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the issue is if a person doesn't want any part of Christianity and your prayers have the intent of helping them be a Christian, then whether your prayers have power or not that can be offensive, because the point is you are trying to make something happen that you know that person doesn't want and they know you're trying to make it happen.
If you friend or someone you knew was lost and you began to pray for them to be saved and they told you that they do not want you to pray for them, how would that make you feel? If they even became upset and tried to demand that you stop, how would that make you feel?
Would you accept the request and not pray?
If the answer is yes, then why?
Any Christian willing to do this to make you happy will have hell to pay. Literally. I don't suspect you realized you were asking for that, so I point it out.
This is why I raised the point of this happening in married couples. If Christians were concerned with "not being offensive," as you put it, we would be worthless. Salt that has lost its savor.
Any Christian willing to do this to make you happy will have hell to pay. Literally. I don't suspect you realized you were asking for that, so I point it out.
Balderdash.
You are seriously suggesting that by respecting someone else's boundaries that means I will go to hell? Have you any Scripture to back up that ludicrous suggestion?
God gave mankind free will, and since then he has respected our right to choose for ourselves. Are you seriously saying that Christians should not respect that which God himself established, and which God himself respects; other people's free will to choose for themselves?
That is one weird way of regarding our faith, if so.
Yes, I would. People are entitled to say that they do not want our prayers, and if we then go ahead we are crossing a boundary, whether they know it or not.
We should always respect people's wishes in this matter, imo.
I once had someone pray for me in a situation where I was too much in shock to object (or consent), but afterwards I was very angry about it. The prayer was to make them feel better about walking away from me when I was in difficulty; it was not about me. If they had really cared about me they would have not walked away, or at the very least they would have brought me a cup of tea before they did. (I was in A&E with someone very unwell.) A porter later brought me a cup of tea; that night he represented Christ to me in that place. Those who prayed and walked away did not.
Prayer should never be imposed. If people consent, then go ahead. If they do not, then do something else instead; talk, make tea, go bowling together, but don't pray for them. God will understand. And more importantly, the other person will know that their boundaries are respected.
Please do not encourage him.
Just an observation -- have we gotten so sensitive that someone stating "I'll pray for you" could be considered offensive?
I'm honestly curious. Here in the beautiful South, saying "I'll pray for you" is a very common reaction when learning someone is going through a tough time. I've never known it to be an aggressive challenge to someone's beliefs (or, lack thereof).
Thank you for your thoughtful answer.
This is why I raised the point of this happening in married couples. If Christians were concerned with "not being offensive," as you put it, we would be worthless. Salt that has lost its savor.
Any Christian willing to do this to make you happy will have hell to pay. Literally. I don't suspect you realized you were asking for that, so I point it out.
Balderdash.
You are seriously suggesting that by respecting someone else's boundaries that means I will go to hell? Have you any Scripture to back up that ludicrous suggestion?
God gave mankind free will, and since then he has respected our right to choose for ourselves. Are you seriously saying that Christians should not respect that which God himself established, and which God himself respects; other people's free will to choose for themselves?
That is one weird way of regarding our faith, if so.
This is why I raised the point of this happening in married couples. If Christians were concerned with "not being offensive," as you put it, we would be worthless. Salt that has lost its savor.
Any Christian willing to do this to make you happy will have hell to pay. Literally. I don't suspect you realized you were asking for that, so I point it out.
I understand quite well what I ask and what it implies.
It doesn't really matter what I think your prayers cause... it's the fact that you are trying to go against my will in my very own life and for some reason you feel entitled to do this, somehow what you want for me is more important that what I want for me and you are actively trying to do it and you feel like you have such a right... what that implies about how you feel about me is enough.
I'm just trying to explain the sentiment to you.
Does that make anymore sense?
Well, that is offensive. Let's take my father, for example. He's in the hospital and might not make it through his illness. Members of our church have done a lot more than simply pray -- they've comforted my mother and all of us. They've helped with the nitty gritty of attending to the needs of a man who can't even walk on his own right now.You would think so, wouldn't you?
However, the story I described did happen. I was with someone in hospital in the early hours, and I did not know if that person was going to make it or not. Some people who I knew perhaps 20 years earlier happened to come along, saw me in shock, and offered to pray for us. I was unable to say anything at all; I just looked at them. They proceeded to pray, and then they just walked away. I was left alone.
That was indeed offensive. Not because they offered, not even because they prayed, presumptous as that was, but because they thought that as Christians that was the only thing they had to offer, and they could then go away with a clear conscience, and leave God to look after me; it was not their problem.
I think it is far better to be sensitive to the situation rather than regard prayer as a panacea and then walk away. So in my view we should ask, and we should listen to the reply before going ahead.
Well, that is offensive. Let's take my father, for example. He's in the hospital and might not make it through his illness. Members of our church have done a lot more than simply pray -- they've comforted my mother and all of us. They've helped with the nitty gritty of attending to the needs of a man who can't even walk on his own right now.
Simply praying and walking away is, I think, the easy way out. Jesus has called us to give more of ourselves than that.
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