{"id":6563,"date":"2020-02-24T06:29:22","date_gmt":"2020-02-24T11:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woulduconsider.wpcomstaging.com\/?p=6563"},"modified":"2020-02-24T06:29:22","modified_gmt":"2020-02-24T11:29:22","slug":"when-you-pray-and-to-whom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/corneliascottcree.com\/when-you-pray-and-to-whom\/","title":{"rendered":"When you Pray? and to Whom?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel - &quot;Bridge Over Troubled Water&quot; (6\/6) HD\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nNq3c0NVhzA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/woulduconsider.wpcomstaging.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/buddah-173621__180.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"271\" height=\"180\" src=\"https:\/\/woulduconsider.wpcomstaging.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/buddah-173621__180.jpg\" alt=\"buddah-173621__180\" class=\"wp-image-2327\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Simmie and her husband are immigrants from Indonesia.&nbsp; She escaped from China and is an implacable foe of Communism.&nbsp; Together they run a successful beauty shop known for high quality work.&nbsp; They both wear the brown prayer beads that identify Buddhists; both are very happy and fulfilled in their lives.&nbsp; They remember President Ronald Reagan\u2019s defeat of the Soviets and are conservative voters.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>I like my appointments early so when Simmie shows up I am already there. She takes about 5 minutes&nbsp; before work to stand in front of the little plastic Buddha in a corner of the shop. &nbsp;She gives a daily offering, which is often fruit, and says some prayers standing there silently. (Buddhists in China eat the fruit for lunch.) Orientals are a quiet sort anyway.&nbsp; Then she begins her work day.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>I marvel at this sight.&nbsp; Here is a plastic Buddha manufactured by presses in the Pacific Rim (even by those new copy machines filled with liquid plastic) &nbsp;and painted with fake gold.&nbsp; Sometimes these Buddhas are ceramic and covered in real gold.&nbsp;&nbsp; But no matter.&nbsp; I wonder, \u201cWhatever good will that do? This is just plastic; he can\u2019t talk back.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Most people, even some Buddhists, don&#8217;t know that Buddha did not claim to be God, only that he had the wisdom of God.&nbsp; And in fact, many people are wise.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">This is a god who cannot answer<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>My God can talk back. I want my God to tell me, &#8220;That is a stupid idea,&#8221; or \u2013 &#8220;You are on the right track.&#8221;&nbsp; I left Texas because God said, \u201dStart packing.\u201d I could not be happier with the results of the move.&nbsp; Buddha can\u2019t tell me that.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n<p>In China I asked one teacher, a&nbsp; Buddhist, &#8220;What is God\u2019s name?&#8221;&nbsp; She answered, &#8220;Shang Di.&#8221;&nbsp; That is the Chinese word for the creator God.&nbsp; Then I asked, &#8220;Do you know His first name?&#8221;&nbsp; She did not. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>I said, &#8220;His first name is Jesus.&#8221;&nbsp; In October 2018 someone told me she accepted Jesus as Messiah, finally after 10 years.&nbsp; These things take time. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>What do we do with the Simmies in our midst?&nbsp; We need to tell them that our god can talk back.&nbsp; Not through a priest, or even a prophet, but directly.&nbsp; I love hearing testimonies of people who have Jesus show up \u2013 sur-prise, sur-prise.&nbsp; He will do it.&nbsp; When Christians pray.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bing.com\/th?q=Checklist+Icon&amp;w=120&amp;h=120&amp;c=1&amp;rs=1&amp;qlt=90&amp;pid=InlineBlock&amp;mkt=en-US&amp;adlt=off&amp;t=1&amp;mw=247\" alt=\"Checklist Icon\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>If you enjoy our articles here, please join the discussion by subscribing, and following us on Twitter @ImmaculateAssum and at Immaculate Assumptions on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CorneliaScottCreeEditor\/\">Facebook<\/a>. Additional background material on the author and her writings can be found at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Cornelia-Scott-Cree\/e\/B072YXCGRQ?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&amp;qid=1581438795&amp;sr=8-1\">AMAZON<\/a>&nbsp;where you may purchase her e-book,&nbsp;<em>Immaculate Assumptions: All You Heard about the Bible that Isn\u2019t True.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>#prayer #Buddhism<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Simmie and her husband are immigrants from Indonesia.&nbsp; She escaped from China and is an implacable foe of Communism.&nbsp; Together they run a successful beauty shop known for high quality work.&nbsp; They both wear the brown prayer beads that identify Buddhists; both are very happy and fulfilled in their lives.&nbsp; They remember President Ronald Reagan\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[427,437,1734,1946],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>When you Pray? 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