Is There Any Point In Praying?
Gloria Fandango
Posts: 3,834 Forum Member
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Does anyone here actually think that praying has 'worked' for them?
What happens if you fervently believe in praying, and do so often, but what you have prayed for doesn't come to pass?
I'm not talking about praying for materialistic objects here, I'm talking about praying for health, relationships, etc.
I'm not religious but occasionally feel the need to say a prayer - which is odd because I consider myself to be a fatalist - what is the point in praying if you believe 'what will be will be'?
Anyone got any thoughts on this?
What happens if you fervently believe in praying, and do so often, but what you have prayed for doesn't come to pass?
I'm not talking about praying for materialistic objects here, I'm talking about praying for health, relationships, etc.
I'm not religious but occasionally feel the need to say a prayer - which is odd because I consider myself to be a fatalist - what is the point in praying if you believe 'what will be will be'?
Anyone got any thoughts on this?
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Comments
By that token everything you do is selfish since you only do things to get a desired outcome. So therefore calling things "selfish" in that context becomes meaningless since everything is "selfish".
Most attempts at testing the "power of prayer" have come up neutral, i.e. it does not seem to have an effect overall.
What I would say is that, since it doesn't hurt anyone, you might as well do it if you are inclined towards it in the first place. Who knows?
Personally I don't but then I'm an agnostic.
Not necessarily because you could pray for somebody else, such as praying for an ill person to recover or praying for victims of a devastated area to get help.
Prayers "apparently" answered - e.g. sick relative recovers = Hurray for the power of God's love!
Prayers unanswered and sick relative gets worse/dies = It was God's Will.
They have a get-out clause for if the prayers work or not. That in itself must be comforting.
True. And presumably those would be good things to pray for.
I agree that *just* praying for yourself is selfish, but I wouldn't call praying for yourself selfish.
E.g. feeding yourself isn't selfish. But feeding yourself whilst your neighbour starves is selfish.
Then again, if an atheist only finds God during times of war, and loses his faith afterwards, how is that any good?
It doesn't actually have any effect on what they're praying for.
However, some people have found that their personal experience has taught them otherwise.
I would agree with this, with the caveat that more testing is needed.
Probably won't result in anything but might as well.
Who knows, there may be some kind of unknown psychological effect that increases mental health/wellbeing? Or something similar.
Do you think it 'worked'?
Do you mean "worked", or worked?
Who knows...I have a very painful condition which comes as goes and is notoriously difficult to treat. Perhaps her prayer worked temporarily. Perhaps my condition is my punishment for being a non-believer!
Of course; that would explain why casualties in the First World War where so light.
Not that I believe in an all-powerful creator, but even if I did.
No it is not.
People pray for comfort. There are times when people need comfort and turn to god.
I don't see anything selfish about that.
Plus most people who pray to god pray because they believe not because they want something.
I do agree with this (and I'm Catholic) the only times I've truly prayed is when I came out to myself and wanted proof that it was ok to be gay and that God had no problem with it. Next day my RE teacher stood up for gay rights (I took that as proof
I know the doctors and medicine made my dad better, but without his faith would he have had the courage to fight on?
I think that's what prayer is for, to comfort oneself and help them get through something.
Face Mecca , pray to whoever, sun will always rise & set & the tides will come in & out & no amount of 'praying' will alter it.