Prayers don't work so why do religious keep jabbing at it?

[Fake Messiah]

Prayers obviously don't work so why do religious still keep doing it? Are they insane because you know the definition of insanity according to Einstein: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”

There was even that multimillion dollar experiment by religious people that ultimately proved how praying doesn't work. Maybe religious people haven't heard about it and that's why they still believe in prayer, but still they had to know when they saw how their own prayers don't get fulfilled.

Still here's Richard Dawkins' description of that prayer experiment:

the team of researchers soldiered on, spending $2.4 million of Templeton Foundation, money under the leadership of Dr Herbert Benson, a cardiologist at the Mind/Body Medical Institute near Boston. [...]

Dr Benson and his team monitored 1,802 patients at six hospitals, all of whom received coronary bypass surgery. The patients were divided into three groups. Group 1 received prayers and didn’t know it. Group 2 (the control group) received no prayers and didn’t know it. Group 3 received prayers and did know it. The comparison between Groups 1 and 2 tests for the efficacy of intercessory prayer. Group 3 tests for possible psychosomatic effects of knowing that one is being prayed for.

Prayers were delivered by the congregations of three churches, one in Minnesota, one in Massachusetts and one in Missouri, all distant from the three hospitals. The praying individuals, as explained, were given only the first name and initial letter of the surname of each patient for whom they were to pray. It is good experimental practice to standardize as far as possible, and they were all, accordingly, told to include in their prayers the phrase ‘for a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications’.

The results, reported in the American Heart Journal of April 2006, were clear-cut. There was no difference between those patients who were prayed for and those who were not. What a surprise. There was a difference between those who knew they had been prayed for and those who did not know one way or the other; but it went in the wrong direction. Those who knew they had been the beneficiaries of prayer suffered significantly more complications than those who did not. Was God doing a bit of smiting, to show his disapproval of the whole barmy enterprise? It seems more probable that those patients who knew they were being prayed for suffered additional stress in consequence: ‘performance anxiety’, as the experimenters put it.

[Anomalocaris]

Same reason why people keep going to palm readers and psychics?

Because even low class huckster are still smarter and more perceptive than most people who pray, so what chance do they have when medium class hucksters sees their wallets and votes?

[Belacqua]

“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”

-- Kierkegaard

[no one]

What's that famous definition of insanity? 

[Haipule]

"Prayer" is a difficult study into English because there are many different words translated as "prayer" in both Hebrew and Greek. euchomai merely means a communication with a divine being. The only wrong way to pray is not to pray. Yet, we are given a list of do's and don't as if God is anal. Yet, NO is a legitimate answer no one wants to hear. Well, GET USED TO IT!

My favorite is enteuxis:

Side by Side: for it(food) is(-being) sanctified(purified, separating a class from a class) by(through) means of [the]word(intellect) of God and(-also) prayer(enteuxis). 1 Tim 4:5 NASB

 

enteuxis is a noun which means: a falling in with, meeting with, an interview, a coming together; to visit, converse or for any other cause. It only occurs twice in the NT and only by Paul and only in 1st Timothy.

 

In its verb form, it is the prefixed preposition en(in) + tugchanO(hit the mark). tugchanO is the opposite of hamartia(miss the mark, usually translated “sin”). Now, how we came from entugchanO(verb) to enteuxis(noun) to the English word “prayer” is beyond me!

In context, Paul is referring to the gathering together of people (enteuxis) for a special meal(separating a class from a class) of good food, I hope drinks, and poignant conversation concerning the character and nature of God’s word. Sounds like a heavenly party!

[GrandizerII]

Prayers are really meant for the prayer, not the prayed to.

It has its psychological benefits.

[Anomalocaris]

“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”

-- Kierkegaard

A more self deceived man is apparently deemed a better man.

---

Prayers are really meant for the prayer, not the prayed to.

It has its psychological benefits.

The accumulation of psychological benefit quickly tops out.   But the accumulation of cognitive damage does not. 

The function of prayer is to make man slightly happier in a world where it condemns men to have ever less to be happy about.

[Haipule]

It's funny that even Jesus' "The Lord's Prayer" is little understood. What we can't see in English is the imperative mood(command, strong entreaty) He uses. He didn't say, " give us this day". He absolutely commanded it! He demanded it! And, He always spoke to God as and equal!


Is it little wonder why I posted on a Christian web forum that I commanded of God, and demanded of Him, a week before the predicted arrival of the first hurricane Mathew in 2016, that He kick it back out to sea?


I woke up at 7:30am, the day of it's predicted arrival, to find that the computer models had a CAT 4 headed right up my ass in Palm Beach County FL! Remember, I said that pray/demand/command a week before.


My wife and I prepared our central room to hunker down, a closet. It was supposed to hit at 1:30pm. At 1:00 I grabbed a drink and a cigar and went outside to awaited the arrival. It never came. So, I went to the news and found that that storm did the sweetest little dance around Palm Beach County FL and went back out to sea. You really think I was "lucky"?

[Anomalocaris]

It's funny that even Jesus' "The Lord's Prayer" is little understood. What we can't see in English is the imperative mood(command, strong entreaty) He uses. He didn't say, " give us this day". He absolutely commanded it! He demanded it! And, He always spoke to God as and equal!


Is it little wonder why I posted on a Christian web forum that I commanded of God, and demanded of Him, a week before the predicted arrival of the first hurricane Mathew in 2016, that He kick it back out to sea?


I woke up at 7:30am, the day of it's predicted arrival, to find that the computer models had a CAT 4 headed right up my ass in Palm Beach County FL! Remember, I said that pray/demand/command a week before.


My wife and I prepared our central room to hunker down, a closet. It was supposed to hit at 1:30pm. At 1:00 I grabbed a drink and a cigar and went outside to awaited the arrival. It never came. So, I went to the news and found that that storm did the sweetest little dance around Palm Beach County FL and went back out to sea. You really think I was "lucky"?

No.  You are damned unlucky to be this delusional.

[Belacqua]

“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”

-- Kierkegaard

A more self deceived man is apparently deemed a better man.

Normally we don't think of Kierkegaard as someone who advocates self-deception. 

Granted, any kind of human thinking can result in us fooling ourselves. But why do you think prayer -- of the kind Kierkegaard recommends -- is going to lead to "a more self deceived man"? 

Without hearing your reasoning it sounds a bit as though you were begging the question.