Praying

[Knightley]

My mom although not a religious woman herself believes in praying. Sometimes coincidences happen and my mom thinks that its an answer to a prayer. Although I'm still a theist, I honestly have given up prayer for the msot part. I just don't see what's the point. Do any theists pray here, still? I mostly see prayer as a wish and nothing more. If you want to change your life go out and do it, don't pray for it. You know?

[Guest revpo]

Praying, well it smoothes the mind<I guess>, but who are you praying to, no one answers, no one is going to redirect your thoughtful prayers, everything is set in stone for the future, that day, and behind what you left, prayer is cringing on your knees to a god who never answers anyway. Now use logic and reason and your right, nothing is going to happen, but if it smoothes the mind go ahead.

 

revpo

[Knightley]

well I'd rather meditate because what's the point of praying if no one answers back? That's what frustrated me about xianity. God never answers back.

[BigToe]

I never prayed with the idea that it was to get a response or answer back. There are things in life that you can't easily identify who the responsible party is. There are things that don't have an easy target for certain emotions. I think for me, prayer was finding a way to place those things on something, however real or not. For example, I have a horrible habit of puting a bunch of blame and guilt on myself even when I know I have nothing to do with a certain situation. I do it to myself because it is easier to have something to blame or be mad at than it is to not have a target for those emotions. I've noticed that since I have stopped calling myself a Christian, I am actually praying a lot more. Why? Because I see it as a healthy way to lift up those emotions. Not up to a god of any sort (I haven't quite decided what I believe in that regard, but for now I don't believe one way or another) but lift those emotions up off of myself. Perhaps it is simply just up into the ether onto nothing at all. But I find it a healthy way to deal with things that aren't the easiest of things to deal with.

 

But then, maybe that isn't praying.

[HoustonHorn]

Looking back at when I believed prayer worked I think any benefit was just verbalizing problems or desires. Sort of the same idea as talking to a psychiatrist, or a friend.

[HadouKen24]

I suppose if there are any deities out there, prayer might be effective. Though I suspect they'd want something in return. Like a cow. Or, failing that, a hamburger and a glass of beer.

[godlessgrrl]

When I was no longer Xian but was pagan I considered prayer a way of connecting to the universe, as well as being a way of focusing my thoughts and intentions. Spellcasting was similar, in the sense of being the first step in accomplishing a goal. Things like that served to make something concrete. Plus there was a certain psychological soothing that went along with it, I don't know why.

 

Now I mostly just make lists. And think out loud when working on projects, and sometimes I talk to myself in my car. Maybe that makes me nutty but it helps me arrange my thoughts, and it sure as hell can't be any nuttier than praying. I mean prayer, after all, is just talking to an imaginary friend - better to talk to someone who exists for sure, even if that someone is just yourself.

 

But I'm a bit weird that way.

[Knightley]

Nah gwen you're not weird. I talk to myself too.

[Kurari]

I pray regularly. And there are different types of prayers. Sometimes I pray for help with something. Sometimes I pray to help figure out a problem. Sometimes I pray just because I'm lonely and want to talk to God.

 

The thing with prayer though, is that you need to understand the world still has laws of physics in place. If I ask God for something specific like, "I need a new car, and I need one before my old one dies," I don't expect one to just appear in my driveway. I still expect I'm still going to have to work for it, save money, and go car shopping.

 

More often than not, Divine help with something like that ends up breaking through as oppertunity. I get the loan I needed for the last bit of cash when I was sure I it wasn't going to happen. I'm looking for car insurance in my price range, and I end up getting a good deal. A friend who's car I admire just up and decides to sell it to me for cheap. My old car kicks the bucket right after I get the new one, or I'm not left without a car for very long, or I end up finding out I have a very convenient carpool in my area so there is a lot of pressure off my back until I can get one of my own. Stuff like that.

 

That's all stuff that can be easily overlooked. It's not terribly awe inspiring most of the time, and a lot of people can argue that it's just coincidence. And it is. Some say there are no coincidences in the world, and I tend to believe that. This sort of thing happens a lot for me.

 

Long story short, praying and connecting to the Divine gives me a deep sense of inner peace and makes life not so hard.

 

 

P.S. And no, I can't verify it's God's doing all these things. If I could, we wouldn't need this wonderful board, now would we?

[Knightley]

Kurari,

 

I like your response, that's an interesting thing to think about. I do notice coincidences that help make things easier in my life. I'm not ruling out the idea of a higher being, the divine, and even that there might be a creator out there. Or that we might even be on our own. I just can't believe in man-made religion anymore. I don't know, anything that we think of anyways is already man-made, I suppose.

 

The thing that really bugs me about organized religions is how petty, mean and vicious religious people get. Its their way or the highway and ugh, I hate that. I wish they could be confident enough in their own faith that they wouldn't feel the need to "save" everyone and be forceful.

[jjacksonRIAB]

I don't pray either. I would say I meditate, and I dream. It's hard to come up with answers when you don't focus your thoughts. I think it's a way of signalling the subconcious that you want an answer to a riddle that you do not know, and it sits quietly there processing that information until, after you are done meditating (sometimes when you're doing something else), it suddenly hits you.

 

I think a good way to find answers to a problem is to frame your world in that problem -then the everyday world will seem like a metaphor and a pathway towards the solution. One well-placed event is all it will take to jog you back into the reality you know, but this time with an answer.

[RHEMtron]

More often than not, Divine help with something like that ends up breaking through as oppertunity. I get the loan I needed for the last bit of cash when I was sure I it wasn't going to happen.

it's probably cause you have or somewhat have good credit. it also couldve been a no hassle loan company.

 

I'm looking for car insurance in my price range, and I end up getting a good deal.

that's what you call a market... and shopping for bargains. one can find a good deal on anything.

 

if prayers are answered, i'd be scared at who's actually responding. the terrorists of 9/11 prayed to God to have their mission accomplished. guess what? mission accomplished...

[Lorena Rodriguez]

I agree with most of what's been said. I don't pray anymore because I know there is no one there.

 

But I do know that I am there and that it is all up to me. When I did pray I remember using it as therapy. I verbalized a problem and doing so helped me see all sides of the problem, as if I was telling another person about it. The best counsellors are those that just listen, so "god" made a great counsellor.

 

I also like what someone said about the brain taking requests. I agree. The brain takes requests and continues to process the inquiry in the background as we think about other things. After processing all the information we have stored there, it comes back with an answer--hours or days later. I used to think that it was god answering, but it was actually my brain.

 

Nowadays, I just specifically ask myself the question, so my brain receives the message, and then wait for a day or two before making a decision. The answers usually come.

 

I also use affirmations as a way of self-hypnosis. If I tell myself something everyday, I come to believe it is true. Perhaps when people pray, the things they pray for become true because their brain picks up on it and delivers the result as a subconscious action by the individual.

[Lycorth]

My mom although not a religious woman herself believes in praying. Sometimes coincidences happen and my mom thinks that its an answer to a prayer. Although I'm still a theist, I honestly have given up prayer for the msot part. I just don't see what's the point. Do any theists pray here, still? I mostly see prayer as a wish and nothing more. If you want to change your life go out and do it, don't pray for it. You know?

 

As an Odinist, I pray (sort of), but just to hail the Gods and my ancestors. I do ask for whatever guidance I can be given, understanding the traditional role of Gods and ancestors as guides and mentors and such. I realize it's an imperfect system, as all things are, and I know that seeking knowledge and wisdom always yield more than talking to myself and hoping for divine favors. Reality doesn't work like that.

 

The Xian method of prayer is sick and flawed. It suggests that an all-powerful god is sitting on his ass waiting for you to suck up to him enough so he can alter the universe just to suit you. This really instills false hope in a lot of people, especially those who have loved ones in peril or desperate situations; they think Jeezus™ will save their family or help them through things, and when he doesn't come through and reality plays out as it must, they end up with all sorts of heartache and sorrow, all for nothing. How much sadness and misery has Xianity and similar cults brought into the lives of innocent people?

[Max]

I see praying as what you do when you're too old to write to Santa. I don't pray any more, but I catch myself almost starting once in a while because it would be great to just as Santa-God to take care of my problems for me. But it never worked when I believed in it, so why would it work now?

[Kurari]

Kurari,

 

I like your response, that's an interesting thing to think about. I do notice coincidences that help make things easier in my life. I'm not ruling out the idea of a higher being, the divine, and even that there might be a creator out there. Or that we might even be on our own. I just can't believe in man-made religion anymore. I don't know, anything that we think of anyways is already man-made, I suppose.

 

The thing that really bugs me about organized religions is how petty, mean and vicious religious people get. Its their way or the highway and ugh, I hate that. I wish they could be confident enough in their own faith that they wouldn't feel the need to "save" everyone and be forceful.

 

 

Thank you! I completely agree. That's why I no longer belong to any religions. They are entirely man-made and I can't stand church politics (and I've been through a lot of churchs and different faiths).

 

IMHO, God doesn't need or require anything from us. For us to even presume that is ludicrious. Believe, don't believe, sit on the fence, there is no "wrong" idea. And since God doesn't require anything, it means we are responsible for ourselves and freewill is so absolute. It negates any possibility of hell or the idea that you could be left behind or cast out for some reason. Or for us to even bother about arguing about faith at all because it's a moot point as far as the universe goes.

[disEnchanted]

Prayer? Nope, doesn't work. A great website:

 

"Why Won't God Heal Amputees?"

http://www.whydoesgodhateamputees.com/god-toc.htm

[Kurari]

it's probably cause you have or somewhat have good credit. it also couldve been a no hassle loan company.

 

Oy, I wish! *L* If I had good credit or went to a no-hassle loan company I wouldn't really worry about getting a loan in the first place, would I?

 

But, that's just one example. Like I said, most answers for physically asking for something are mostly coincidental. I've simply noticed since I started praying regularly I've get a lot more positive results in my life than when I didn't/don't.*

 

Which is the answer to this thread: Prayer? What's the point? That's my answer.

 

*Note: This isn't to say that NOT praying won't bring you a happy life. If your life works better without it, that's cool.

Faith isn't about who's right or wrong, it's about what works and what doesn't work.

 

if prayers are answered, i'd be scared at who's actually responding. the terrorists of 9/11 prayed to God to have their mission accomplished. guess what? mission accomplished...

 

Well, God is supposed to be omnipotent, which means we get the bad as well as the good, right? I imagine if I sat around plotting murder and prayed for help, I'd probably get answers and oppertunities for that too. Of course, if I did that my life would inevitably get more complicated. You can't really do something and say "God made me do it." It's never worked that way. You still gotta suck up your life's choices no matter what.

 

But back to prayer: Nobody will ever be able to prove to me that God doesn't exist anymore than I can prove that God does exist. And since it's not an issue as far as the universe goes anyway...who cares?

[Knightley]

Maybe things would turn out fine, even if you didn't pray. I don't know, the point is I don't know more than anyone else about the realities of the universe, even though some people like xians may think they do know the "truth." Belief can be as strong as unbelief in something.

 

Anyway in the end, its not up to the deities, God/creator/higher being/universe, or the gods, to make my life the way that I want it to be. I have to take responsibility for my life and everything and all the consequences. I also don't want to put the blame in others if things are under my control, i.e. I haven't been forced to do anything against my will.

[08 hawk]

Praying obviously didn't help my grandfather to get better becuase I went to his funeral today.

[Kurari]

Praying obviously didn't help my grandfather to get better becuase I went to his funeral today.

 

I'm so sorry, Hawk. I wish the best for you and your family.

[08 hawk]

Thanks, Kurari.

[MQTA]

I don't even know HOW to pray, or how anyone would pray. so WTF do I know

 

Praying obviously didn't help my grandfather to get better becuase I went to his funeral today.

 

When my mom was going in for a valve job people on all the groups and sites I was on said they would be praying for her.. whatever that means, I don't really know.... the operation was horrible from the start and she didn't make it. It couldn't have gone worse if nobody was praying or even knew she went in.

 

As I said above.. I've no clue what people say/do/mean when they say they're praying.

 

I've done meditation before, and not sure what that really does either, though I have had some strange things happen when I first started trying it. So I stopped!

[Kurari]

As I said above.. I've no clue what people say/do/mean when they say they're praying.

 

Basically it's just a way of saying they care and an offering of comfort for both you and themselves to try and soothe the worry. It's also basically an invitation of God to come and help or comfort.

 

Prayer unfortunately isn't like placing an order for a burger at a drive through and you get it "your way." There are still laws of physics, space, time, freewill, and a bazillion other factors that make up the delicate processes of nature and life that have to be obeyed, even by God himself. Otherwise there is no point to life working the way it does.

 

That of course is just one theological perspective, not a confirmed fact.

 

My condolances on the loss of your mother.

[Knightley]

I just have a hard time when someone tells me that they prayed and the next day the "answer to their prayer" happened. Its just a weird coincidence.