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%FOUNDATIONS ASSUMPTIONS BELIEFS CONVICTIONS PRAYER+021101
%ESSENTIAL PERSONAL COMMUNAL INTEGRITY HONESTY EVIL+021101
 %GOOD PEOPLE BEHAVIORS PETITIONS REQUESTS COMMANDS+021101
 %ANSWERED CONCENTRATIONS POWER OMNIPOTENCE SYSTEMS+021101
%COLLUSIONS ADDICTIONS DISHONESTY AUTHENTICITY LOVE+021101
  %MEDITATION COMMUNICATION INTERMEDIARY SALVATIONS 021101
                                                          
     Domineering  people  often  abuse  the  image  of   a
personal  God with whom mortals may/should  converse/pray;
offering  petitions  as to a King,  Queen,  Lord,  or  all
powerful  ruler.      The  latter images  carry  over  the
baggage   of  the  traditional  concentration  of   power,
omnipotence,  omniscience,  commandments, etc.  ---  which
come  with  the images.    Then the  following  misleading
questions  are considered and answered with  some  notable
confidence:                                               
                                                          
     How are humans to best:                              
                                                          
     1.  Qualify to make requests.                        
     2.  Frame and present their requests.                
     3.  Discern which procedures are most successful.    
     4.  Discern which petitioners are most successful.   
     5.  Discern which kinds of requests should be made.  
     6.  Talk the Lord into responding favorably.         
     7.  Talk others into presenting support for requests.
     8.  Discern how the process works, to better use it. 
     9.  Refine the theology which goes with the process. 
    10.  Discern the limits on what should be asked for.  
                                                          
     The  above suggests that there may be limitations  to
the  process  ---   limitations which are  rooted  in  the
assumptions which lay  the foundations for the process ---
by  considering God as being like a human King,   Queen or
Lord  to  whom  petitions  may/should   be   brought   for
appropriate responses ---   in  ways which  remain  rather
mysterious  and beyond  any  human analysis which includes
in   significant ways our own  modern  human  experiences.
Often  the whole process is  understood  only  in terms of
ancient scripts  which   point   to   how  ancient  people
considered   their  experiences  and  answered  the  above
kinds   of  questions  as  best  they  could.      Ancient
experiences   and  analysis  are often   regarded  as more
reliable/authoritative   than    are   our   own    modern
experiences and analysis.    Why?  To whose advantage?    
                                                          
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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