Agnostics and Atheists - do you ever pray? - Page 2

Nah, never pray. It doesn't do anything for me so what's the point?

I don't pray but I'm stubbornly superstitious.

Only to Mammon, dear.

I don't pray, I'm an atheist.

I think it says more about ingrained training from our youth than anything else.

I didn't pray when I had a gun held to my head and if I was ever going to do it that would have been the time. Had a very religious upbringing but never understood what all the fuss was about.

If anything it just reaffirms that religion and belief in god stems from fear rather than reality.

I only pray when I want something unrealistic. Never prayed in life-threatening situations, but have regularly asked to win the lottery. Fight illogical with illogical.

I am consistently surprised at how rational and undramatic my mind is when I'm in life-threatening situations. I guess religious people like to think that 'deep down' or something we believe in a diety or whatever that exposes itself when we're vulnerable, but I haven't found that to be true at all. Some researcher compiled all of the recordings from cockpits of crashed planes during WWII... do you know what the singular most common last words of those pilots were? "oh shit."



Don't leave us hanging, what happened?

Acquitted, but I reckon it had less to do with the intervention of Jesus than my cross examination skills.

Never. I was once in a terrible life and death situation and asked myself if I should pray. The answer was immediate and clear: No. Also, from touching the void:

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As a previously religious person, I prayed regularly.

However, prayer never worked except in one general case. The only time Prayer worked for me when I was praying for another person who I thought was sick, didn't like, was abusive, etc. and whom I was typically going to confront or had to deal with (co worker, parents, etc.). I realized that this "praying" almost always brought about a positive outcome from the situation and then I had the awareness as to why this "praying" was working.

First, it was putting me in a place of humility because I was acknowledging that the other person was sick, had issues, whatever and that I needed to treat them as an equal despite their shortcomings, especially since I have shortcomings as well and may have acted like them at some point.

Second, it also made me realize that the other person was just human and I had no idea why they were acting the way they were. Maybe they were in pain, maybe they were acting out childhood trauma, maybe they came from atrocious conditions growing up, maybe they were physically abused, etc.

So, as I would confront or deal with the other person the prayer put me in a humble place and took the other off of a pedestal thus making any confrontation or dealings with the other much more peaceful, non judgmental, non confrontational, etc. I realized that it wasn't god but me doing the work.

So, as an agnostic atheist, this is one area where "prayer" actually works. Although, that's about it. Unless one considers prayer a form of meditation (which I do) then that's a different story (and a different thread topic).

This.

I was raised in private Christian schools and church every Sunday. Hard to shake a thorough brainwashing. I do the best I can.

Then it's hope for something that is beyond their control but at the same time the prayer gives them a sense of control. It works as a self defense mechanism, a somewhat effective but potentially harmful one.