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SITE REVIEWS & OTHER CRITIQUES

Critique One: March 6, 1999: Prayers On My Pillow

Note: This critique came out of a request sent to us asking that the website be listed on Kir-Shalom. It is in the form of a letter sent to the person requesting the link. Names have been removed to protect privacy. It is followed by a commentary.

Thank you for referring the website Prayers On My Pillow to Richard (and indirectly to me). Richard sent your note on to me. Tonight was the first opportunity I've had this week to take a look. Prayers On My Pillow is an interesting project (addressing the relationship of a mother of adolescent girls with those same girls and claiming the improvement of communication between them through prayers written by the mother). As the mother of two healthy young women myself, I find this somewhat suspect. My daughters had difficulty with the greeting - or its lack - "Good morning" at the ages the author is talking about. I somewhat doubt my daughters would have appreciated my prayers. Nevertheless, that is not nearly as much of problem as the issue of the author's (Celia Straus) faith in prayer "as magic." I include quotes from the website of an interview with Celia.

QUESTION: What are the theological underpinnings for these prayers?

ANSWER: The prayers are nondenominational. They are based on the basic three part concept that acknowledges the existence of an Absolute Being (God), the reality and perspective of life of the girl who is praying and the strength of the girl’s inner self. The prayers are not guilt- based. The word is never used. They present universal truths and values that the girl can trust and rely on such as fearless faith in God, love, self- reliance, self-empowerment and ethical behavior.

QUESTION: How spiritual are you, and what do you personally believe about the power of prayer?

ANSWER: I consider myself spiritual, but not particularly religious. I’m Christian, brought up Episcopalian, and my husband is Jewish. Like most interfaith couples who marry and have children, we dealt with our religious differences by pretty much avoiding the topic entirely. However, I do believe in an Infinite Being whom I call God, an afterlife, and the power of prayer. Prayer works magic because it taps into our own spiritual energy that is as real and as powerful as gravity and that exists in all of us whether we acknowledge it or not.

As you can see from the above quotes, there's a definite new-agish comprehension of faith here. The examples of prayers included on the site leave me with the impression that the author's (thus the pray-er's) focus is all self-oriented not God-oriented.

eg: Help me fill my loving cup
From deep inside myself.

Help me answer all my prayers
With words from my own heart

5. FEARLESS FAITH
Please, God, help me mend myself:
The little pieces chipped away

Please, God help me heal myself
The wounds I’ve taken in my fight

Please, God help me keep myself
Protected from being pulled apart

The addressing of God in the contexts above is a little like treating God as another pair of hands instead of the awesome Mystery of all that is.

I've come to the time in my life where I have increasingly less patience with wishy-washy conceptions of the Christian faith and of Christ and of God. However attractive the website may be it remains nothing more than glitzy trappings lacking real substance. Therefore I cannot in good conscience recommend it on my Christian "Connections" pages.

Peace!
Charlene

Commentary

People of the world are spiritually hungry. Deeply spiritually hungry. In their hunger they latch on to anything that looks and feels good. That does not mean that what they are feasting on is REAL food. Not at all. It is a very sad thing to say but many are filling up on spiritual junk food, counterfeit Christianity. Sad but true. The website cited above is an example of the junk food offered as genuine nourishment. It is not. It is not even close. Sadder still today is the fact that many who should know better and should be standing up to be counted do NOT look like they know better and are NOT standing up to be counted. Popularity is never the measure of truth. It is only the measure of hunger. Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." (John 21:16) I'm sure Jesus meant real food.

To be continued....