As a frequent 'assistant' (at least, I think I'm helping!) on the NCLEX Discussion Forum, I see something posted over and over and over again. It's a very common theme, actually, and although in the past it didn't much bother me, it has been getting more and more under my skin. I know those who post it obviously don't look for discussion on that topic, but...on THIS forum, it seemed most appropriate :)
I frequently see people who have failed the NCLEX more than once (or more than twice, or more than three times) who will write "please pray for me". Are there really people out there who add to their personal prayers "oh, and G-d? Please help FailedNclex-3x to pass her exam" ?
Seems to be pretty low-brow for G-d, doesn't it? As if The Almighty WOULD have 'let' FailedNclex-3 fail yet again, BUT FOR the prayer from someone on AN...nope, that tilted the wheel the other way and now a PASS is in order!
I cannot see myself EVER thinking to ask G-d for something like that. Pray to understand why things happen the way they do. Pray to ask for strength through a difficult time. Pray to find goodness where there doesn't seem to be much....pray for assistance, but not for personal gain.
Maybe that's it. People are asking for personal gain. I wouldn't pray for someone to win the lottery, I wouldn't pray for them to get into grad school. I'd wish them well, I'm going to "send happy thoughts", I'm going to hope they succeed. But PRAY for this?? No.
I also believe that thanks are in order when one has a success such as passing the NCLEX: thank your spouse and kids and family and friends for putting UP with you while you went to school and while you studied for the exam. Thank the financial institution that fronted you the money, if you like. And yes, thank G-d for the ability to get through it all! But IMHO there's also a difference between thanking Ad'nai for strength, courage, determination, etc and thanking the Holy One for passing a test. YOU, the TEST-TAKER, took and passed the test! He might have been 'with' you in the testing center (strength, support) but He sure wasn't taking that test FOR you!
So no, don't say it was G-d who 'allowed' you to pass the test. If you passed, you EARNED it. Give thanks where it's due, but....remember the limits of what you'd "get" for your prayers, too :)
Liberated, you know, it IS possible to be an atheist without constantly being disrespectful to people of faith. I'm just throwing that out there, because from your postings, you seem not to realize that.
You want respect for your beliefs from the faithful? Then give what you want to get.
Thanks for the unwanted advice. I don't need approval for my beliefs or lack thereof. I'm just expressing my opinions and you or anyone else is not required to agree.
I'm not offering approval. I'm asking respect from and for both sides. Surely any kind of adult who wants to be able to get along in the professional world is capable of that.
I'm not offering approval. I'm asking respect from and for both sides. Surely any kind of adult who wants to be able to get along in the professional world is capable of that.
A fair point. Thanks I will take your advice. Thanks
I honestly thought this thread was going to be about end-of-life.
I personally don't see anything wrong with praying to pass. The person who is asking for prayers may be hoping for wisdom, understanding, or better recall of the knowledge they already have. I don't think most people believe in magically passing. I have run across people, however, who believe that tooting their own horn is wrong, a sign of vanity, and they attribute their accomplishments to the work of a deity.
Question: I have seen a lot of instances of the word God with a letter struck out or replaced with a punctuation mark. What does this mean? It looks like the same kind of modifications used to get swear words past the mods.
Question: I have seen a lot of instances of the word God with a letter struck out or replaced with a punctuation mark. What does this mean? It looks like the same kind of modifications used to get swear words past the mods.
In some religions it is considered disrespectful to write God's name in any form. I don't know if it's tradition or Judaic law but the OP is an observant Jew and it is a common practice for them. She could probably enlighten us.
By that logic then you should not trust "men" medicine and studies. Cherry pick what you want to believe is not a good way to advance medicine. Evidence guides progress in medicine, not prayer. This is just my opinion and it's not meant to be confrontational. I realize it is an unpopular view but I don't care, I'll put my life in the hands of a man before I'd ever rely on meaningless prayer.
In some religions it is considered disrespectful to write God's name in any form. I don't know if it's tradition or Judaic law but the OP is an observant Jew and it is a common practice for them. She could probably enlighten us.
You pretty much nailed it...thanks :)
It has caused misunderstandings to those who are unfamiliar with the practice, but it is commonnplace within observant circles to neither write, type, paint, whatever, the Name as it is spoken. It's not that writing it all out is wrong, it's just a higher form of respect, really. And this is not agreed upon universally; I have seen observant Jews who have no issues with writing it all out. Different strokes
The Name (btw, another form of referring to G-d is as HaShem---literally, 'The Name') is recognized to be something other than all the euphemisms we all use; the "REAL" Name of G-d is not known to any human. There are many written forms, but NONE of them is the true 'name' of G-d, according to scripture/Torah. So we just take it one step further, making it less utilitarian, if that makes sense.
People typically use either a hyphen or an apostrophe in place of the letter 'o', don't think I'd like to see it much more creative than that, personally!
I did have someone once slam me pretty hard on a message board once (not this one) because I was being so rude, so disrespectful, by not calling "her" G'd by the "proper Name". Umm.....that did not turn out well for her
I honestly thought this thread was going to be about end-of-life.
LOL, I never even realized that it could look that way until I saw a couple of people comment on that! I had to go back and look at the title again to see what the heck they were talking about!
Thankfully, I have no intentions of asking the Almighty to help me 'pass' anywhere anytime soon :)
It has caused misunderstandings to those who are unfamiliar with the practice, but it is commonnplace within observant circles to neither write, type, paint, whatever, the Name as it is spoken. It's not that writing it all out is wrong, it's just a higher form of respect, really. And this is not agreed upon universally; I have seen observant Jews who have no issues with writing it all out. Different strokes
The Name (btw, another form of referring to G-d is as HaShem---literally, 'The Name') is recognized to be something other than all the euphemisms we all use; the "REAL" Name of G-d is not known to any human. There are many written forms, but NONE of them is the true 'name' of G-d, according to scripture/Torah. So we just take it one step further, making it less utilitarian, if that makes sense.
People typically use either a hyphen or an apostrophe in place of the letter 'o', don't think I'd like to see it much more creative than that, personally!
I did have someone once slam me pretty hard on a message board once (not this one) because I was being so rude, so disrespectful, by not calling "her" G'd by the "proper Name". Umm.....that did not turn out well for her
Thanks, I was wondering. I didn't think you would be deliberately disrespectful.
In the religion I was raised in, we were taught we couldn't know His true name, therefore it was OK to say/write God, or the Father, or Father God, as long as it wasn't used derogatorily. My dad is a big fan of using El Shaddai or Adonai, even though he is a white bread Southern Baptist. My Jehovah's witness relatives often use Jehovah God. I think it is interesting to see all the different, traditional words that describe the same entity, all used with the profoundest respect.
I failed the NCLEX -RN on my first attempt, and I was devastated. Although I was crushed, I took a look back at how I'd prepared and I knew that I needed a serious review of core nursing content. Yes, I prayed intently that I would pass on my second attempt, but I also made arrangements to attend a live Hurst review and get a thorough content refresher. I can relate to the desperation that new grads feel when they have failed, because I have been there. I passed the NCLEX-RN on my second attempt, with the help of Hurst and a great deal of hard work on my part. I believe that prayer helped as well, because as a Christian and Episcopalian, I rely on prayer and the grace of God to bring me through every challenge (and that exam is certainly a challenge!) So I'll pray for a new grad to pass, but he or she must also prepare extensively!
OCNRN63, the scriptures you referenced piqued my interest and I took a break from Psalms, which I'm currently studying, and looked them all up. The most interesting of the verses you suggest, in my humble opinion, is Mark 11:24..."Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." To those preparing to take the NCLEX, I suggest that you remember this scripture, and of course, study!
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
OCNRN63, the scriptures you referenced piqued my interest and I took a break from Psalms, which I'm currently studying, and looked them all up. The most interesting of the verses you suggest, in my humble opinion, is Mark 11:24..."Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." To those preparing to take the NCLEX, I suggest that you remember this scripture, and of course, study!
That shouldn't be taken out of context. We are not to pray for selfish reasons ("Gimme" prayers). Our first interests should be as Jesus instructed, "Our Father in Heaven, let your name be sanctified. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will take place on Earth as it is in Heaven" After this, we may pray for personal needs for ourselves or others: "Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors..."
I would not want people who repeatedly fail NCLEX to blame God for not passing. I'm glad what I wrote interested you. I tend to stay away from this forum (got chased out a while ago), so my posts here are few and far between. Maybe the climate is changing here.
liberated847
505 Posts
Thanks for the unwanted advice. I don't need approval for my beliefs or lack thereof. I'm just expressing my opinions and you or anyone else is not required to agree.