What is G-d?

[georgesworld]

So I realized something really cool about this livejournal thing. It is a cool way in which a lot of peoploe (some who know each other and others who don't) can have an interesting discussion. We have tried stuff like this in the past but I thought that it would be interesting to try it again. Its vacation for a lot of us, so maybe this will

Comments

Why we do and should pray

[anonymous]

Two benefits/goals of praying:

1) we pray to feel a spiritual connection with Him. A connection with G-d is the ultimate goal of religion.

2) It has a communal value to it; in order to have a minyan, you have to have a community that is willing to gather. When you have a gathered community, then you have a unified religious presence.

hmm

[debka_notion]

I tend to be pretty ambivalent on the topic of prayer. The easy answer would be because I'm required to. Of course, by that standard, I do a pretty lousy job of it, since my prayer schedule is often pretty random. A more personal answer is that I feel a need to talk to G-d, feel in touch with G-d, and prayer is the best systematic way of doing that that I've found for myself. I like having a structure to base that on, and then I can take off from the structure when I feel a need. But- it's a bit too imposing and scary and hard to start without a structure. But that's morphing into my answer for why-a-liturgy: another question entirely. I think a lot of my reasons for prayer have to do with my needs more than with G-d's needs/wants/however you want to describe that. But I think that contact in any relationship is pretty much a must. And I don't think that that's different with G-d, just that G-d is rather more capable or re-establishing a broken off/messed up relationship, by whatever definition, than most pairs of people are

Love

[anonymous]

You know, I was talking to a friend of mine who went to temple for the first time in...probably years. His boyfriend got seriously injured and was in the hospital (and is luckily now recovering), but that was what inspired this friend of mine to pray--love.

[markasparov8]

OK... I went to Brandeis in part with the goal in mind of finding my Jewish identity (whatever that means,) but the only time thus far that I've felt connected with the Jewish religious community at school was when I went dancing with BUCO (including an apparently much lit-up George Davis,) on Simchat Torah. When I went to High Holy Days or Shabbos services, I lacked any kind of connection or feeling, and found myself instead focusing on outside things: papers I had due, meetings, whatever. On the other hand, I've been meditating a fair amount with the meditation club this semester, and more than once, I've found myself mentally reciting hebrew prayers as I meditate. So I guess all this stuff has led me to this

[anonymous]

Because sometimes there is no one else to turn to.