Pray Tell, or The Santa Claus Syndrome, Take 1

As previously mentioned, I get regular visits from a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses. I doubt I'll ever convert - there's something in the Norse lore that speaks to me on a level that the Bible doesn't, some sense of rightness past the "Oooh, interesting stories!". It's hard to explain but I imagine it's the same stuff they feel when they study the Bible. Some feeling that hey, this makes sense, this is right, this moves me in a way that no other religious text has managed, however interesting they might be. We agree on a lot, and we disagree on a lot as well, and that's not even touching the whole question of which god is right.

Prayer, for one. The Bible tells to pray to God and do it heartfelt and however often is needed, to develop a relationship a bit like with a friend, to share your problems and thoughts and to respect and honour him. With the Norse pantheon it's a bit different. They don't encourage you to lean on them all the time - rather address them too little than too much. Honour them, respect them, maybe even love them, but your life is yours to live and they have other things to worry about as well. Maybe that's why I was never attracted to neo-wicca. These beings are divine and demand respect. They're not someone to casually call upon because you need a date for the prom or need to lose five pounds to fit that dress you really, really want, and oh, could you please get some money to buy it for as well? Why would they even bother with you, if the only time you address them is when you want something from them? It's like the friend who only calls when they need your help - sooner or later, you stop helping at all (another thing my JWs and I agree on - it's not a list for Santa Claus, it's prayer).

I keep my gods in my thoughts but I rarely address them. I handle as much as I can on my own, I thank them when I get a streak of exceptionally good fortune, and I only address them with a request when I've exhausted any other option and desperately need a hand and then only with an offer of something in return. Maybe that's why my JWs' way of praying seems strange to me. I don't want to bother my gods with insignificant stuff. It's my life to live and my problems to handle. I don't fear my gods but I do have an immense respect for them. And that's likely why the classic "Heathens don't kneel to their gods!" never rang true to me, either. It's my gods. I'll do whatever the situation seems to require and if that's how I wish to show them respect, until they themselves tell me otherwise, I'll damn well do just that.