop living on assumption. some will disappoint you for sure. others will surprise you.
can we safely assume that Buddhists should be meditating 24 hours a day instead of spending time embracing the evil electronic physical world? Or we can both safely assume we should stop with the ridiculous assumptions.
such a classy post. I'll give you Mewoigi's reply to spare him the trouble of pressing the reply button =)
Post of the day,week or month. Meogwi. are you possibly Buddhist or something? BTW It seems that we have few Buddhists as Rockets' fans. Is it against their religiion to be so frivolous? Do they devote themselves to more practical or higher matters?
thanks...but i didn't mean it as a "gotcha" to Meowgi. i respect the hell out of meowgi. he has a ton of compassion and a hunger for justice. no doubt about that. plus, i love his sense of humor! the danger here is what the church is doing to make people think of Christianity in this way.
I'm glad that this thread has reminded at least one southern Protestant to pray more for the Iraqis. I am still puzzled why so many of the Southern Protestants would want to pray for the Iraqi people because so many were dying,while in a huge majority they backed the war that has killed so many. Iit was obvious to so many other religions-- including other major Protestant sects that it was not a just or necessary war.
I think Sishir MIGHT be a Buddhist. Are you asking this because we have so many CHinese fans? Another assumption of yours?
