****I'll warn you ahead of time, if you are easily offended DO NOT READ THIS.*****
If you personally know my family, you know we aren't really any kind of religious. We're not nonreligious. But we haven't attended church since before I can remember.
I'm one of 3 kids. I have two older brothers. My parents are still married (I feel I have to clarify that they are married). Anyways, as a family we haven't attended church all together since......I was, I want to say 10 or 11. If you don't know me i'll be 21 in may. So, its been at least 10 years as a family attending together.
I was talking to one of my brothers last night about religion. Lets just say....hes the least religious of the 5 of us. Regardless, I put a scenario out (which I later told my dad). The scenario was If there is a car accident and some one gets hurt, I believe that when/if they get better its because the doctors did all they could and help the person in need. I, personally, do not think because other people pray for you that that is what cured or saved the person in need. Now before anyone gets upset, I'm not saying "Dont pray its a waste of energy blah blah blah". This is just what I think. You go ahead and pray :)
If some one confides in me and asks if i'll pray for their family i've always replied with "i'll keep your family in my thoughts" Has any one noticed that before now?
Now, later when I told my dad this scenario I could tell about half way through he disagreed with what i was saying. At the end he said, "I agree with you to an extent." I was a bit confused....My dad isnt exactly who I would think of as the most religious person... If i had to put us in order of most to least religious i'd say Mom, Me or Brother #1, Dad and then Brother #2. My dad starts telling me a story (one i've heard before).
"Just after your first surgery you had a really bad infection in your cheek and pallet" he said. I Interrupted, "Yeah I know dad. Mom was talking about it the other day. How the infection was so bad that I would lose my soft and hard pallet to the infection. Then I went into surgery and they removed it." He sort of looked at me and responds "They never removed the infection." At this point I was so lost. Clearly I have my soft and hard pallet still. He continues "After your surgery, your mouth was extremely infected and they thought they would have to remove it. Before they went in to remove it a bunch of people came in and saw you. Many of them from our church (we attended church at this time). Our pastor, his wife and other people came in and prayed with you. When they went in to remove the infection it was as if the entire infection had just disappeared."
At this point I was....well i guess you could say shock? This expression =O
I looked at my dad and i said "I thought you weren't religious." He responded and said "Well i'm not. I don't so much think that praying is what helped but it was the positive thinking of everyone around you."
Now this isnt a "I am a gift from god!" thing. I'm still unsure of what to think of this. The infection in my mouth was so bad that my body wasnt strong enough to fight it off. Thus the reason for a 2nd surgery to remove said infection. Some how my body did fight off this unbeatable infection. "Blessed" isnt the word i want to label this as.....it isnt the correct word. I guess until I find the word i'm looking for i'll leave it unlabeled.
Give me your thoughts on this?
Later Days
If you personally know my family, you know we aren't really any kind of religious. We're not nonreligious. But we haven't attended church since before I can remember.
I'm one of 3 kids. I have two older brothers. My parents are still married (I feel I have to clarify that they are married). Anyways, as a family we haven't attended church all together since......I was, I want to say 10 or 11. If you don't know me i'll be 21 in may. So, its been at least 10 years as a family attending together.
I was talking to one of my brothers last night about religion. Lets just say....hes the least religious of the 5 of us. Regardless, I put a scenario out (which I later told my dad). The scenario was If there is a car accident and some one gets hurt, I believe that when/if they get better its because the doctors did all they could and help the person in need. I, personally, do not think because other people pray for you that that is what cured or saved the person in need. Now before anyone gets upset, I'm not saying "Dont pray its a waste of energy blah blah blah". This is just what I think. You go ahead and pray :)
If some one confides in me and asks if i'll pray for their family i've always replied with "i'll keep your family in my thoughts" Has any one noticed that before now?
Now, later when I told my dad this scenario I could tell about half way through he disagreed with what i was saying. At the end he said, "I agree with you to an extent." I was a bit confused....My dad isnt exactly who I would think of as the most religious person... If i had to put us in order of most to least religious i'd say Mom, Me or Brother #1, Dad and then Brother #2. My dad starts telling me a story (one i've heard before).
"Just after your first surgery you had a really bad infection in your cheek and pallet" he said. I Interrupted, "Yeah I know dad. Mom was talking about it the other day. How the infection was so bad that I would lose my soft and hard pallet to the infection. Then I went into surgery and they removed it." He sort of looked at me and responds "They never removed the infection." At this point I was so lost. Clearly I have my soft and hard pallet still. He continues "After your surgery, your mouth was extremely infected and they thought they would have to remove it. Before they went in to remove it a bunch of people came in and saw you. Many of them from our church (we attended church at this time). Our pastor, his wife and other people came in and prayed with you. When they went in to remove the infection it was as if the entire infection had just disappeared."
At this point I was....well i guess you could say shock? This expression =O
I looked at my dad and i said "I thought you weren't religious." He responded and said "Well i'm not. I don't so much think that praying is what helped but it was the positive thinking of everyone around you."
Now this isnt a "I am a gift from god!" thing. I'm still unsure of what to think of this. The infection in my mouth was so bad that my body wasnt strong enough to fight it off. Thus the reason for a 2nd surgery to remove said infection. Some how my body did fight off this unbeatable infection. "Blessed" isnt the word i want to label this as.....it isnt the correct word. I guess until I find the word i'm looking for i'll leave it unlabeled.
Give me your thoughts on this?
Later Days
I completely agree with what your dad said. I think that it does not matter what religion you are or what you believe in exactly, you need to be aware and respectful to those around you. No matter what the circumstance. I believe that things happen for a reason, and there is nothing we can really do about it, but there are times when I pray and I feel that all will eventually be ok, now I really don't pray a lot so I have no say against those who do pray all the time. But I respect what they believe.
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