God punishes group for poor praying

Hello my friend

This may strike you as incredibly heartless, but I believe I could eventually laugh at the situation. Obviously I would be grief stricken by the death of my child. But I do not believe I would harbor any resentment towards people who did not know my child and found humor in the situation.

No not incredibly heartless. I too would eventually laugh at the situation as I would wish my family to do, not making light or disrespecting that I dies or they suffered but just being able to relax and say “ well that was not his brightest moment but we all have such moments”.

My point is more here now as you said “ in time” but is that other may laugh now. I guess the question is how would you feel if someone came up to you and made a joke about it 1- not knowing it was your baby. Or 2 knowing it was your baby and thinking “ hey he will find the humor in it”?

Like most things there is not a black and white here we need just always think “ what if it was me or would I want this said or done to me?”

As I said I respect your choices and beliefs.

I am not laughing at their suffering.


I don’t think you are but it is part and parcel of the situation here. Right now there are many who are suffering.

I am laughing at the irony of the situation.


I understand you are and do not think you are seeking to rub salt in a wide open wound but we often do without really thinking about it. It is clear what they did was foolish as to where etc. As to the praying people do far worse things then that I respect their beliefs, forcing their beliefs or anyone’s on another I do not respect.


I know you are extending empathy towards the grieving families, but you simply don't know them.

I don’t have to , but I do, they are you and they are me, we are all connected and interdependent.

The idea that there is a “us and them” is the cause of such great suffering and death, wars.



Should you also extend empathy to the families of all bereaved people worldwide?

I do, everyday I think and am aware of their pain, it does not consume me or paralyze me but I can not ignore nor want to ignore it.


Can you not laugh at the Three Stooges because you have some empathy for someone who lost an eye?


Funny you bring up the Three Stooges, several weeks ago there was a movie on their true life it was very sad and very good. Curly suffered greatly with depression, very bad as did Shemp. Moe was a great brother that cared for them both and suffered greatly at their pain and how they died.

If I could not laugh because someone in the world is suffering, then I could never laugh.

I don’t believe that.
24000 starve to death each day, 75% are 5 and under leaving 2 parents standing by helplessly watching their child die at the same time themselves having no food. Is that funny?

There are many things to find humor in and to laugh about and even as you say suffering if it is not at say a death or dying as in how it effects the loved ones or the great suffering leading up to it.

As I said if it were you suffering greatly in pain you would most times not wish people laughing at you nor your child in tears.

Yes I agree that I would not want people to greatly suffer over my suffering and in time laugh perhaps about things in it.

As I said so little is black and white but if I think my laughing will bring pain to anyone, real pain not a perceived ego based pain I would not place my needs before another.

That is just what I believe.
 
Pahansiri said:
No not incredibly heartless. I too would eventually laugh at the situation as I would wish my family to do, not making light or disrespecting that I dies or they suffered but just being able to relax and say “ well that was not his brightest moment but we all have such moments”.

My point is more here now as you said “ in time” but is that other may laugh now. I guess the question is how would you feel if someone came up to you and made a joke about it 1- not knowing it was your baby. Or 2 knowing it was your baby and thinking “ hey he will find the humor in it”?

Like most things there is not a black and white here we need just always think “ what if it was me or would I want this said or done to me?”

As I said I respect your choices and beliefs.
I still like to think that I would not mind if a person I did not know laughed (even immediately) at the irony of the situation, because I try very hard not to be a hypocrite, and I know I laugh at Darwin Awards things all the time. Does it really make any difference when the event happened? If you laugh the immediately after you find out about the event (as I do with the Darwin Awards) then how is that really different from laughing immediately after the event?

Pahansiri said:
I don’t think you are but it is part and parcel of the situation here. Right now there are many who are suffering.
I do not believe that is true. I believe the tragedy and the comedy are separate. The tragedy is the death. The comedy is the situation. I do not believe that I am injuring the family by laughing, since they will never know that I am laughing. Of course, I don't believe in karma ;)

Pahansiri said:
I understand you are and do not think you are seeking to rub salt in a wide open wound but we often do without really thinking about it. It is clear what they did was foolish as to where etc. As to the praying people do far worse things then that I respect their beliefs, forcing their beliefs or anyone’s on another I do not respect.
No, my friend, I am not laughing at their beliefs, but the irony is simply hilarious. What do people pray to God for? Quite often it is for His protection. What was his answer? "Nope". Sorry, but I find that funny. If it were not real but only a play, would you find it funny? How does it being real make it less funny?

Pahansiri said:
I don’t have to , but I do, they are you and they are me, we are all connected and interdependent.

The idea that there is a “us and them” is the cause of such great suffering and death, wars.
And I reiterate that I simply cannot weep at the fall of every sparrow. Of course, that in no way means that I wish bad things to happen to anyone, but simply that I refuse to spend my life in agony because somewhere, somebody is suffering. You have to learn to separate yourself. Perhaps it comes at a cost. As Jackson Browne said:
Doctor my eyes
Cannot see the sky.
Is this the price
For having learned how not to cry?

Pahansiri said:
I do, everyday I think and am aware of their pain, it does not consume me or paralyze me but I can not ignore nor want to ignore it.
But you do. There is suffering going on that you only know a little about and some you know nothing about. Do you give them all the same dose of empathy? Of course not. You cannot fix it all. Do what you can (I am very generous to charity), but do not agonize over those you cannot help. And keep humor in the world. That is one of the greatest things you can do for humanity.

Pahansiri said:
Funny you bring up the Three Stooges, several weeks ago there was a movie on their true life it was very sad and very good. Curly suffered greatly with depression, very bad as did Shemp. Moe was a great brother that cared for them both and suffered greatly at their pain and how they died.
Does that make you unable to laugh at their comedy?

Pahansiri said:
I don’t believe that.
24000 starve to death each day, 75% are 5 and under leaving 2 parents standing by helplessly watching their child die at the same time themselves having no food. Is that funny?

There are many things to find humor in and to laugh about and even as you say suffering if it is not at say a death or dying as in how it effects the loved ones or the great suffering leading up to it.
I am not laughing at suffering, nor am I laughing at the terrible tragedies worldwide. I am laughing at irony. Please understand the difference.

Pahansiri said:
As I said if it were you suffering greatly in pain you would most times not wish people laughing at you nor your child in tears.
If people were laughing because my child was in tears, I would consider that bad. If they were laughing at the irony of the situation, I would not be offended.

Pahansiri said:
As I said so little is black and white but if I think my laughing will bring pain to anyone, real pain not a perceived ego based pain I would not place my needs before another.

That is just what I believe.
And I would not laugh if I thought my laughing would bring pain to anyone. I simply cannot see how in the situation described above, this would be the case.

I respect your beliefs. You are one of the kindest, gentlest people I know with greater empathy than many saints. I am not quite so munificent. And I don't believe in cosmic consequences.

That is just what I don't believe.

Be well, my friend.
 
I still like to think that I would not mind if a person I did not know laughed (even immediately) at the irony of the situation, because I try very hard not to be a hypocrite, and I know I laugh at Darwin Awards things all the time.

I respect that but the truth is I do not believe it in all instance.

Example:

A person standing at the sense of the accident with you starts laughing saying “ man how dumb your daughter is, no was..lol” “ boy is your daughter flat”

Or at the funeral say. “ someone stand outside the gate making jokes.

I believe there would be times you would not mind I believe there would be times you would mind very much.

What if it was someone you did not believe as. Say your daughter was at an event with gay friends and was killed doing something dumb say drunk and falls or something.

Outside the gate is the God hates fags group as they do go to gay funerals to be unkind. Say the leader was there and making fun of your daughter, falling jokes etc?


Does it really make any difference when the event happened?

I think the examples above would illustrate yes at times. In addition I believe you answered this yourself
This may strike you as incredibly heartless, but I believe I could eventually laugh at the situation.

If you laugh the immediately after you find out about the event (as I do with the Darwin Awards) then how is that really different from laughing immediately after the event?

Standing at the site of an accident where your family was all killed by a car full of clowns your children’s dead bodies on the road you standing there and someone makes clown car jokes.

This may not bother you but I tend to believe it would. It is easier to find humor if it is others.

Originally posted by Pahansiri
I don’t think you are but it is part and parcel of the situation here. Right now there are many who are suffering.


I do not believe that is true. I believe the tragedy and the comedy are separate.

?? No kids were hurt and dead in this event which was the base of the event and jokes. If no one was harmed or killed there would be no event and such no jokes.


The tragedy is the death. The comedy is the situation.

No not really the tragedy is the death but the situation in this case is also a dead child.


I do not believe that I am injuring the family by laughing, since they will never know that I am laughing.

I understand what you are saying but how do you know they will not? Do you know say they do not read this etc. You can never know. For me it is better to not take the chance, but that is me.

Is it ok if someone is having sex with your wife as long as you do not know? Of is during her sex she conceives children that you believe are yours?

What if someone takes money from your account every week but you do not really know?




Of course, I don't believe in karma

REALLY??? You do not believe in cause and effect? Go get a hammer, swing hammer toward head. This is Cause and effect in action…. Well after you wake up…lol

As Buddhist we karma is cause and effect/actions, all actions have a reaction. Even if the effect is the most subtle doubt remorse or guilt after we say or do something it has a suffering effect.

We do not believe that if I hit you in the nose I will get hit in the nose. As to karma rolling on to lives to come I know you do not believe this and I respect that and you know I do but I do not make this as a statement of fact and demand it is truth as you know.

No, my friend, I am not laughing at their beliefs, but the irony is simply hilarious.


What do people pray to God for?

Many reasons, many being fear and greed/desires.

Quite often it is for His protection.

Case in point.

But many do so to help others and believe this will help. It does help the person who is doing the praying as it builds in them compassion and this spreads.

We both know if there was a God and he needed to be begged to help his children he is not much of a father.


What was his answer? "Nope". Sorry, but I find that funny.

Perhaps, but add a dead child and people suffering and for me it loses much.

If it were not real but only a play, would you find it funny? How does it being real make it less funny?

In a play the actor is not dead at the end of the show, people are nit in the hospital, a parent does not get the call from hell “ hello Mrs Smith, your baby is dead”.

And I reiterate that I simply cannot weep at the fall of every sparrow.

And I do not ask you to, for me I feel compassion for all beings.

Of course, that in no way means that I wish bad things to happen to anyone, but simply that I refuse to spend my life in agony because somewhere, somebody is suffering.


Pahansiri wrote I do, everyday I think and am aware of their pain, it does not consume me or paralyze me but I can not ignore nor want to ignore it.

As you can see from my statement I did not say I did.



You have to learn to separate yourself. Perhaps it comes at a cost. As Jackson Browne said: Doctor my eyes
Cannot see the sky.
Is this the price
For having learned how not to cry?

I do see things as and for what they are as I said above.

Pahansiri wrote I do, everyday I think and am aware of their pain, it does not consume me or paralyze me but I can not ignore nor want to ignore it.

I like Jackson Browne ( not so much his sister Sylvia lol) But I am really a huge pink Floyd fan so offer this

No more turning away
from the weak and the weary
no more turning away
from the coldness inside
just a world that we all must share
it's not enough just to stand and stare
is it only a dream that there'll be
no more turning away?




Pahansiri wrote I do, everyday I think and am aware of their pain, it does not consume me or paralyze me but I can not ignore nor want to ignore it.

But you do.

Well I just said so did I not? Lol

There is suffering going on that you only know a little about and some you know nothing about. Do you give them all the same dose of empathy?

I have great empathy for all who suffer it could be friend, foe or people I do not know I have the same loving kindness, respect and compassion for all. There are examples in my life where I have helped people who have done great harm to me. I separate the act from the actor and see only ones pain.



Of course not. You cannot fix it all.


How can you say of course not? How can you know the thoughts of others? Tricky you know better then that. I know how and what I feel and what I do and do not do.
Also I know I can not fix all and that has nothing to do with my compassion for all. One does not depend on the other. I will do what ever I can to help whom needs help if I can. If I can not I simply can not, but I do nut just turn a blind eye and forget them..




Do what you can (I am very generous to charity),

I believe you do.

[quote but do not agonize over those you cannot help. [/quote]

I do not ask you to or ask anything of you. You seem again to be insinuating that I said I “agonize over those you cannot help” can you show me where I said I do? Or prove you have read my mind? ( busting your ass)


And keep humor in the world. That is one of the greatest things you can do for humanity.

Again you seem to be insinuating I do not desire to keep humor in the world..???? I see many things as funny I do not see ones suffering that funny but agree there are times when there can be as I have clearly said.

But I believe making jokes about peoples suffering is NOT
one of the greatest things you can do for humanity.

Let us compare to see what would bring peace and less suffering.

My way if all beings had loving kindness, respect and compassion for all beings.

Or


If all beings made jokes about peoples pain and suffering.

I know I know, you will say my way will never happen but that is not relevant to this discussion.



As to the 3 stooges

Does that make you unable to laugh at their comedy?

Did I say that? As to a response no but it made me more aware of what and how they did suffer. Shemp lived in pain from all the hitting that is why was not with them a lot, curley was in great pain in many ways. He hated the fact that people could not talk to or treat him in a normal way. He was often attacked, hit and poked in the eyes because people thought he liked it.

I am not laughing at suffering, nor am I laughing at the terrible tragedies worldwide. I am laughing at irony. Please understand the difference.

I did not really say you do, and I am not dumb I know as I have clearly said several times you are laughing at the irony, But as I said in this the irony joke is based in the death of a child etc. No death no suffering no joke.

If people were laughing because my child was in tears, I would consider that bad. If they were laughing at the irony of the situation, I would not be offended.

Semantics.

Do you believe your child would feel better if the person said “ hey kid I’m not laughing because your dad is dead I am laughing because he fell on his head and hey that is always funny”?

And I would not laugh if I thought my laughing would bring pain to anyone. I simply cannot see how in the situation described above, this would be the case.

Again I do not ask you to believe or do anything and only express my opinion and beliefs. The truth is you can NOT know who will see this or how things happen. I am sure you have said things that got back to others have you now? You did not believe it would but it does.

I do NOT believe you would stand and laugh at anyone’s pain.

I respect your beliefs. You are one of the kindest, gentlest people I know with greater empathy than many saints. I am not quite so munificent. And I don't believe in cosmic consequences.

Well thank you that is very kind but contains one flaw ( well many as to how I act at times..lol)

If there are or are not as you call them “cosmic consequences” I do not care and such is not and would not be the base of my actions and loving kindness for if it was my actions would be meaningless, empty and based on cravings for something not for true compassion.

Be well my friend.
 
I find a twinge of irony, but no humor at all, in this story from CNN:
A church bus carrying senior citizens rear-ended a tractor-trailer Monday parked along Interstate 20 in northeastern Louisiana, killing six passengers and injuring nine others, police said.
It seems to be undeniable that religious groups suffer serious misfortunes just as non-religious groups do.
 
Re: Re: God punishes group for poor praying

Hexxenhammer said:


Actually, I think they prayed so good, god called them home where they belong.
And the nine who were only injured must not have been as good prayers as the six who died?
 
Re: Re: Re: God punishes group for poor praying

Upchurch said:
And the nine who were only injured must not have been as good prayers as the six who died?

By my cynical and skewed logic, yes.

The lesson being: Don't pray so hard god calls you home, don't pray so badly you're only injured, pray so that god just wants to put a little fear into you without actually running you over with a car.

It's a fine line.
 
Hexxenhammer said:


By my cynical and skewed logic, yes.

The lesson being: Don't pray so hard god calls you home, don't pray so badly you're only injured, pray so that god just wants to put a little fear into you without actually running you over with a car.

It's a fine line.

What I was thinking was, I was going to ask Jesus if he could make me a bit lame in one leg during the middle of the week. You know, something beggable, but not leprosy, which is a pain in the arse, to be blunt. Excuse my French...
 
The accident occurred about 7 a.m. along U.S. 90 in Luling, 40 miles south of Austin. The two-lane highway has a wide shoulder, where the runners were kneeling for prayer.

The driver who hit the runners had not been charged, police said. They declined to release his name or age, although townspeople said he was in his 60s.
......
Guzman said cross country coach Mike Barnett was parked across the road with hazard lights on. Barnett could not be reached for comment.

The sun was just rising, there is a car parked on the opposite shoulder with hazard lights on. The driver, because he thinks they might be warning him to keep clear because they might be changing a tire or something, then does the right thing and veers off on to the shoulder and hits the kids.

You would never hear of a cross country team from a public school stopping to pray before a run in Australia.
 
RichardR said:


Kinda pokes a hole in Pascal's Wager, doesn't it?



As for whether it is right to laugh at this sort of thing, I laugh at myself when I do something stupid, and if I ever die in a way stupid enough to be in the Darwin Awards or some such I hope my death can bring at least a little humor into the world. I think it is ok in principle to laugh at people's misfortunes, but only if it is actually funny. I don't laugh just because some people I disagree with met with misfortune.
 
a_unique_person said:
The sun was just rising, there is a car parked on the opposite shoulder with hazard lights on. The driver, because he thinks they might be warning him to keep clear because they might be changing a tire or something, then does the right thing and veers off on to the shoulder and hits the kids.
That's exactly it. Incredibly stupid to pray opposite a car parked w/ hazards on. Should have had the sense to pray well in front of the parked car.

God wasn't listening anyway - too busy trying to figure out which NFL team to support that day.
 

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