Friday prayers

By Parson Thru

Fri, 11 Jul 2014
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11 comments
 

A post on here (ABCtales) got me thinking this morning (there's a surprise). 

It was about praying, and doing so for other people's needs rather than your own.  I kind of chime with that, commenting that I only pray for the needs of others. I realised later, in the shower, that my comment wasn't entirely accurate.

Not for the first time, I got to thinking "Who am I praying to?".  A bearded old man on a cloud?  That's the impression the Renaissance painters tried to give us - influenced by what?

I'm no anthropologist, but I've always found it interesting that whenever our intrepid forebears journeyed in search of great river sources, they bumped into a bunch of new friends who (licence) couldn't wait to show them paintings of the animals, mountains or sun that they worshipped (you get my drift).

Isolated communities all worshiping deities. WTF?

Somehow, their depictions ring more true than the renderings of Titian and Co. 

I mean, why wouldn't you?  Buffalo arrive bang on time each year for the pot.  Mountains have been known to do bad things to the people who live on their flanks - "Please refrain from any of that today, Amen".  The sun?  Well.... Men with beards vs. the sun? 

Personally, I'm settling on the idea of addressing my petitions to the energy and life-giving forces of the universe - the ones you can see or feel and the ones you can't. And the spirit.  I've mentioned elsewhere about things I've seen and heard. A previous Archbishop of Canterbury admitted to hearing God speaking to him and was deemed still fit to work - Atos probably had a hand in that.  At least I had witnesses. 

Anyway, I'm in no doubt that there's more to this than what we can label and stick in a jar of formaldehyde. 

I was going to say that it's more than maths, but I'm beginning to wonder (Ha!).  Perhaps mathematics is just the syntax that allows humans to try to articulate some of those great truths.  It would be amusing to watch Stephen Hawking and God collide head-on.

Anyway, there's work to be done.  I can't be sitting contemplating existence all day.

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Comments

Submitted by Parson Thru on

Blah! :-) Written something new in a field by the wonderful Malvern Hills, but not sure it's worth posting on reading it. Such is the joy of producing this crap. Poetry festival in Ledbury. Witnessed a number of stunts. Stunts! Is that where some of us are going wrong? Dalai Lama says stay +ve, so I will. Namaste. A fly has landed on my leg. Hi dad. Or is it David? Or uncle Jack, or Brian, Kath , or who knows who? The countryside is far from peaceful, but this is a place witnessing love. It's OK.

Parson Thru

Submitted by Shannan on

I LOVE contemplating existence and the meaning of it all :-) Also thoroughly enjoy reading others' contemplations too, so thanks for sharing... N.D. Walsch's "Conversations with God" viewed by some as 'blasphemous', yet completely revelationary for me, helped me to tie in all the different belief systems around us... Then, in researching The Free Masons, through a book called 'The Hiram Key', I was fascinated and enthralled once again... overall I reckon there is undoubtedly a super-power beyond our little knowing who is / that is INCREDIBLE! 

Have a super week! $

 

Submitted by Parson Thru on

Hi Shannan. Will go and look at Walsch. There's something, that's for certain. Nice to find your thoughts on here. And your enthusiasm. Have a super week, too. Very best wishes. Great to hear from you.

Parson Thru

Submitted by Shannan on

Thanks for your response Parson Thru, much appreciated... and on with the week we go (:

 

Submitted by Nolan on

 "It would be amusing to watch Stephen Hawking and God collide head-on" it makes one think of Nietszes tombstone "Nietsze is dead" -God

Agreed with the spirit of your final sentence. Don't contemplate existence. Exist. Like the rock band Twister Sister "What do you wanna do with your life?" I want to Live! &

Would like to read more of these contemplations and friday prayers. Pleasantly incoherent yet structured, as our thoughts really are. Keep well & Nolan

 

Submitted by Parson Thru on

Hi Nolan. Great to hear from you, too. I thought this piece was done and dusted. Dead in the water. Invigorating to read the comments from you and Shannan. Often seems a waste of time writing this stuff. Will probably end up writing more because I can't help it. Stood on top of Glastonbury Tor today with my daughter and her boyfriend. We were up in a thunderstorm and our hair was standing on end. Amazing. All natural, but that stuff is just a smidgen of the power of the universe. What an amazing thing it is to be alive and witnessing it. What is the meaning of that? No meaning? Why are we equipped to contemplate those events and contemplate the contemplation of those events? If we contemplate whether they have meaning, then I suspect they do. Why would the universe bring anything into existence that was completely pointless? :-)

Parson Thru

Submitted by Nolan on

What is the point of a point?

 

Submitted by Parson Thru on

I suppose in natural terms it may be that the point is that there is no effect without a cause, so everything is contingent. Everything would be static if nothing brought about a change in state. So perhaps the universe is driving at something. What is the part of conscious and imaginative beings in all of that?

Parson Thru

Submitted by Shannan on

... we create :-)

Personally I don't believe anything is by chance, I think the Universe is far smarter than that ;-)

Oh... and I recently posted a piece on how I chose my belief system and role model. I received three very interesting responses if you're interested. Keep well $

 

Submitted by Parson Thru on

Alternative response: to make an impression. :-)

Parson Thru

Submitted by Tom Brown on

The point of a point is to be a point.