[orange]

Is it possible to be spiritual and/or religious and never pray? By that I mean praying in the traditional sense... either using your own words to speak to G-d or words in a prayer book.

Why I ask is because prayer has always seemed pretty foreign and weird to me. I am quite a non-religious Jew, but I do take my adopted 4 and 6 year old to synagogue almost daily to say Kaddish (prayers for the dead, basically) for their parents. Even when I went through a period of trying out different religions, I never prayed really, and when I did it felt odd... like it wasn't real, or didn't "fit" with me, personally.

However I do love nature and feel spiritual when I am out in it, especially when I'm alone. I get my best thoughts and ideas when I am alone and by a body of water, for example. That feels a lot more "real" to me than saying, "Dear G-d, please bless so and so...", etc.

Anyway just curious on everyone's thoughts.

[valinors_sorrow]

It must be possible because that describes me Chava. I have a very different take on praying and I don't participate in it (out of respect to those who do, I am not going into detail here). This kind of goes to the thread I started about what actions best demonstrates faith. I am a big believer in action, if that isn't already obvious. LOL

I experience a really wonderful connection with my creator and have learned things that I believe with great conviction without having held anything like a conventional conversation with God, so to speak. Now I do meditate, but that sounds pretty much like what you do too. That is different to me than prayer.

[orange]

Yes, meditation is a good word for it, I guess! Although it's completely unplanned. I know some people who meditate for a certain amount of time, at the same time every day. That's completely different from what I do... I just "go with the flow" basically!

I agree with you about actions, too. I am also a person of action. I've seen too many people say they love G-d, believe, etc, and no actions to back up their words. I saw that other thread you started about actions and faith, but I didn't feel "worthy" to contribute to it, because I don't particularly consider myself to have a "faith" per se, although I am definitely Jewish and proud of it (in the cutural sense), and also believe in some kind of Creator, although I consider myself an agnostic.

[valinors_sorrow]

However I do love nature and feel spiritual when I am out in it, especially when I'm alone. I get my best thoughts and ideas when I am alone and by a body of water, for example.

Just because its spontaneous doesn't mean it isn't valid meditation. I too love to connect through nature. It is one of the reasons I live in a special forest called a hammock*. Things grow especially big and fast here so its like lush on steroids (when we aren't having a drought!). And if this all gets to feeling ordinary for me, I like to pop over to Lake Wales and visit the Bok Tower Gardens for a spiritual boost. There is a lot more to Florida than beaches and now you know some! :)

*Main Entry: 2hammock
Function: noun
Etymology: origin unknown
1 : HUMMOCK
2 : a fertile area in the southern U.S. and especially Florida that is usually higher than its surroundings and that is characterized by hardwood vegetation and deep humus-rich soil

[phillysteakandcheese]

I think humans are spiritual beings, and our soul is the essence of what we are.

We connect with God in our own "sense" - be that through "talking to God" in our mind, meditating, or through traditional knee-dropping church prayer.

Our soul is not limited by the physical body, so I see no need to limit our devotion to God to physical knee-dropping church prayer every Sunday.

[fredg]

Hi,
As a Christian, and since this was posted in Spirituality, I will answer you in this manner.
Those who either don't "belive in", or "don't pray", are those who have never tried it, consistently, each day for awhile. That's a pretty broad statement, I know. But, if you haven't tried it, continuing for awhile, you don't know what you are missing!
Prayer is communication with God, as one believes in Him. It doesn't have to be with a group; it can be personal, with just one person.
If nothing else, pray for Strength to do God's Will, as you understand what that Will is.
Best wishes.

[talaniman]

Through some dark times of my youth, I learned to pray as a way to communicate with the God that I was beginning to understand and have kept it up over the years, Generally in the morning and at night before bed and many times in between as I feel it. Prayer and meditation is the way I maintain the spiritual contact to the creator and learn how to be a better human being. As many blessings as I've received saying, THANK YOU GOD, everyday is pretty much mandatory in my world!:cool:

[educatedhorse_2005]

Pray regular and sometimes he answers sometimes he doesn't.
But yet people tell me that I am unholy
Why.

[talaniman]

They paint you as unholy because you don't do it the way THEY tell you too, like they know and you don't!

[Chery]

Hi Chava and Val.

I feel just like you two do. I don't practice a religion but have studied and/or experimented in may to try to find the right one for me. No luck yet. I pick a little from each to help me along, and I don't think anything wrong with it.

I also see meditation as a form of communication more suited for me than praying, and look for comforthing environments to include the swamps of Georgia to the desert of Nevada to do this. Now, I use the little fish pond in the backyard at sundown to do this and I feel totally relaxed. I thank the 'stars' that at this time in my life I have more to be thankful for than to 'complain' about.


May the stars blink ever so bright for you and yours!

[orange]

pray regular and sometimes he answers sometimes he doesn't.
But yet people tell me that I am unholy
Why.

People shouldn't be telling you that you're unholy... it's judgemental IMO. Plus how do they define "holy"? They can't see in your heart, so they don't really know.

Hi Chava and Val.

I feel just like you two do. I don't practice a religion but have studied and/or experimented in may to try to find the right one for me. No luck yet. I pick a little from each to help me along, and I don't think anything wrong with it.

I also see meditation as a form of communication more suited for me than praying, and look for comforthing environments to include the swamps of Georgia to the desert of Nevada to do this. Now, I use the little fish pond in the backyard at sundown to do this and I feel totally relaxed. I thank the 'stars' that at this time in my life I have more to be thankful for than to 'complain' about.


May the stars blink ever so bright for you and yours!

Thanks Chery, this is very similar to how I look at things... I'm glad someone else understands! I feel very blessed in my life and I do often say "thank you" in my head or whisper it, although I don't know really know who I'm saying thank you to. But I do feel that Someone or Something is looking out for me and making my life better.

I tried to give you reputation but I have given out too much in the last 24 hours! :eek: LOLL. But I'll come back later if I remember.

[Chery]

They paint you as unholy because you don't do it the way THEY tell you too, like they know and you don't!

You said it buddy! But I feel the only ones that have a right to 'paint' me are the ones who know me enough to make such judgments. So, we all 'go figure'... Water-base paint washes off well.

[Northwind_Dagas]

However I do love nature and feel spiritual when I am out in it, especially when I'm alone. I get my best thoughts and ideas when I am alone and by a body of water, for example. That feels a lot more "real" to me than saying, "Dear G-d, please bless so and so...", etc.

I don't see why you would need anything more than that. If that is your method of communing with deity, how could it be wrong?

At the church I attend, we do not have spoken prayer: only a period of silence and personal reflection--meditation if you will. I couldn't possibly say that my fellow church members are not spiritual or religious. :)

[jduke44]

This question made me think... a little :p . At first I was looking at it from a husband and wife viewpoint that a husband wouldn't want to not talk to their wife or vise-versa. God is very intimate. Not in a sense of the physical touch but in the emotional. So my first answer would have been no (But I am not the one to judge that anyways). My second answer is yes. After looking at the posts, everyone gave good answers at to why that may be true. If you connect with God in meditation then why wouldn't that be the same as "praying" to him. Prayer is communication with God.

[Homecoming]

Praying has not been something I have ever felt comfortable with either it seemed so foreign. What I really do enjoy is telling Jesus or Archangels what I am greatfull for each day.
It helps me to stay in the present, taking fewer things for granted etc. I then often become aware of my vibrational energy, the loving warmth that eminates afterwards. I work at keeping that energy going for as long as I can. It changes me from the inside out.
Homecoming

[orange]

I don't see why you would need anything more than that. If that is your method of communing with deity, how could it be wrong?

At the church I attend, we do not have spoken prayer: only a period of silence and personal reflection--meditation if you will. I couldn't possibly say that my fellow church members are not spiritual or religious. :)

Thanks Northwind. If there's one thing I've learned from this thread, it's that everyone has their own way of communicating with G-d or a Higher Power, and that there's no one "right" way. It helps me to appreciate my own way, thanks!

This question made me think... a little . At first I was looking at it from a husband and wife viewpoint that a husband wouldn't want to not talk to their wife or vise-versa. God is very intimate. Not in a sense of the physical touch but in the emotional. So my first answer would have been no (But I am not the one to judge that anyways). My second answer is yes. After looking at the posts, everyone gave good answers at to why that may be true. If you connect with God in meditation then why wouldn't that be the same as "praying" to him. Prayer is communication with God.

Yes I agree about meditation. I think that actual speaking is a human way to communicate, and G-d is "above" all that, so speaking isn't really necessary. Not that it's wrong of course to speak to G-d using words; lots of people I know do that and it's great for them. But I've just never felt "right" about it personally. It feels like talking to a brick wall, or like I'm just talking to myself.

Praying has not been somthing I have ever felt comfortable with either it seemed so foreign. What I really do enjoy is telling Jesus or Archangels what I am greatfull for each day.
It helps me to stay in the present, taking fewer things for granted etc. I then often become aware of my vibrational energy, the loving warmth that eminates afterwards. I work at keeping that energy going for as long as I can. It changes me from the inside out.

Yup that definitely sounds like prayer. :)