Hi,
While I've been mostly atheist for a good 20 years, with a few steps into religion of whatever ilk from time to time, it's only been a couple of years that I've been identifying myself that way. I just mostly hoped throughout those decades if I prayed right, or believed right, or did whatever right, I would have the proof and evidence that I sought. I decided a couple of years ago to stop playing around searching for the right way to worship the right god by the right name, and admit that there's no evidence for any of them, and to cease believing at least until such objective proof comes to light. I don't expect any.
Nonetheless, every now and then, I'll find myself drawn back into thinking about, considering, or even find myself in the midst of performing a prayer (of sorts) as I was taught to do when I was a child and "in need" or "in want". I was raised in a family tradition of paganism. I'll stop and call it preposterous when I catch it, but it still comes up.
In times past, I'd sometimes take such things as a sign that my "inner self" or "soul" or whatever you want to call it just "knew" the "Truth" of there being a God, and look some new and different way for that God. Well, I've moved past that, other than jokes about Invisible Pink Unicorns or Zen Druidism (worship of the tree that is not there on the Great Plains of North America).
Does anyone else occasionally find themselves praying? Any other ways of dealing with it, other than through amusement or realising that I am a creature of habit?
While I've been mostly atheist for a good 20 years, with a few steps into religion of whatever ilk from time to time, it's only been a couple of years that I've been identifying myself that way. I just mostly hoped throughout those decades if I prayed right, or believed right, or did whatever right, I would have the proof and evidence that I sought. I decided a couple of years ago to stop playing around searching for the right way to worship the right god by the right name, and admit that there's no evidence for any of them, and to cease believing at least until such objective proof comes to light. I don't expect any.
Nonetheless, every now and then, I'll find myself drawn back into thinking about, considering, or even find myself in the midst of performing a prayer (of sorts) as I was taught to do when I was a child and "in need" or "in want". I was raised in a family tradition of paganism. I'll stop and call it preposterous when I catch it, but it still comes up.
In times past, I'd sometimes take such things as a sign that my "inner self" or "soul" or whatever you want to call it just "knew" the "Truth" of there being a God, and look some new and different way for that God. Well, I've moved past that, other than jokes about Invisible Pink Unicorns or Zen Druidism (worship of the tree that is not there on the Great Plains of North America).
Does anyone else occasionally find themselves praying? Any other ways of dealing with it, other than through amusement or realising that I am a creature of habit?
