Posted on 04/30/2010 8:03:48 AM PDT by Quix
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7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, --New Living Translation 7And when you pray, do not heap up phrases (multiply words, repeating the same ones over and over) as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their much speaking. [I Kings 18:25-29.] 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9Pray, therefore, like this: 15But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their [j]reckless and willful sins, [k]leaving them, letting them go, and [l]giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses. --Amplified Pray with Simplicity 5"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? 6"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. 7-13"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: 16-18"When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don't make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won't make you a saint. If you 'go into training' inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn't require attention-getting devices. He won't overlook what you are doing; he'll reward you well. |
Mark Kirby: O Mother of Good Counsel, I am all thine, Most Holy Mary, There is no part of my life that is not open to thee, I want to be completely transparent with thee, Praying in this way, I can be at rest, |
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so very often it comes down to them happily bearing false witness on this subject every chance they get. Sure, they say they love their Bibles, but someone please get a highlighter for that commandment already...
Hate mongerers on the other hand, fabricate outrage to engender violent hatred, e.g. the false Jesuit Oath or the Palestinian "cartoon" of a Jew with fangs hunched over carrying a dead Palestinian baby's body dripping blood.
Hate mongering is not allowed at all.
There are a lot of resources on FR about Catholicism. What is the point in tearing it down? I just don’t see it. Misrepresenting it, tearing it down, playing games, why not just leave it alone? Why not just have devotionals and caucuses for their own faith, whatever it is?
I fully agree with you.
Headcoverings are no where in the Koran, yet we all give in about them (except the French, good on them). There is no excuse for going farther than one’s religion calls for. Especially to just feed one’s own ego.
I will not point to any particular religion as having that as a core belief. However, I do observe contentious behavior from all the major "debate teams" on the Religion Forum.
Now, wait now. Love Boat? Less intellect?
I admit it was fun. ;-D
I disagree - it was an awesome set-up for a play on words. I tip my hat to you, sir!
very, very true. And at the very least, if you feel you are doing God’s work and saving souls by showing us the errors of our ways - then you have to at least be open to knowing what our ways actually are. When all members of a group you are calling out, attempt to correct the misconceptions you have about what goes on in that group, and you still maintain you know more about what goes on on the inside than the people who live the lives you are belittling; well I don’t know if that’s ignorance, hubris, sanctimony or what, but it sure ain’t God’s work.
Yes, "contentiousness begets contentiousness." 1 Debaticles 3:11.
I can hardly bear it. Why, I’m barely able to type. I bore the punch punch joke with good humor — well, I don’t want to bore you any further. Lead me not into temptation, I have a lead foot on the gas pedal of religious risk! You can win a medal testing Catholic mettle.
Roamer-The interplay between Moses and the magi of Egypt readily spring to mind (Exodus 7:11 - onward) - The Pharaoh's magicians matched Moses tit-for-tat through till the plague of flies (or thereabouts)..
The Pharaoh's magicians were just magicians that caused illusions -so they did not produce a TRUE miracle.
I would caution not to underestimate our adversaries.
We agree on this,but we also do not give the devil and demons credit for things he is not capable of doing,beside the devil gets the most out of temptation anyway
More From the late FR Hardon...
Truth number one: No one is spared temptations by the devil. This becomes a universal principle of Christianity. How do we know? Because if Christ was tempted by the evil spirit we may be sure every one else as a human being will undergo the same trial. Therefore no complacency. And no matter how preserved one may think he or she is from the world, (we are never that free, but say more or less) or have somehow mastered (so we think) in greater or less measure temptations which arise from our own passions of body or spirit. The one thing we can never think we have finished the contest, and that is the devil. One of the main reasons why the Church is so concerned until the dying person has gasped his last, to pray that the person might be delivered from the evil spirit. So no one is spared.
Second truth- the devil tempts on three levels of our being. We are now addressing ourselves with reflection to Christ own triad of temptations. He temps our weaknesses of the flesh. Now the word “tempt”, as you know, has all kinds of meanings. In fact, I have even seen, (Was it in the states or in Canada?) an exotic perfume called “My Temptation”. So you never know what words are going to mean, but (see if I can make this clear) the devil we say tempts us on three levels:
He tempts us first of all, on the level of our weaknesses of the flesh. Where “tempts” here, means, “he tries them out”. You know like, testing, testing? You know, like scratching to see if it is solid. You know, like pulling and tugging to see if it gives. Is the figure of speech clear? He knows we got weaknesses of the flesh, so he is testing, testing to find out what’s our particular weakness. And notice it is not just a weakness in general, in the abstract, but you know I can be tempted to do certain things in the morning that I would never give into at night. Does that sound strange to you? No! Our moods. When I want an important favor from some important individual, I never, the rule is never, approach that person before he has had a good meal. This is not demonic, this is Jesuitica
You’re making my pixels blush!
>>I do not doubt that some believe their salvation has something to do with their contending with others.<<
Some believe that the twin towers were brought down by explosive devices. When they come onto FR, they are shut down. Even the Muslims (I know many, being from Detroit) do not believe that their salvation depends on a soul count. Those who do are extremists and we should not stand for that.
>>I will not point to any particular religion as having that as a core belief. However, I do observe contentious behavior from all the major “debate teams” on the Religion Forum. <<
Does that do well for our “cause”? Are we a forum of shared beliefs or does it do us well to allow a few to taint all of us? Personally, I would prefer to be told by a mod when I “get on a roll” before someone in the MSM picks up my “out of context” quote.
Frankly,
I’ve never observed any evidence that you were an afficianodo of politeness.
Of course, I’m plenty wrong on occasion.
I may have been going to pot that day.
I was baptized and raised Catholic with priests and nuns in the family. I know what the Catholic church teaches and what its about.
While the Catholic church denies in words, as the FRoman Catholics do, that it worships Mary, since they attribute to her all the characteristics of God, give her the same titles that Christ and Christ alone is worthy to bear, and make statues of her to put in their churches to pray to her, yes, in fact they are worshiping her.
Take Mary out of a Catholic Church and watch what happens.
= = =
VERY WELL AND ACCURATELY PUT.
THX THX.
Of course, the willfully blind tend to be like alligators living in de Nile in Egypt.
That would be crocodiles - dang irritating facts...
INDEED.
I read that book a long time ago.
It’s excellent.
I recommend it highly to anyone interested or caught up in or dealing with someone invovled in any such stuff.
Actually, it’s a great book for every Christian.
TOTALLY UNRELATED comments.
My observations tend to be . . . largely . . . my own.
I thought most folks hereon recognized such an obvious fact.
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