Isn't "prayer" just sanctified "wishcraft"?

(August 21, 2013 at 5:06 am)KichigaiNeko Wrote: Isn't "prayer" just sanctified "wishcraft"?

When you put it that way it makes me want to try it too.

When toddlers sit on Santa's knee and tell him all the things they want for xmas, we take photos and post them on Facebook for everyone to go "aw, how sweet!" We as nominal grownups know the cold reality behind their innocent fantasies.

When grown adults kneel in serried ranks and do the same thing, we are expected to believe that this really works, that it has power to petition ultimate mercy and all that crap. Anyone who dares to say that, actually, this is pretty pointless is denounced as the abnormal one.

It's a funny old world.

(August 21, 2013 at 11:39 am)Stimbo Wrote: When toddlers sit on Santa's knee and tell him all the things they want for xmas, we take photos and post them on Facebook for everyone to go "aw, how sweet!" We as nominal grownups know the cold reality behind their innocent fantasies.

When grown adults kneel in serried ranks and do the same thing, we are expected to believe that this really works, that it has power to petition ultimate mercy and all that crap. Anyone who dares to say that, actually, this is pretty pointless is denounced as the abnormal one.

It's a funny old world.

Prayer works for me because when i pray, i am communicating with God. I, however, do not expect you to believe prayer works. If you did think it worked, you would no doubt pray.

Here's a standard question I ask of anyone who tells me that prayer works.

Where is Madeleine McCann?

After hundreds of prayer meetings with thousands of praying faithful, after meetings with the Pope, why is the little girl still not found safe and well?

(August 21, 2013 at 11:52 am)discipulus Wrote:

(August 21, 2013 at 11:39 am)Stimbo Wrote: When toddlers sit on Santa's knee and tell him all the things they want for xmas, we take photos and post them on Facebook for everyone to go "aw, how sweet!" We as nominal grownups know the cold reality behind their innocent fantasies.

When grown adults kneel in serried ranks and do the same thing, we are expected to believe that this really works, that it has power to petition ultimate mercy and all that crap. Anyone who dares to say that, actually, this is pretty pointless is denounced as the abnormal one.

It's a funny old world.

Prayer works for me because when i pray, i am communicating with God. I, however, do not expect you to believe prayer works. If you did think it worked, you would no doubt pray.

I pray to the wall to hold me up whenever I lean over a urinal to piss. The wall answers my prayers by supporting me. Unlike god, though, the wall is concrete proof... :p

(August 21, 2013 at 11:57 am)Stimbo Wrote: Here's a standard question I ask of anyone who tells me that prayer works.

Where is Madeleine McCann?

After hundreds of prayer meetings with thousands of praying faithful, after meetings with the Pope, why is the little girl still not found safe and well?

I have no clue. Nor does it matter. Your argument is essentially this:

In order to say that prayer works, then every instance that a person asks for something, the petition must immediately be granted to them and if not, then this is proof that prayer does not work.

I will wait for you to support this obviously fallacious reasoning.

Quote:Prayer works for me because when i pray, i am communicating with God.

Actually, you are talking to yourself. I hope you enjoy the answers that you give yourself.

And of course Fr0d0 gives this guy reputation.

(August 21, 2013 at 12:07 pm)Minimalist Wrote:

Quote:Prayer works for me because when i pray, i am communicating with God.

Actually, you are talking to yourself. I hope you enjoy the answers that you give yourself.

That's great you believe that. And I thank you for sharing your opinion with me.

You assume that when i use the word communicate I mean talk, but there are ways to communicate with God without talking. When I pray, sometimes I talk, but most of the times I use another form of communication.