RE: Prayers don't work so why do religious keep jabbing at it?
August 10, 2019 at 10:07 am
(This post was last modified: August 10, 2019 at 10:09 am by GrandizerII.)
(August 10, 2019 at 9:11 am)prhill Wrote:(August 9, 2019 at 2:14 am)Grandizer Wrote: Prayers are really meant for the prayer, not the prayed to.
It has its psychological benefits.
I know people always say that, but how does it have psychological benefits? Even people who dont believe in the supernatural will use prayer sometimes because of the psychological benefits and how it makes them feel better. But I do not see how? I f prayer worked and actually brought you what you wanted then it would make sense. But since it doesn't change anything then I do not understand why people say it makes them feel better when they pray? Or why people claim it has psychological benefits?
It's not always about the results, though. It may be a coping mechanism (for example), a desperate expression of hope for something good to happen in the midst of whatever crises they may be going through. And it can feel good in such situations (I know from prior personal experience). Sometimes the answer lies in the means itself rather than in the ends.
People do irrational things all the time, whether theists or atheists. If you want a scientific explanation for why we do irrational things, all you need to do is look up articles on human psychology.
