Christians should pray for evil.

Outer Limits storyline where methane based alien intelligent beings infiltrate our society and every level of world governments to try to convert our atmosphere from nitrogen-oxygen to nitrogen-methane as a prelude to invasion and colonization. Coincidently, one of their methods to control the real human population is by pushing the political policies toward religious fundamentalism and conservatism.We also find out that they periodically take groups of religious people onto really big motherships where their decendents will be sold as slaves in the insterstellar slave market after a few generations of learned obedience through religious faith. Of course, the heros of the story who find out their evil plans always get burned alive on the stake for heresy.

Christians are at their best when they are a minority and when they are not in power.If we consider evil to be a tempering or strengthening of our faith, we would in effect be praying for evil by praying that God strengthen us.

Ah, thank you. That was a much better explanation. I like the analogy now that I understand where it comes from. Couldn't we say, though, that every political persuasion attempts to draw in converts by pushing all sorts views? Doesn't Green Party use Global Warming as a way to draw converts to its political stance? Doesn't Democrats use Big Government to alleviate societal maladies as part of its political policies in order to gain converts? And don't Republicans use moral issues as a way to support its political policies in order to gain converts?

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"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell." -C.S. Lewis

Which is why there's never been a better time to be an independent, although I do tend to lean leftward.

Interesting concept Greatest I am.Personally I no more pray for evil than I do for good. I don't actually pray at all. In my book there is simply nothing I can tell god that god doesn't already know. Before I utter the words, before there is even a thought in my mind, god already knew about it. I may listen to what god has to say, but there is nothing I can say that isn't already known by god. The way I see it, god is capable of seeing from the beginning of this universe to the end, all that has happened and all that will, just as easily as you can see from the beginning of this sentence to the end of it.Edited by Calypso, : No reason given.

I think you get it.
I also wish I had your way of expressing ideas, it would help me immensely.A believer should be willing and able to accept more pain, evil and woes than non believers. We should accept this pain gladly as a example of our faith.Further,if more Christians did it there would actually be less evil in the world. We should eat of it gladly because most Christians do not do enough for their Church and God.Regards
DL

You are correct in your perception of God.But if good men do nothing evil grows.Consider that as you do nothing to advance good, God is judging your actions. Do you want Him to see a slacker or one who acts according to his beliefs.I do not pray as often as I should either because of the anger that I fell towards God. I need to check my mind set when I do pray because I don't want to much pain or suffering in my next dose.Regards
DL

Are you saying I do nothing to advance good because I do not pray?

No
I say that if good people do nothing evil increases.
Praying takes many forms. Good action or good living is understood as prayer. Prayer as communication to God, happens automatically if you believe.
How exactly do you know what God knows.Regards
DLEdited by Greatest I am, : No reason given.

Sorry, you can't just change the definition of a word just to suit your argument. If we can't agree on the language we use there is no use communicating with each other. Prayer is understood, nay, is defined as communication or reverent petition with a deity. It is not defined as good action or good living by any dictionary I've seen.

I can live with your definition since it takes nothing from my initial petition to bring woes to me in order to bring less pain and suffering to others.A good way to pray.Regards
DL

Dictionaries provide literal definitions and conventional answers. But creative people are not restricted to that, and devout people have always defined prayer in a number of ways. This is especially true of mystics, who as a group don't show much interest in conventionality to begin with.The poet Mary Oliver suggests that prayer starts with just paying attention. Many devout people say any act done in gratitude constitutes a prayer. Many think of their entire lives as one long prayer.GIA has, shall we say, mystic ambitions. It's not surprising to see him using the word 'prayer' in an expanded way. No, it's not how the rules of debate work. But he's not trying to engage in rational debate. I doubt he could do it if he tried.

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ArcherAll species are transitional.

I agree. Individuals within societies, as well as societies themselves, all exhibit good and evil tendencies both. Thats what I keep saying about the future of the United States! We may be forced to either turn evil in order to stabilize our besieged Middle Class, or we may find the Spirit within us to allow the rest of the world to catch up--largely at our expense! How did you test the validity of this observation? I see both good and evil on a daily basis. People are selfish and sneaky, yet we also manage to be rather civil at times!

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"All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy."--C.S.Lewis
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“The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.”--General Omar Bradley
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"The free man owns himself. He can damage himself with either eating or drinking; he can ruin himself with gambling. If he does he is certainly a damn fool, and he might possibly be a damned soul; but if he may not, he is not a free man any more than a dog." -GK Chesterson

I am basing my opinion on the fact that populations are growing rather quickly. If there was more evil than good then I think it would be going the other way. Killing each other is a good measurement of evil and we are killing each other less now per capita than before.
There are also more people out of jail than in it.Regards
DL

I fancy myself a logical debater and quite good at it. Pick a topic and a side and I will attempt to show you how it is done.Regards
DL