Prayer and the all-knowing, all-wise, and all-powerful deity
John Dibble:
So, I had a thought today. Let's call it a brain fart of sorts. So anywho...
For those of the religious persuasion, I'm going to ask for your thoughts on this since it interests me. This is sort of a variation on the "does prayer work" question, and I'm not trying to rag on anyone's particular religion. So, supposing there's a singular deity in the universe who is all powerful, all knowing, and completely wise, why would praying to such a being make him change anything he's doing? Obviously he can since he's all powerful, but being that he's all knowing he'll already know the problem you're praying to him about, and being all wise he'll probably have already decided what the best course of action (or inaction) to take is. Since he's already chosen the best course of action, why pray for him to change his mind?
Now, I can see how this might make sense in a polytheistic religion where the gods aren't all knowing or all wise, and usually aren't all powerful but still can do some amazing crap. Gods being gods are pretty damn vain in most religions, and so they like to be worshiped. Answering prayers would be a good way to display your godly power, and it would ensure your worshipers' devotion while keeping them from those other pesky deities who aren't quite as cool as you are. It could also work in a monotheistic religion where God doesn't happen to be all-knowing and prayer just happens to be a good way of communicating a problem to him, but all the monotheistic religions I know of have an all-knowing God so...
Thoughts?
Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.:
why don't you just google "prayer bible" if you want to know the Christian reason to pray?
Reluctant Republican:
If I understand you correctly (A big if, ha ha) perhaps people pray as a form of offering? God might need to know you want his help, and he wants to see you give him the “offering” of prayer and appealing to him for intervention. I pray, but your right, it is sort of confusing if he already knows everything. But one, I like to think it’s just a nice thing to do and brings you into a sort of “connection” with God and two, it’s symbolic in that your acknowledging your submission to God and praying that he will intervene and acknowledge your request. Does that make sense at all?
12th Doctor:
Quote from: SE Magistrate John Dibble on November 17, 2008, 09:43:46 PM
So, I had a thought today. Let's call it a brain fart of sorts. So anywho...
For those of the religious persuasion, I'm going to ask for your thoughts on this since it interests me. This is sort of a variation on the "does prayer work" question, and I'm not trying to rag on anyone's particular religion. So, supposing there's a singular deity in the universe who is all powerful, all knowing, and completely wise, why would praying to such a being make him change anything he's doing? Obviously he can since he's all powerful, but being that he's all knowing he'll already know the problem you're praying to him about, and being all wise he'll probably have already decided what the best course of action (or inaction) to take is. Since he's already chosen the best course of action, why pray for him to change his mind?
Now, I can see how this might make sense in a polytheistic religion where the gods aren't all knowing or all wise, and usually aren't all powerful but still can do some amazing crap. Gods being gods are pretty damn vain in most religions, and so they like to be worshiped. Answering prayers would be a good way to display your godly power, and it would ensure your worshipers' devotion while keeping them from those other pesky deities who aren't quite as cool as you are. It could also work in a monotheistic religion where God doesn't happen to be all-knowing and prayer just happens to be a good way of communicating a problem to him, but all the monotheistic religions I know of have an all-knowing God so...
Thoughts?
Well, here is where you see alot of conflict between different religious factions. Certainly, there are those who deny free will and say that omnipotence means that God controls every tiny aspect of everything. But then, of course, you run into problems like those you have laid out. To which someone like me responds that omnipotence doesn't mean that God really does micromanage everything, merely that he can, thus granting free will.
In terms of God being all knowing, and therefore why pray... well, you are correct, to an extent. But there are many reasons to pray outloud. For instance, community prayer. When Catholics pray the rosary, the prayers themselves aren't as important, so much as putting oneself into a state of mind where they are contemplating God. When we are alone, though, and pray aloud, I think that it is merely an issue of making the effort. Anyone can think something, but it takes a little effort, openness and humility to verbally express it.
Sure, God could have made the universe as easy as pie, but he didn't choose to do that. God could do everything himself, but he made angels and has saints to do his will. God could have us like puppets on a string, but with no choices, how can we ever really choose him. It's an act of love.
Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.:
Dibble, since my question went unanswered, I'll provide you a reason for prayer from the bible:
Mat 26:41 "Watch and pray, that you will not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
So, one of the reasons that I pray is to keep me from falling into temptation.
Simple enough?
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