Amen: what prayer can mean in a world beyond belief

by Gretta Vosper

For many people, prayer is an essential part of their daily lives, connecting them with God, a force, or the universe, bringing them, among other things, assistance and protection. Prayer makes their lives more meaningful, and in that meaning their worlds make sense. They cannot imagine living without such an important facet of their lives, and as a result of their introspection, they live fuller, deeper lives and offer wider service to others.Increasingly, however, prayer has become a tradition that has some meaning, but as ritual, not as a vehicle that delivers true significance for those who worship. Despite what it may have meant to previous generations, prayer now holds only a symbolic place in our busy lives and the deeper kinship with community is lost in the vestments of antiquated traditions.In Amen, Gretta Vosper, United Church minister and author of the controversial bestseller With or Without God, offers us her deeply felt examination of worship beyond conventional prayer, a new tradition built on love and respect rather than on the rituals of ancient beliefs.

Genres: Religion

356 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

She actually said it... Wow.

First, let me say that Vosper's ministry (United Church of Canada minister) is doing something unique. She is trying to bridge progressive Christians with post-Christians and atheists who still crave meaning. She definitely pushes the boundaries of Christian thought, but achieves something. And it's pretty bold. Ok, Here's some notes and quotes...

"Whatever else it may or may not be, prayer is at least talking to yourself, and that's in itself not always a bad idea..." Frederick Buechner

"Prayer is concerned with raising the mind and heart to God, but the raising is to that idea of God being everywhere--an awareness of the sacred in the midst of the ordinary. --Michael Morwood, former Catholic

"Redemption is necessary only because of our complicity in the brokenness of the world around us... Redemption is possible only through the human gift of compassionate love (38) so... Christ as an example of how redemption comes through compassionate love. It came through the way of Christ (i.e. not through atonement... )

If scripture is not supernaturally created but rather a humanly constructed collection of writings by ancient people attempting to relate their authentic experiences of life as they interpreted them... This doesn't mean they are wrong, it means I don't have to say they were right.

"Prayer has never been more than a contract for hope."

Here's her big humanist manifesto:
The traditional idea: God as supernatural SAP source, agent, promise of all good. Exchange supernatural for natural. People are the sap-ian (meaning wise) the source, agent, and the potential for goodness -- not only us, but the immanent and transimanent--receiving from beyond us as well.

"The assumption beneath prayer is no longer the divine being but being itself."

See Karen Armstrong's "Charter for Compassion" removes theistic language, makes it accessible to all.

It's not our experience that sets us apart (religious, non-religious) its our interpretation (227)

On being a creature in awe, when we can't make sense of God...
"As far as exercising our brains goes, explaining love could be just as fulfilling as considering god.... love, truth, beauty, goodness, compassion?... we sheltered ourselves underneath such giant concepts when we attributed them to god. Can they not now stand on their own, to the same effect and with the same power?" 238

In experiencing the presence of god.... "Any of the humane values we live by--goodness, beauty, and truth--might be pulled out of any ugliness, any challenge, any grief, and hunger, any hurt. They are as omnipresent as God ever was." 239

Metaphor of woman who made tessellated pattern in her garden. There isn't a "path" regardless how broad or narrow, but there is a truthful way through the tessellation on "stepping stones that barely touch at their outermost points" (244).

I-Thou relationships recognize the inherent worth of the other. In this way we make each of our connections sacred. I-it treats the other as a commodity, we are disengaged, without reverence. The human task is to make everything sacred... the butcher who cuts my meat, woman who sews my clothes....

"...wedge your thanksgivings in bit by bit...until the benevolence beam you once wished would shine on you instead shines from you and everything around you shines in its remarkable light 263

We do not pray to, we pray for

Metaphor: there is no wizard behind the curtain, making supernatural things happen, but Dorothy still gets home. She does it through natural means and extraordinary friendships. 268

The transcendent is anything that comes to us from beyond our own resources and capabilities. Causes may be within the natural realm, but beyond our own reach.

We don't need a supernatural explanation to accept, with joy and thanksgiving, the wonder that happens.

Living with a reverence for life and the inexplicable ways it unfolds around and within us is a very important aspect of the religious life that we do not have to lose 271

A little boy was disgusted at his mother praying for his heart transplant... because another child would have to die. Released from an image of a deity who rewards some while devastating others, opens us to the gift of whatever the circumstances bring 272

Why do good? Motivation is reward and fear based, inspiration is values based.

We are hard-wired toward empathy. If we are attentive to the work of child-rearing, we can actually raise our capacity for empathy and so reduce our capacity to do harm 273

Whoa, brain science!
Our amygdale is responsible for basic fight, flight, or freeze response. The newer frontal lobes gives humane decision-making. There's a switch between that sends thoughts on one track or the other. It's the anterior cingulate. If the switch is strong, it goes toward the front, weak toward the back. The way to strengthen it is through prayer and meditation 273-276

[Michael Somerset · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat wishy-washy saga with large doses of word salad. Vosper doesn't seem to grapple successfully of whether prayer has any future in our world, nor does she explore if prayer is, and always has, been a waste of time. The book is an exercise in tap-dancing, with lots of "ifs, buts and maybes ". It's as if she can't nail down her own views on the subject.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

For many people, prayer is an essential part of their daily lives, connecting them with God, a force, or the universe, bringing them, among other things, assistance and protection. Prayer makes their lives more meaningful, and in that meaning their worlds make sense. They cannot imagine living without such an important facet of their lives, and as a result of their introspection, they live fuller, deeper lives and offer wider service to others.

And whether it be proclaiming “Allahu akbar,” singing “Shema Yisrael,” or reciting “Our Father, who art in heaven,” prayer is central to the three major monotheistic religions, and to many others besides.

In Amen, Gretta Vosper, a United Church of Canada minister and author of the controversial bestseller With or Without God, offers us her deeply felt examination of worship beyond conventional prayer, a new tradition built on love and respect rather than on the rituals of ancient beliefs. She asks us to examine the diverse positions on prayer in the light of the harsh realities of unanswered prayer, the secular critique of supernatural intervention and the need for a deep sense of ownership for the suffering in the world. With characteristic honesty, she calls us to submit the tradition of prayer to the test of integrity. Can we draw from it useful principles for addressing human and global needs? Or is it safe, and maybe even more effective, to get up from our knees and live out the answers we seek?

Gretta Vospers’s critique of religion and traditional prayer is refreshing and insightful. Many people might find it controversial, but progressive ideas are always contentious to some. But if you’re not sure what you believe, this book can give you something worth considering. And I guarantee you won't be able to take your mind off the topic for days.

[Geoff Glenister · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gretta Vosper is an interesting character because she is a United Church of Canada minister who came out as atheist, and yet she's still the minister of her UCC church. I picked up a copy of this book because I thought it would be helpful for me, who has come to a place where most forms of prayer don't make sense anymore to me - since as a Christian we're supposed to believe that Jesus reveals the heart of God, and Jesus said that God already knows everything we're going to ask before we ask it.

But I wasn't crazy about this book, to be honest. I felt like it meandered and spent too long belaboring each point without ever really giving good arguments for each one. If you're going to spend a long time making a point, you at least have to pound your readers with copious amounts of evidence to support each one - rather, Gretta spends a long time demonstrating what various people have said about their beliefs before saying that she feels they're all wrong. And the end result is something that I don't think many people would find convincing if they disagreed with her.

[Joe Chisholm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book: informative, eye-opening and pleasure reading.

I live by a natural, not a supernatural worldview. So I don't believe in a personal (prayer-listening) deity. But I don't discount the power of prayer. Be it placebo or something beyond my comprehension, I don't deny it's positive impact in the lives of many.

It's very refreshing to hear about prayer from an atheist, especially a Church minister who is empathetic to a theistic understanding of prayer. Maybe it's a practice that has been highjacked by those of a supernatural disposition.

Also, Gretta's sharing of her own personal journey is gripping.

[Hanusia Tkaczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts off a little dry, examining the types of prayer and some of its uses. Eventually, though i found that more intersting. Vosper then outlines her views about whether or not an intervening god exists. She gives voice, backed by theological study and experience as a pastor, to the questions and doubts of many people.

From there, however, she moves smoothly into making a case for prayer seen in a different light. Her grasp of the fundamental human need for meaning, inspiration and connection is itself inspiring.

I recommend this book for people struggling with their faith, who want something more fulfilling than Richard Dawkins bashing religion.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't actually finish this. I returned it to the library after I hit the main thesis argument. Didn't see much to gain in the last 120 pages or so. Good book, gave me much to think about as an atheist Catholic. Recommended.