I am new to this and I want to know who to pray to

[Selene]

Our entire family is in turmoil because of my daughter's alcohol and drug addiction.  Praying to a christian God does not work for me.  We all prayed when my husband was sick and he still died...I believe in a higher power, just not the Christian Judeo God.  10 years after my husband's death I am still an agnostic bordering  on aetheism.  But that does not sit well with me either.  There is alot of power in this universe, where is it and how do we tap into it?

[mlr52]

Our entire family is in turmoil because of my daughter's alcohol and drug addiction.  Praying to a christian God does not work for me.  We all prayed when my husband was sick and he still died...I believe in a higher power, just not the Christian Judeo God.  10 years after my husband's death I am still an agnostic bordering  on aetheism.  But that does not sit well with me either.  There is alot of power in this universe, where is it and how do we tap into it?

 
Welcome to TC.

[Faemon]

Our entire family is in turmoil because of my daughter's alcohol and drug addiction.  Praying to a christian God does not work for me.  We all prayed when my husband was sick and he still died...I believe in a higher power, just not the Christian Judeo God.  10 years after my husband's death I am still an agnostic bordering  on aetheism.  But that does not sit well with me either.  There is alot of power in this universe, where is it and how do we tap into it?

By my experience, unfortunately, most other gods are just as flaky and mysterious. Some circumstances are intolerable, but to tap into principles and ideas behind certain mythologies and personifications can either 1.) give one the fortitude to continue being in those circumstances, or 2.) give one the courage and intuition to change the circumstances.

Your troubles sound eerily like mine. I have a sister with a substance abuse issue, and my mother passed away from terminal illness. I can't help but notice that, yes, they both were/are vocally devoted to their faith... and it never seems to do any good. If you ever need to rant or otherwise pour your heart out, please do feel free to PM me.

[RandallS]

Our entire family is in turmoil because of my daughter's alcohol and drug addiction.  Praying to a christian God does not work for me.  We all prayed when my husband was sick and he still died...I believe in a higher power, just not the Christian Judeo God.  10 years after my husband's death I am still an agnostic bordering  on aetheism.  But that does not sit well with me either.  There is alot of power in this universe, where is it and how do we tap into it?

One can ask a deity for favors, but asking does not guarantee you will receive. Deities are not vending machines where you put prayers in and your selected desire appears in the slot -- no matter how nice it would be if they were. That said, asking for help never hurts, but you are more likely to get help if you have some type of relationship with the deity or deities in question -- or barring that, some type of link to them (culture, interests. etc.) that would give them some reason to want to help you. Since you know longer feel a connection to the Christian God, are there any other deities that you feel a connection to?

[Utusitusi]

Our entire family is in turmoil because of my daughter's alcohol and drug addiction.  Praying to a christian God does not work for me.  We all prayed when my husband was sick and he still died...I believe in a higher power, just not the Christian Judeo God.  10 years after my husband's death I am still an agnostic bordering  on aetheism.  But that does not sit well with me either.  There is alot of power in this universe, where is it and how do we tap into it?

 

While I completely understand having a crisis of faith following the death of a beloved, the phrase you use 'we prayed and he still died' bothers me a little for two reasons, Gods are not requiered to answer prayers (and indeed they rarely do) and unfortunately, all humans must die.
'Tapping into the universe's power' will not change these fundamental truths, I'm afraid.
On the other hand, I've found that Gods (even the Judeo-Christian God) often do listen and help ease the burden of anger and grief and that praying towards that goal can have tremendous results.
As the previous poster stated, which Deities do you feel connected to? If any at all?

[R03e]

While I completely understand having a crisis of faith following the death of a beloved, the phrase you use 'we prayed and he still died' bothers me a little for two reasons, Gods are not requiered to answer prayers (and indeed they rarely do) and unfortunately, all humans must die.
'Tapping into the universe's power' will not change these fundamental truths, I'm afraid.
On the other hand, I've found that Gods (even the Judeo-Christian God) often do listen and help ease the burden of anger and grief and that praying towards that goal can have tremendous results.
As the previous poster stated, which Deities do you feel connected to? If any at all?

 
Mainly you have several choices of advice to choose from to best serve your purpose. You can either choose A, B, C, or D all of the above because all of them are right. A death is no reason to swith deities to pray for. Prayer is a good way of seeking comfort, provide answers to and extent, and perhaps strength and wisdom when needed. They are more for guidence really and is true no matter whome you ask whether it is Christian-Judeo, Greek, Eygphtian, Celtic, or Science a lot depends on you, your family, and especially the person that needs the help. Even if you become an atheist you would still have to rely on your inner strength and tuition because yes in my opnion not even science has all the answers. In a case like this the best solution is to try to convince her, but without too much force to seek help.  Help her help herself with these issues and talk to her if she is willing to talk.