If your a Christian is it worth praying?

[Captain Scarlet]

God has often answered my prayers and those of many other people I know.

Then try praying to get smarter. I doubt it will work, though.

[Entropist]

What does it mean to pray to god?

It means keeping occupied and not doing to much to make improvements yourself. As Marx called it: "the opium of the people."

(--though Marx did put the cart before the horse-- he thought getting rid of religion would naturally help lead to improved social and economic conditions. I tend to think it is the other way round: Improving social and economic conditions naturally make religion irrelevant. Its no wonder religion has a much more diminished role in many European nations, whereas the US is the only developed nation that still thrives on religion. The greater a nation's insecurity, the greater a nation's religious fervor).

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Prayer isn't something that can be proved or disproved by scientific experiments.

Like God himself; that's why I believe in neither.

[DgyJff]

God has often answered my prayers and those of many other people I know.

Yes, but you and all these other people would have experienced the same outcome had you not prayed. It wasn't the prayer that caused things to go your way, it was coincidence that you wanted what actually happened.

[DiRNiS]

Prayer is communication with God and whether a specific prayer is answered depends on whether or not God chooses to answer it.

How convenient for you to use such a bullshit statement to try and explain why praying rarely works for theists. Why does this god not answer prayers from mothers whose children die of a terminal disease but may answer the prayer from some douche asking for a new salary raise? Why would a benevolent being do this if he was all powerful?

Just accept it. There is no invisible sky daddy granting random wishes to random people. No matter how much you want it to be true. As the famous saying goes: "Two hands working can do more than a million clasped in prayer".

[fr0d0]

As only God knows everything DiRNiS, only he or someone blessed with an equal ability can know what his answer will be. So to test if prayers are answered would require you to know as much as God.

[FadingW]

Is prayer like a sugar pill in that it actually *does* have a beneficial effect but only if someone believes it works?

[Ashendant]

What does it mean to pray to god?

It means keeping occupied and not doing to much to make improvements yourself. As Marx called it: "the opium of the people."

(--though Marx did put the cart before the horse-- he thought getting rid of religion would naturally help lead to improved social and economic conditions. I tend to think it is the other way round: Improving social and economic conditions naturally make religion irrelevant. Its no wonder religion has a much more diminished role in many European nations, whereas the US is the only developed nation that still thrives on religion. The greater a nation's insecurity, the greater a nation's religious fervor).

That's because america has worst infantile death rate than third world countries

[Godscreated]

God has often answered my prayers and those of many other people I know.

Then try praying to get smarter. I doubt it will work, though.

Because he is praying he's one up on you.

---

God has often answered my prayers and those of many other people I know.

Yes, but you and all these other people would have experienced the same outcome had you not prayed. It wasn't the prayer that caused things to go your way, it was coincidence that you wanted what actually happened.

Prove that!!!

[Entropist]

That's because america has worst infantile death rate than third world countries

--which is ironic, considering how many Christians are obsessed with abortion in the US--you'd think that would be a matter of great concern to these very same Christians.