1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,000 I am Dr. Andy Johnson. This is the Reading Instruction Show kind of today. 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:14,000 The topic of today's podcast is called Don't Pray for Me, or Don't Pray for Me, Argentina. 3 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:28,000 I've been around for 64 years and in these 64 years I've had many rich opportunities to encounter people with widely varying views on things. 4 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:35,000 Quite often I encounter people who have different religious views. 5 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:41,000 And we all seem to be very impassioned about our views here. 6 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:49,000 And we all think that our views are the right views. Or why else would we have them? 7 00:00:49,000 --> 00:01:00,000 Now my religious views and kind of the point of this podcast is that I'm not quite certain what label to put on me these days. 8 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:10,000 I may be unlabelable. I started out as a traditional Lutheran Christian once upon a time. 9 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:16,000 And then I was involved with charismatic Christianity for a time. 10 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:25,000 Then I became fascinated with world religions and discovered the sacred elements in all of these. 11 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:32,000 I discovered shamanism and saw that as the basis of all religions. 12 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:43,000 And I saw how this and the other mystic traditions were essential elements of early Christianity. 13 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:55,000 Christian Gnosticism and the Christian mysticism converge with Jungian psychology and quantum physics. 14 00:01:55,000 --> 00:02:08,000 Tick Nhan, the Buddhist monk, showed how a Buddhist view of Christianity, a view focusing on dispositions or states of mind, 15 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:16,000 created a more powerful dynamic view of biblical scriptures and Christianity. 16 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:21,000 So what is my label? 17 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:29,000 Well, I embrace the traditional Christian images and symbols I grew up with. 18 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:38,000 But I use these along with scripture and other ideas to bring me to a higher place. 19 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:44,000 The Bible is real and accurate, but not on the historical plane. 20 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:52,000 It occurred, it is occurring and will occur on the cosmic inner realm. 21 00:02:52,000 --> 00:03:06,000 Jung would call this universal consciousness, implicate order, the kingdom or kingdom of heaven, God within. 22 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:13,000 Now, I am not a Christian, but I am wherever Christianity takes me. 23 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:21,000 Christianity and the other world religions are vehicles to take me to a higher place. 24 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:29,000 Now, I've noticed that sometimes in the world of religions, and I'm talking about all religions here, 25 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:38,000 adherents become so enamored with the vehicle that they never get out of the garage. 26 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:48,000 In Christianity, there are those so focused on biblical literacy that they spend all their time polishing the car 27 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,000 without ever driving the car. 28 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:59,000 Christianity and other world religions are vehicles to take you to a higher place. 29 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:13,000 And that higher place is a place where you're better able to nurture the self, nurture others and nurture your environment. 30 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:20,000 Unfortunately, some use Christianity to take them to a lower place, 31 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:29,000 a place where they become destructive to the self, to others and their environment. 32 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:46,000 The result is judgment, hate, self-centeredness, selfishness, prejudice, religious bigotry, racism, tyranny and parochialism. 33 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:57,000 Now, when people realize you have a religious view that doesn't match their own, there are three things that often happen. 34 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:06,000 The first thing that happens is to point out how wrong you are and to convince you of your wrongness 35 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:12,000 so that you'll adapt a view that is more closely aligned with their own. 36 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:16,000 We've all done this myself included. 37 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:32,000 However, this gets in the way of listening and understanding and it robs both parties of the ability to incorporate other ideas and to evolve. 38 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:38,000 The second thing that often happens when people realize, 39 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:50,000 I have a view that doesn't match theirs is name calling, labeling, disparaging comments and the use of unflattering objectives. 40 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:59,000 Instead of addressing the idea, there's an attack or a diminution of the person. 41 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:13,000 Now, I've discovered that when the name callers run out of adjectives to call me and bad things to say about me, that they have nothing left to say. 42 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:21,000 And this second thing creates walls and further separates people. 43 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:34,000 Now, the third thing that sometimes happens when talking about religion is that the person says that they will pray for me. 44 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:49,000 When they find out that I have a different perspective and that they cannot convince me of my wrongness or they cannot damage me with their words, they say they will pray for me. 45 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:53,000 Now, I have three questions here. 46 00:06:53,000 --> 00:07:01,000 Question number one, everyone benefits from having a good prayer sprinkled over their head now and again. 47 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:07,000 But why would you waste your prayer on me? 48 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:12,000 I certainly appreciate the thought, but I'm good. 49 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,000 I have a pretty good life. 50 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:19,000 I'm in good health. I have health insurance. 51 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,000 I'm happy most of the time. 52 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:28,000 I love my wife and she actually loves me. Imagine that. 53 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:35,000 But there are many more people who need your prayers much more than I do. 54 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:45,000 There's plenty of hungry, grieving, sick, lonely and abused people in the world. 55 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:51,000 It seems a silly waste of your prayers to pray for me. 56 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:55,000 And the second question I have is this. 57 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:59,000 Are you really going to pray for me? 58 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:02,000 Or are you just saying that? 59 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:08,000 And if you are going to pray for me, what will that prayer sound like? 60 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:13,000 Dear God, please help Andy believe the right thing. 61 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:20,000 Dear God, make Andy say things the way that I see them, sincerely yours. 62 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:27,000 Dear God, Andy is sick and misguided. He is a sinner. He needs your help. 63 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:35,000 Dear God, help Andy see the truth of your divine presence and so on and so on. 64 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:38,000 And my third question is this. 65 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:45,000 Isn't it just a bit presumptuous to tell God what to do? 66 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:56,000 Again, I really appreciate the sentiment, but use that energy to do what Jesus instructed. 67 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:59,000 Go out and help somebody. 68 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:02,000 Give to somebody. 69 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:06,000 Feed and clothe the poor. 70 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:09,000 Visit somebody. 71 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:14,000 Provide health care for all. 72 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:18,000 Faith without love is meaningless. 73 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:28,000 Prayer without doing anything does nothing.