But I spend a lot of time trying to figure out why they do some of the things they do. This isn't a post about politics, war, or sexuality. I'm not talking about trying to figure out why they believe big things. I'm literally talking about...the stuff they do. This is a short post because I'm basically trying to empty my brain and one of the things that has been on it lately. These are the things I contemplate in the bathroom, mostly.
Let's look at prayer, shall we?
Is prayer a contest?
I've been wondering that because lately I've picked up on the way Pentecostals, in particular, pray.
It's not uncommon to hear "yes, Lord" and "thank you, Father" whispered by others while you're praying. Christians are supposed to pray in agreement with one another. But what about when everyone closes their eyes and bows their head and before anyone has uttered a single word of prayer, someone in the group starts going:
YesLordthankyouLordAmenComeLordJesusYesYesThankYouThankYouFather..
And why do people say it in rapid succession? Nobody talks to their friends that way, and if they did... they'd probably lose a friend. When I call my friend, Linda, I don't start immediately chanting as soon as she picks up the phone, right?
HelloLindaYesLindaIt'sgoodtotalktoyouLindaThankyouLindaYesLinda...
Are people like that trying to beat out the other pray-ers? Are they trying to get psyched-up for their turn? Were they raised a Hare Krishna?
What about the post-prayer squeeze-and-wink? You're praying in a group, you're holding hands or someone has a hand on your shoulder... and at the end of the prayer, they give you a little squeeze and wink at you. This symbolizes that the prayer is officially over. But why do we do it? I can't disconnect from the internet without taking the wireless card out of my computer. Is it sort of like that? Can we only 'disconnect' the prayer with a squeeze and a wink?
It doesn't really matter, truly. I don't care. It's just stuff I notice because I have the attention span of a flea. But it sticks with me until I blog about it, so... now I've blogged about it. I just wonder why things are they way they are.
There is no shortage of things to notice! Pin It
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