When Someone Prays for Someone?

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It's weird that the Politics, Philosophy, and Religion form has become a de facto debate form. I am hoping a Christian can answer and explain something for me.

Okay, so I was putting up a transgender remembrance wall of all the people who died due to anti-transgender violence. This guy comes along and seems really cool and all. It's like that wall brought out the best in everyone. I answered all the questions he had. He asked me how I knew so much and I said, "I am transgender".

When he heard that I was transgender, he said he was going to pray for me, and he asked if it was alright if he could do it right now in front of me.

I got really offended when he said he was going to pray for me. There's nothing wrong with me, and I thought he is trying to apologize to God for me being transgender.

Why does someone pray for somebody else? Was he trying to apologize for me being transgender or was it something else?

Indeed that is quite appalling! Of all the things to worry about in a world full of genocidal dictators, neglected tropical diseases, sexism and famine, why choose someone's gender to get all worked up about!

Anyways, these sites may be of interest to you:
http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/article_17.htm
http://www.christiananswers.net/love/st ... lity1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_in_Christianity

I didn't know asking a question was "getting worked up". I could say something very snappy right now, but I really don't want to argue. If you can't answer my question respectfully then don't answer at all.



Thank you for the links on why people pray to God. I really would have liked some insight on why people pray to God for other people, but I'll take what I can get.

I am curious, why did you include a link to homosexuality? I am not a homosexual.

He was referring to the person who started praying because you're transgender, not your question.

I greatly apologize for coming across as rude; I think I have caused serious misunderstanding here: I was attempting to show agreement with and sympathy for you; I have nothing against transgenders: I was mocking the people who pray for them as if it were an ill.

By the way, I included a link about people praying for homosexuals because they appear to me to be seen more or less the same way as transgenders and they are related in being sexual minorities; to give an idea of what I am attempting to convey, I, being a linguiphile, today happened to want information about the dead Taíno Language: I thus looked up information on the far more well known and still living Garifuna Language due to the fact that they are closely related and that most of what I would learn about Garifuna would apply to Taíno; in short, it is not a condemnantion of being transgendered or of homosexuality to associate the two together under the category of "sexual minorities" any more than it is to group Taíno and Garifuna together under "Arawakan Languages."

Again, I am very sorry for the misunderstanding I have caused and I did not desire any suffering towards you.

This is correct.

Crystal clear (and useful information). It might explain why the T is in the LGB community. There was a lack of a pronoun so I didn't know whether you were addressing me or the person. Never underestimate the power of miscommunication.

Technically, in my case, being transgender is like being sick. You "just don't feel right". It's not that I feel mentally sick. It's like being in a constant state of physical discomfort.

Do you think this person was praying for me because, after seeing all the violence against transgenders, he just wanted me to be safe?

While it is possible that this person was praying for your safety, it seems more likely that they were praying for you to come around (to their way of thinking). If you'd listened to their prayer, you'd have a better chance of accurately deciding which it was. Then again, you'd probably have had a better chance of being even more offended.

Technoteen, you seem to have assumed that he was 'apologising to god' on your behalf. Your post suggests that you do not know the thrust of his prayer.

I'd say this was highly probable, you say the wall had a positive effect on the person?

To assert their supposed moral superiority over the person they're praying for.


It was something else.