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Praying for Election Day miracles? Difference between praying and wishing? Pray -- To address God or a god with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving, oft- times asking for things as if God or a god is an all-powerful being (or beings) that will grant the requests -if- the requester is deemed worthy and/or is viewed by God or a god as making requests fitting within God's will. Wish -- to have a desire for, to request, to hope for. - - - When people pray and their prayer comes true, they often see it as 'proof' that their God exists, with no evidence whatsoever that their prayer was related to the outcome. When people pray and their prayer doesn't come true, they sometimes say that God's will was stronger and different from their prayer, part of the mystery of God, or they see it as perhaps related to their own shortcomings factoring in to God's decision against them. Wishes? Very similar to prayers, though all- powerful beings aren't involved unless someone both prays -and- wishes for something to happen. "The outcome is up to God", per the statement by one pray-er in the following article. In actuality, the outcome is up to the physical nature of homo sapiens, how they vote, and how they impact the election via noble or ignoble means. My wish/hope/dream/desire is for Obama to win, for Obama's presidency to be great, and for Demo- crats to win control of the Senate (slim chance, that). I make no requests of God, as I perceive God to be a multi-faceted contradictory myth that humankind would be best off leaving behind, replacing religions with pure love and pure hope free from religious (or other) anti-humanism. - - - 4:50 p.m. CT, Sat., Nov. 1, 2008 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27488710/ - - - Excerpts: A woman prays before the start of a rally with Republican presidential nominee John McCain in Mesilla, N.M. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27489464/displaymode/1176/rstry/27488710/ They're fasting on the steps of the Florida Capitol, hoping God will hear their pleas to put an abortion opponent in the White House. Prayer warriors will staff the get-out-the-vote command center Tuesday at Ebenezer A.M.E. Church in Fort Washington, Md. A rabbi is dis- tributing a prayer to be said in the voting booth. Prayer circles are seeking courage and protection for Barack Obama and his family. The faithful are busy as Nov. 4 nears. While politicians are making their final pitch to voters, religious Americans from across the pol- itical spectrum are appealing to a higher power on the candidates' behalf. "We have just days to pray that someone who upholds the sanctity of life and marriage between one man and one woman will win," said Pam Olsen, co-pastor with her husband of the Interna- tional House of Prayer in Tallahassee, Fla. Olsen, who personally supports Republican John McCain, is organizing a marathon of prayer, fast- ing and Bible reading at the Capitol starting Satur- day until the state's polls close. "The outcome is up to God," she said. ... For the first time, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops have published prayers for immediately before and after the election. They focus on dig- nity for all, an end to poverty and for "ears that will hear the cries of children unborn." ... Praying for campaigns and for the health of the nation is hardly new in elections. But this year has seen a more public display of faith among support- ers of the Democrat nominee. The Obama campaign's prayer conference calls went from weekly to daily four months ago, and will continue through Election Day. ... For leaders making personal endorsements, the prayers are unapologetically partisan. Steve Strang, publisher of Charisma, a popular Pentecostal mag- azine, asked his many readers in an e-mail to pray, fast and "believe for a miracle to see John McCain get elected." But many pastors are warning against asking God for a specific outcome. The Rev. Adam Hamilton ... has [been] urging his congregants simply to pray for help choosing the right leader for the country. ... Hamilton said no one knows "who God's person for the hour is." And considering the state of the economy and the other daunting problems facing the U.S. and the world, Hamilton said churches would do better to focus on asking God to help whoever succeeds President Bush. "Who wants this job right now?" Hamilton said. "Whoever wins this election, we're going to have to pull together to pray for them." - - - end excerpts - - -
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