![]() ![]() ![]() Do we believe in the Christian concept of a God who hears and answers prayer or do we believe that the New Age philosophy of energy traveling across the universe from one person’s mind to another (in essence inter-personal prayer) is just as effective? We should know what we believe, and we should not be afraid to say that and only that. At some point, though, we are going to have to decide if we really believe anything at all. Maybe if we don’t ask for ONLY prayers we can slide it in under the radar? We are afraid that a hard-and-fast idea about religion might make it appear that we are not giving space for what someone else believes. We want to ask for prayers, but we don’t want to seem fanatical or exclusionary. Sometimes when pressed, a Christian will admit to a more scriptural understanding of prayer and petition, but in an increasingly watered-down American Christian culture, we no longer even want to say what WE actually believe out loud- at least not exclusively. If we believe the first, the latter are inconsistent based on our directives in scripture. Likewise, Christian prayer to the Abrahamic God is not compatible with crystal energy or a human-based system of enlightenment. Jesus cannot be God in one religion, a prophet in another, or a good teacher in a third and all three world views be correct. Not all truths can be equal because they contradict each other. To claim any personal truth is to negate or question the truth of someone else. We live in a culture in which truth claims are not popular. The temptation is to brush such a little grievance off and relegate it to the dustbin of semantics, but I think this small issue is indicative of a bigger problem in the current Christian mindset. I have no right to make this request of those who do not follow my beliefs, but I feel it incumbent upon me to say it to those who do. If you do not follow the God of the Bible, then please ask anyone for anything you desire. ![]() From a Christian standpoint, this is troubling, and I would like to make a request of fellow believers: Christians, stop asking your friends for good energy and putting it on par with prayer. The specific quotes were, “I need prayers, good vibes, thoughts- whatever you believe in!” and “Send good vibes, pray, charge your crystals, ask the universe for help on my behalf.” When contemplating these examples of this request that I have seen countless times, it struck me that I rarely ever see anyone asking for prayers any more unless they offer “good vibes” or “good juju” as an acceptable alternative. The other day as I was scrolling through my newsfeed, I again saw people asking for prayers, thoughts, or good vibes. ![]()
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