When was the last time you prayed?

[Wade]

When was the last time your prayed? Did you try praying at all after your deconversion?

 

Personally the last time I prayed was the day the flame of faith finally went out. I prayed to god that if he was real to show me now because I had no more “faith”. I opened my eyes to reality and never looked back.

 

Since my deconversion I haven’t prayed…not even once. This somewhat surprises me…after praying daily for 30 years.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining.

 

I refuse to even go thru the motions. With Thanksgiving coming up I am sure my family will pray before we eat, and I have been put in that situation once before since my deconversion.

 

I refuse to bow my head…close my eyes…and pretend. I groveled at the feet of an imaginary god for most of my life…it caused me a great deal of pain and mental anguish and I will NEVER do it again….I will never lower myself in such a way.

 

Was wondering what goes experiences my fellow Ex’ers have gone thru.

[thomas]

When was the last time your prayed?  Did you try praying at all after your deconversion?

 

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I do sometimes pray. But it is only an automatic reaction, in some situations. I do not expect an answer.

 

If I am together with others, who want to pray, I do not pretend that I am praying too. I just sit quite with my eyes open, waiting until it is over.

[Thurisaz]

I'll be the unfair guy in this thread, 'coz I "pray" regularly - depending on how you define prayer.

 

Of course I don't pray to jehoover, but hey - there's always a catch...

[Ouroboros]

My last honest and sincer prayer was when I lost my faith, 2-3 years ago.

 

But I did pray once since then, in August, when I met my parents and family back in Sweden. I neve told them I didn't believe anymore, and we had a prayer meeting, and I joined in and made a little prayer too. It was an extreme experience. Not spiritually or emotionally, but mentally, that I was able to pray in tongues and make a prayer to this fantasy character Jesus. And it wasn't difficult at all. I was posing as a Christian, and they believed it... My spirit filled family didn't see through my "deception"... uugh... kind of proves that they can't discern between spirits, does it?

[Ro-bear]

December, 1972. The Dallas Cowboys were losing the NFC Championship Game to the Washington Redskins. I was already agnostic by this time, but I was desperate so I thought I'd give God one more chance to show his glory. The Redskins kept scoring, though, despite the devout Christianity of head coach Tom Landry and quarterback Roger Staubach. I figured either God was a Redskins fan or he didn't exist. I got my answer a couple of weeks later when the Dolphins beat the Redskins in the Super Bowl.

 

Years later, the Cowboys DID win multiple Super Bowls, but I kinda figure Jimmie Johnson and the players had a lot to do with that.

 

For over thirty years I've had a good many highs and lows, but I don't pretend there is a god who hears prayers anymore. It didn't even make sense to me when I was a little kid. I started doubting when I was six or seven.

[Lizard]

Its been quite a while..and even longer since I "thought" I heard back.

[Mythra]

It was last spring, as my faith was in it's death throes.

 

I was a Baptist, but I stopped in at the Lutheran church to talk to the pastor there. I told him that I didn't want to fall away from God. I cried like a freakin baby. What a putz. I mean, I'm a grown man. A very studly dude.

 

So, he prayed with me. And invited me to come to their service the next Sunday.

 

A couple days later, I washed my hands of the whole mess, and haven't looked back.

 

It would feel stupid as shit praying now.

 

But, I do talk to myself on occasion. And cross my fingers when I want something really bad.

[Vixentrox]

Last time I prayed was my last day I called myself Xtian. I needed guidance on what to do becuase my faith was just about extinguished. So I prayed to a god and nothing happened. Prayed to a brick and got the same result. That was the final test for me.

[Amethyst]

It is still a reflexive action for me in stressful situations. I start and then I stop myself. I'm trying to break myself of the habit. I did pray the table prayer when I was visiting my grandma with my parents, and my aunt, uncle, and cousins were there. I don't think that really counts as much of a prayer, though.

 

I don't know if you'd consider meditation prayer, but I still do that for mental sanity reasons.

[quicksand]

I'll be the unfair guy in this thread, 'coz I "pray" regularly - depending on how you define prayer.

 

Of course I don't pray to jehoover, but hey - there's always a catch...

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So true,

 

Last week cause of halloweddwieenieeeeeee, i prayed sunday that I would not be as hungover sat morning, but little gud did that prayer do.

[quicksand]

but it wasnt it gud.

[Fweethawt]

I don't remember exactly when it was, but my last "prayer" as a believer consisted of me asking for The Truth.

 

Then, well after my deconversion, there was a time that something very "good" happened to me, and I found myself thanking god for it one night when I was standing outside alone.

 

 

I'm with Wade when it comes to the dinner prayer.

I won't fold my hands, I won't bow my head.

I simply sit and wait until whoever is doing it is finished.

[spamandham]

Does saying "oh god" count as prayer, 'cause that happens more than once a week on average.

 

I do pray on occasion insincerely to satisfy an occasion, but I don't think that really counts since I don't mean it.

 

The last time I sincerely prayed was several years ago when I started to have doubts. I prayed fervently for faith numerous times, crying out for anything at all to help. The silence was deafening.

[pandora]

It is still a reflexive action for me in stressful situations.  I start and then I stop myself.  I'm trying to break myself of the habit.  I did pray the table prayer when I was visiting my grandma with my parents, and my aunt, uncle, and cousins were there.  I don't think that really counts as much of a prayer, though.

 

I don't know if you'd consider meditation prayer, but I still do that for mental sanity reasons.

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Same here, although I don't pray in family situations at dinner and such. Somehow processing my thoughts in the form of a prayer helps me fall asleep... rather than obsessing over problems for hours whilst I try to calm my mind.

 

It was my husband's refusal to pray last Easter at the dinner table that started the big mother-in-law controversy we are now experiencing.

[necrosmith]

Been so long, I don't remember.

 

Although when I'm at my in-laws or christian friend's homes I'll hold hands in the stupid little circle and observe a moment of silence out of respect for being in their homes. I don't bow my head or close my eyes tho.

[Ro-bear]

I don't hold hands, bow head, close eyes. If I have fair warning that a prayer is imminent, I'll vacate the room rather than be unnecessarily conspicuous.

 

Today at school we had a veteran's day program. Someone said, "Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance." I did not. I will not. Restore the original language or it's a prayer as far as I'm concerned. If people don't like it, tough shit. I'm tenured.

[spamandham]

Today at school we had a veteran's day program. Someone said, "Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance." I did not. I will not. Restore the original language or it's a prayer as far as I'm concerned. If people don't like it, tough shit. I'm tenured.

 

Fair game...

 

Do you consider it proper to pledge unconditioned allegiance to the state (via flag proxy) even if the "under god" part were removed?

 

If so, why?

[Sofia]

If people don't like it, tough shit. I'm tenured.

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When was the last time I prayed? This morning.

 

 

 

No response yet.

[Fweethawt]

When was the last time I prayed? This morning.

No response yet.

That's cuz you wernt inyure klozitt.

 

 

<<<running for cover>>>

 

[Sofia]

LOL!!! Cute, Fwee.

[Cerise]

My first year of university, I was really stressed, felt completely alone, and I was still trying to deal with what had happened to me the year before. Sometime around Christmas I ended up at a random church down town. There weren't many people there, and I slid into one of the pews and just listened to the choir practice going on. While I listened, I must have looked absolutely wretched, because the pastor (who was a woman, so to give you an idea of what kind of church this was) came up and sat down beside me and asked if I needed anything.

 

I asked her why god hated me. I think her jaw about dropped off, she seemed so aghast at such a question.

 

"Oh no, sweetie God doesn't hate you. He loves you very much."

 

"He must hate me. Why won't he answer me? Why didn't he protect me? He must be mad at me or else..."

 

And then I got the whole "sometimes, bad things happen to good people against god's will" speech. Which really was not a comfort.

 

And then we prayed together and I kept waiting to feel something, something like an answer, an acknowledgement, just something to let me know that someone was listening. I thought that maybe, praying with this woman, this pastor who told me that she personally knew god would be listening, maybe I would find peace. Maybe I could be restored.

 

When we finished the prayer, I felt dead inside. Like someone had drained me of all my blood, and I was now just an empty shell. I couldn't even bring myself to feel enough to cry anymore. The pastor gave me her phone number on a card and told me to call her. I never did.

 

She wasn't the person I was calling for. She wasn't the one I needed to answer me.

 

I don't think I've prayed in earnest since then.

[Eponymic]

I pray all the time.

 

Because really, prayer is merely sending out positive energy or using positive self-talk. So in that sense, yes, I pray all the time.

[Kalidasa]

I was probably about thirteen or so.

[Ro-bear]

Do you consider it proper to pledge unconditioned allegiance to the state (via flag proxy) even if the "under god" part were removed?

 

If so, why?

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I stopped reciting the Pledge because of the "under God" part. If I hadn't decided I was an atheist, I would probably still be doing it. Since I stopped, however, I've given the ritual much thought, and I think it's kind of silly. Why don't we just pledge allegiance to the republic for which it stands? The flag is a mere symbol. Why must we pledge daily? Do people really need to affirm this on a daily basis? Isn't what's in our hearts more important?

 

Perhaps it provides a sense of community and shared purpose, allows us to be part of a greater whole.

 

I don't consider the Pledge (as originally worded) IMproper, if that answers your question. I'm just not sure it's necessary. The current mandated recitation of the Pledge in Tennessee schools seems coercive to me, that's for sure.

 

I don't know if I would return to reciting the Pledge if the offending language were removed. Perhaps I would. It's hard putting up with the stares and disapproval. My motivation to protest would be diminished. I don't know, spamandham, but thank you for your thought-provoking question. For now, it's a moot point. I don't pray.

[Ro-bear]

 

When was the last time I prayed? This morning.

 

 

 

No response yet.

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There's probably a big-ass backlog, Sofia. When I'm at a beer festival, I trek to the porta-potty in advance of my need to urinate. Perhaps you should pray several days in advance! God probably finds deadlines presumptuous, but if you were flexible he might not smite you.