Retroactive Prayers Anyone??

[Cindy]

Originally Posted by Timmy

Ya don't say!

I will say this, Timmy. Some prayers my Mother prayed were answered after she had been dead for years.

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by Hoovie

I heard of this a few years ago and thought it strange then and recently a minister made mention again.


The premise is that God is not bound by time so prayers that we pray today can "prevent" what might have been. It's a real mind bender, for sure!


While service is in progress we hear someone we know is in an accident - no details. We pray and "feel confirmation in the Spirit" that God is working in that situation. Then are told that even if there were no serious injuries - that in it'self may have been prevented by prayers offered after the fact. God is not bound by time/space.


What do you think?

I don't think "radio active" would be the best descriptor for this phenomena - if it truly is a phenomena.

"Radio active" indicates the presence of nuclear decay within a collection of atoms and the subsequent energy that is measured radiating out from the decay process. All of this is observed in "real time" and a predictable and inevitable sequence of events follows.

The only way to "undo" these events would be to launch this material into the heart of a star and allow the star's fusion to remodel that collection of atoms... and even then, it would be billions of years before the star goes nova and "recreates" the uranium and other heavy elements that we were observing to decay in the first place.

There is simply no way around this. Even if you could travel "back in time" - the radio-active material will still decay at the same predicable rates. That is simply its destiny. "Radio active" sounds cool, and if "cool" is all we want, then disregard everything I have said. But strictly speaking, "radio active" is a phenomena unrelated to the phenomena of "time traveling prayers."

To have a prayer "tunnel back in time" would obviously require a a time traveling agent ("God") Who hears you "now" and then acts in that already fulfilled reality (this reality - our reality) to effect whatever changes were requested by prayer.

If you prayed that a certain portion of radio-active material would NOT decay, then I suppose, it's a prayer about "radio-activity" - but the stuff will still decay at some point. If you prayed that your critically injured loved one had never broken their spine - then ... well, what's the difference between that and healing the broken spine in the present?

The only real difference is if our hypothetical loved one had never broken their spine in the first place. Then, what we are saying is that "God" kept them whole when in fact they were in no danger of a broken spine all along. We are simply inventing a cause for a desired outcome.

Millions of people don't break their spine every day. Personally, I am thankful that I didn't break my spine at any time in the past. I honestly can't say that "God intervened...!" because I don't know that He did. All I can say is, "That never happened to me, thank God."

[Hoovie]

Radio active! HA!

[Hoovie]

Seriously Pel, Have you ever heard of this?

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by Hoovie

Seriously Pel, Have you ever heard of this?

I haven't heard of anyone attaching that term to this idea. I have heard about people who say things like, "I prayed after they were on the road and before I had heard that they arrived at their destination... they arrived safely, so my prayers were answered..."

I think that I've heard people also who sort of were reaching out for the concept that you describe. I don't buy into this.

If things worked out beneficially, or if the damages were at least mitigated then we are THANKFUL for what happened. The only way that this concept of "radio-active prayers" can be posited is if the outcome is still uncertain. Then the prayer is offered for the desired outcome.

I'd have to hear the actual "teaching" involved of course, but the whole thing sounds like someone misunderstood something from a physics television program and then tried to apply their misunderstanding to the Bible.

Do you have more information on this?

[ILG]

Anything is possible.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by pelathais

I haven't heard of anyone attaching that term to this idea. I have heard about people who say things like, "I prayed after they were on the road and before I had heard that they arrived at their destination... they arrived safely, so my prayers were answered..."

I think that I've heard people also who sort of were reaching out for the concept that you describe. I don't buy into this.

If things worked out beneficially, or if the damages were at least mitigated then we are THANKFUL for what happened. The only way that this concept of "radio-active prayers" can be posited is if the outcome is still uncertain. Then the prayer is offered for the desired outcome.

I'd have to hear the actual "teaching" involved of course, but the whole thing sounds like someone misunderstood something from a physics television program and then tried to apply their misunderstanding to the Bible.

Do you have more information on this?

Definition of RETROACTIVE (BTW that was my word not theirs.)

: extending in scope or effect to a prior time or to conditions that existed or originated in the past; especially : made effective as of a date prior to enactment, promulgation, or imposition


Quite simply, It was implied that prayers offered in present tense can effect the "outcome" of events already occurred. This, made possible by the fact that God is not "bound by time". Of course, the "outcome" was unknown to those praying at the time.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by ILG

Anything is possible.

Except retroactive prayers.

[ILG]

Originally Posted by Hoovie

Except retroactive prayers.

Never say never. I wouldn't spend a lot of time on it though.

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by Hoovie

Definition of RETROACTIVE (BTW that was my word not theirs.)

: extending in scope or effect to a prior time or to conditions that existed or originated in the past; especially : made effective as of a date prior to enactment, promulgation, or imposition


Quite simply, It was implied that prayers offered in present tense can effect the "outcome" of events already occurred. This, made possible by the fact that God is not "bound by time". Of course, the "outcome" was unknown to those praying at the time.

LOL. Dude... I gotta get rid of these bifocals. Retroactive... d'oh!