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And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

markdown 5y ago
Move along, heretic! We follow Al Franken's Supply Side Jesus around these parts. Supply Side Jesus approves of Megachurches and Bitcoin. https://imgur.com/gallery/bCqRp https://imgur.com/gallery/bCqRp
- hprotagonist 5y ago
  Persuant to the canon of my HN username, I am obligated to inform you that it is in fact you who are the heretic, and a representative from Reverend Bob's Pearly Gates will be along shortly with a small vial of suspicious red liquid we seriously urge you to consider snorting up your left nostri ah me le le ne le le ne me ne ne eh me me me
CSSer 5y ago
It's been awhile since I've seen this passage. I forgot how much of the bible is a diss track on the pagans. > Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. I find this bit in particular pretty humorous because it makes it sound like god's voicemail inbox is overflowing and he doesn't have time for your shit.
- TimTheTinker 5y ago
  The point is that God is a Father - like a dad one has a great relationship with. No one with a good relationship with their dad spins a request wheel at him, or says the same thing 100 times in a row to him. If you ever did so, there's something wrong in your relationship with your dad -- same with God. So in that respect, a Christian's relationship with God ought to me markedly different from how many other religions relate to the gods they worship.
  - gumby 5y ago
    > No one with a good relationship with their dad spins a request wheel at him... This comment makes me think you've never had a toddler, much less a teen.
    - ilammy 5y ago
      The point being: you're supposed to grow up eventually.
  - falcolas 5y ago
    > The point is that God is a Father - like a dad one has a great relationship with. Tell that to Job. Whose "Father" tortured him to win a bet.
    - dddddaviddddd 5y ago
      The author of Job and the authors of Matthew and Luke obviously disagree about what kind of relationship humanity supposedly has with God. I think it's important to see the Bible as a collection of books from different times and places, each with their own rhetorical goals.
      - falcolas 5y ago
        > I think it's important to see the Bible as a collection of books from different times and places, each with their own rhetorical goals. And yet that's not how the bible is taught at a vast majority of churches. "The bible is the word of God. Jesus changed his relationship with us, which is why his behavior is different between the old and new Testament. End of discussion." I still recall the lecture I got when I once questioned whether Genesis was an allegory for the creation of the universe over billions of years. "No, it was 7 days, exactly as the bible says."
        cbfrench 5y ago
        I mean, that’s how it’s taught in a majority of evangelical churches, which is what I gather you mean. St. Augustine was pretty clear that it wasn’t a literal seven days, and Pope Pius XII in Humani generis accepted that human evolution was a thing. So, granting the numerical superiority of the Catholic tradition, not a majority of churches.
- gumby 5y ago
  > It's been awhile since I've seen this passage. I forgot how much of the bible is a diss track on the pagans. Ideal marketing is both puffing your product and dissing the competition. The old testament is really full of the latter...the new testament has less. > > Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So why pray at all?
  - hprotagonist 5y ago
    >So why pray at all? so that you learn what you need, too. and, ultimately, to say "thanks". (same question asked differently: "why meditate?" "why mindfulness?")
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
  - falcolas 5y ago
    Yeah, things get a bit weird when you make your God omniscient. Even though I know exactly what you need and whether or not you'll pray for it, you still need to pray for what you need, but you might or might not get it based on my whim (even though I know my answer before you ever identify your need), whether or not you pray.
  - jordanmoconnor 5y ago
    I've thought about this specific question a lot and I think it comes down to humility. Being in a place of needing something (and acknowledging that fact) is the opposite of pride. Pride is something the Bible mentions many times as something detrimental: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18
  - tekknik 5y ago
    Why are you here? You’re spreading hate because you don’t believe. It’s fine if you don’t believe, but you have to spread your hate to the rest of us? Could you not have simply moved passed this post?
- swat535 5y ago
  As a Catholic, your hour of prayer is supposed to be reserved for glorying God, giving thanks and showing respect. It's not an hour spent with a list of "requests" , this is not what religious people do. There can be moments of personal intentions (both during vigils and prayers) but most of the time people offer them for health and well being of others. We are not supposed to really care much about earthly possessions as our hearts should belong to God first and our neighbors second (Matthew 22:36-40).
amznbyebyebye 5y ago
Matthew 6 - what a great work https://web.mit.edu/jywang/www/cef/Bible/NIV/NIV_Bible/MATT+6.html#:~:text=But%20when%20you%20pray%2C%20go,because%20of%20their%20many%20words https://web.mit.edu/jywang/www/cef/Bible/NIV/NIV_Bible/MATT+....
xwdv 5y ago
Amen
undecisive 5y ago
I believe you're reading Bible2.0 - it's ripe for decentralisation. The new one has improvements, such as "Our father, who art in blockchain, hallowed be thine nonfungible token. Thy singularity come, thy Ðapp contract executed on earth as it is in blockchain." See? Much nicer. Seriously though, you do have to wonder who it is they think they're praying to. Also, if the love of money is the root of all evil, is the love of blockchain the root of all foolishness?
- pcthrowaway 5y ago
  Every good deed and every sin shall be committed eternally into an immutable ledger, unless someone performs the greatest sin of all... a 51% attack.
SAI_Peregrinus 5y ago
> And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. It's interesting to me that Christians never seem to consider praying standing in churches where they can be seen by others as a violation. They invented a new word (at least in English) for their places of worship, to allow public prayer on a technicality.
- hprotagonist 5y ago
  the advice here, i think, has more to do with intent and focus, not a checklist of things to do and not do. eugene peterson’s translation of Matthew 6:6 is “ Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” and that’s at least within the realm of possible for the patterns of communal worship that have come after. I’m inclined to say most of “a church service” isn’t exactly prayer, either.
  - SAI_Peregrinus 5y ago
    With many churches, being seen as pious is clearly part of the point. Someone missing Sunday service will be gossiped about. Not wearing your "Sunday Best" clothing will be gossiped about. Many churches I've encountered are very much social signalling between the members, and I've never seen one that restricts itself to a sermon and doesn't include any prayer. They also all have some sort of ritualized action to show that you're praying. Everyone bows their head, or (for Catholics) kneels, or puts their hands together, or some similar "see how I pray" signal.

markdown 5y ago

Move along, heretic! We follow Al Franken's Supply Side Jesus around these parts. Supply Side Jesus approves of Megachurches and Bitcoin. https://imgur.com/gallery/bCqRp https://imgur.com/gallery/bCqRp

hprotagonist 5y ago
Persuant to the canon of my HN username, I am obligated to inform you that it is in fact you who are the heretic, and a representative from Reverend Bob's Pearly Gates will be along shortly with a small vial of suspicious red liquid we seriously urge you to consider snorting up your left nostri ah me le le ne le le ne me ne ne eh me me me

CSSer 5y ago

It's been awhile since I've seen this passage. I forgot how much of the bible is a diss track on the pagans. > Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. I find this bit in particular pretty humorous because it makes it sound like god's voicemail inbox is overflowing and he doesn't have time for your shit.

TimTheTinker 5y ago
The point is that God is a Father - like a dad one has a great relationship with. No one with a good relationship with their dad spins a request wheel at him, or says the same thing 100 times in a row to him. If you ever did so, there's something wrong in your relationship with your dad -- same with God. So in that respect, a Christian's relationship with God ought to me markedly different from how many other religions relate to the gods they worship.
- gumby 5y ago
  > No one with a good relationship with their dad spins a request wheel at him... This comment makes me think you've never had a toddler, much less a teen.
  - ilammy 5y ago
    The point being: you're supposed to grow up eventually.
- falcolas 5y ago
  > The point is that God is a Father - like a dad one has a great relationship with. Tell that to Job. Whose "Father" tortured him to win a bet.
  - dddddaviddddd 5y ago
    The author of Job and the authors of Matthew and Luke obviously disagree about what kind of relationship humanity supposedly has with God. I think it's important to see the Bible as a collection of books from different times and places, each with their own rhetorical goals.
    - falcolas 5y ago
      > I think it's important to see the Bible as a collection of books from different times and places, each with their own rhetorical goals. And yet that's not how the bible is taught at a vast majority of churches. "The bible is the word of God. Jesus changed his relationship with us, which is why his behavior is different between the old and new Testament. End of discussion." I still recall the lecture I got when I once questioned whether Genesis was an allegory for the creation of the universe over billions of years. "No, it was 7 days, exactly as the bible says."
      - cbfrench 5y ago
        I mean, that’s how it’s taught in a majority of evangelical churches, which is what I gather you mean. St. Augustine was pretty clear that it wasn’t a literal seven days, and Pope Pius XII in Humani generis accepted that human evolution was a thing. So, granting the numerical superiority of the Catholic tradition, not a majority of churches.
gumby 5y ago
> It's been awhile since I've seen this passage. I forgot how much of the bible is a diss track on the pagans. Ideal marketing is both puffing your product and dissing the competition. The old testament is really full of the latter...the new testament has less. > > Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So why pray at all?
- hprotagonist 5y ago
  >So why pray at all? so that you learn what you need, too. and, ultimately, to say "thanks". (same question asked differently: "why meditate?" "why mindfulness?")
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- falcolas 5y ago
  Yeah, things get a bit weird when you make your God omniscient. Even though I know exactly what you need and whether or not you'll pray for it, you still need to pray for what you need, but you might or might not get it based on my whim (even though I know my answer before you ever identify your need), whether or not you pray.
- jordanmoconnor 5y ago
  I've thought about this specific question a lot and I think it comes down to humility. Being in a place of needing something (and acknowledging that fact) is the opposite of pride. Pride is something the Bible mentions many times as something detrimental: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18
- tekknik 5y ago
  Why are you here? You’re spreading hate because you don’t believe. It’s fine if you don’t believe, but you have to spread your hate to the rest of us? Could you not have simply moved passed this post?
swat535 5y ago
As a Catholic, your hour of prayer is supposed to be reserved for glorying God, giving thanks and showing respect. It's not an hour spent with a list of "requests" , this is not what religious people do. There can be moments of personal intentions (both during vigils and prayers) but most of the time people offer them for health and well being of others. We are not supposed to really care much about earthly possessions as our hearts should belong to God first and our neighbors second (Matthew 22:36-40).

amznbyebyebye 5y ago

Matthew 6 - what a great work https://web.mit.edu/jywang/www/cef/Bible/NIV/NIV_Bible/MATT+6.html#:~:text=But%20when%20you%20pray%2C%20go,because%20of%20their%20many%20words https://web.mit.edu/jywang/www/cef/Bible/NIV/NIV_Bible/MATT+....

xwdv 5y ago

Amen

undecisive 5y ago

I believe you're reading Bible2.0 - it's ripe for decentralisation. The new one has improvements, such as "Our father, who art in blockchain, hallowed be thine nonfungible token. Thy singularity come, thy Ðapp contract executed on earth as it is in blockchain." See? Much nicer. Seriously though, you do have to wonder who it is they think they're praying to. Also, if the love of money is the root of all evil, is the love of blockchain the root of all foolishness?

pcthrowaway 5y ago
Every good deed and every sin shall be committed eternally into an immutable ledger, unless someone performs the greatest sin of all... a 51% attack.

SAI_Peregrinus 5y ago

> And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. It's interesting to me that Christians never seem to consider praying standing in churches where they can be seen by others as a violation. They invented a new word (at least in English) for their places of worship, to allow public prayer on a technicality.

hprotagonist 5y ago
the advice here, i think, has more to do with intent and focus, not a checklist of things to do and not do. eugene peterson’s translation of Matthew 6:6 is “ Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” and that’s at least within the realm of possible for the patterns of communal worship that have come after. I’m inclined to say most of “a church service” isn’t exactly prayer, either.
- SAI_Peregrinus 5y ago
  With many churches, being seen as pious is clearly part of the point. Someone missing Sunday service will be gossiped about. Not wearing your "Sunday Best" clothing will be gossiped about. Many churches I've encountered are very much social signalling between the members, and I've never seen one that restricts itself to a sermon and doesn't include any prayer. They also all have some sort of ritualized action to show that you're praying. Everyone bows their head, or (for Catholics) kneels, or puts their hands together, or some similar "see how I pray" signal.