God's grace

caroledenny, thank you for your answer. What do you mean by carry on doing whatever you have asked about? Of course, I know you mean prayer, but is it about doing something that you see as positive anyway? I'd just like to understand your unique definition for something that everyone seems to define differently. 

Thank you, IzaBluByU. Your interpretation seems to be more about forgiveness, a divine forgiveness, but essentially passive.  But is grace passive?  I don't know- I don't believe in God- but I was raised to be a Christian and so have always heard "grace" used to suggest a very profound relationship that is never really defined.

My question was prompted by an article I read about the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.  He used "grace" in a context that I had never heard before, more like a "natural right" bestowed by God.  So I thought it would be good to ask what the people here on Yedda think.  See, even with all the recent rancor over thumb massacres and flame wars, I still think this is a good place to listen and discuss in a respectful manner.  I have "faith" in our better natures.

And I think everybody needs at least one friend that he totally disagrees with.

George, you always have such great answers. I haven't been to an AA meeting in a long time, but that's a whole other story.  Mercy is what I hear in your answer- a sense of divine mercy ("He only gives us what we can handle") and a mercifulness on your part, a reluctance to judge and condemn. Thank you. Today was good, not great, but certainly good. I'm glad Mardi Gras is over!

harry, this sounds a lot like the way my mother spoke (and speaks) about grace. She also uses scripture to describe a more complex feeling or idea.  Since grace isn't specifically mentioned in the passage from Psalms or in the Lord's Prayer, I hope you can see the confusion that can arise, and how everyone seems to have a different kind of definition for "grace."  You used both the Old and New Testaments to back up your answer, so that leads me to another question- what would a religious Jew or Muslim give as the answer for a definition of "grace?"  Wouldn't their definitions be rooted in the same idea of relationship with the divine?