Does praying help you find God, or vice-versa?

Last updated on: February 16, 2008 at 10:27 am by Christian Piatt

Does praying help you find God, or vice-versa? 2008-02-16T10:27:55+00:00 Christian Piatt

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Does praying help you find God, or vice-versa?

I’ve been reading a book lately by A.J. Jacobs called “The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.”

Jacobs grew up as an essentially non-practicing Jew in New York, though many in his family embraced any number of diverse faith traditions.

Having already penned a successful autobiographical book called “The Know-it-All,” wherein he chronicled the experience of reading the entire encyclopedia, Jacobs was looking for a similar, somewhat richer context for his next project. Claiming agnosticism, he always had been fascinated by those deeply immersed in faith, not in a condescending way, but not entirely covetous of their situation either.

Further, Jacobs recognized, as it’s easy enough to do, that most people who claim a certain faith seem to pick and choose those parts of their religious tradition and doctrine to follow, and which parts to disregard as either outdated or not to be taken literally.

What would a practice of faith look like, then, if he were to adhere as closely to biblical law for an entire year?

The results range from profound to hilarious, as when he tries to adhere to the Old Testament law of stoning blasphemers. Though he concedes that dropping giant rocks on top of passersby is probably not appropriate, he finds a loophole in the ancient law, noting that it doesn’t say anywhere in Scripture how big the stones have to be.

His solution: He carries a pocket full of pebbles around Central Park, pelting people in the temple for breaking the Sabbath and other transgressions. He makes few friends this way, and actually gets threatened with violence a time or two.

A physically safer, but equally challenging, discipline for him was prayer. Aside from the occasional near-accident in the car, Jacobs never really prayed, and he didn’t even know where to start. For him, finding an intellectual point of entry into such a foreign spiritual practice was the soft landing he sought.

He cited the psychological theory known as cognitive dissonance, an example of which involves smiling. By smiling, the theory goes, you actually make yourself happier. So he resolved that, although he had no idea how to pray or to whom he was praying, the best way to begin was by doing it.

Arms spread wide, down on his knees, head pointed heavenward, he recited any prayer he could from memory, as a whole or in part. He felt awkward, even foolish, at first, but in time, he began to sense that there was more to his routine than empty motions.

Could it be God? Was it like a phone conversation, only able to take place if both parties pick up the receiver? Or was it simply a matter of conditioning? Perhaps the repeated behavior actually reoriented the wiring in his brain, causing a phenomenon to take place, simply through repeated patterns of behavior.

Does God wait for our call? Or do we actually invent God by practicing such rituals as prayer, worship, singing and reading Scripture? Do we believe more because, well, we already believe, and hence reinforce preconceptions we already have embraced?

If this is the case, it would seem that no one born into church would ever lose their faith any more than an atheist would find God. The only way this would happen, according to cognitive dissonance, would be if something dramatic took place in our lives to shake us out of our existing paradigm. This resonates for those claiming profound, “born again” epiphanies, and for those so hurt by religion that they shut the “God center” off for good.

Unfortunately this way of thinking gets us no closer to clarity about the nature and existence of God, or about our inclinations as spiritual beings. What it does is reveal something about our nature as humans, and our tendency to hang on to the beliefs we already have, to behave in ways that align with those beliefs and even further reinforce those views.

If anything, cognitive dissonance seems to cause us to drift further apart.

However, in those rare moments when we consciously take a step beyond our traditional boundaries of comfort, we open ourselves to the possibility of experiencing reality in refreshing new ways. Though it may not feel right at first, it’s not supposed to, but faith’s call is not one to comfort, but to tireless longing for more.

Being a little uncomfortable really is the least we can do.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

February 9, 2008

Church and politics not so different, really

Next Post

February 20, 2008 Superdelegates: A distortion of democracy

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category atonement belief bible Bill O'Reilly Buddhism CCM children christian piatt christianity Contemporary Christian Music current events derek flood Easter education Everyday Sunday faith faith and culture Frank Schaeffer great commission Haaz Sleiman Hobby Lobby Homebrewed Culture humor ISIS Jesus John Paul Lederach Killing Jesus LGBTQ marc driscoll Mission Year Music My Jesus Project Nat Geo parenting politics popular culture postChristian prison reform Ray rice religion republicans sacrifice sexuality theology Uncategorized video violence wild goose festival World Vision young adults

Select a Month December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What city was Jesus born in?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Nazareth Jerusalem Bethlehem Capernaum