RE: urge to pray - advice/help
February 4, 2012 at 7:57 pm
(This post was last modified: February 4, 2012 at 8:10 pm by brotherlylove.)
(February 2, 2012 at 12:55 am)passionatefool Wrote: Being an atheist now, I seriously doubt that prayers work, it never did before. But I felt like its something imprinted in my mind from back then when I was extremely religious, praying was a daily everyday thing. Now everytimes I get anxious,nervous, scared, worried, or something horrible happened -which it does happen quite often with all of it together- I find myself having urges to pray because it brought comfort before, it was a temporary escape from reality. I refuse to do it now because it felt wrong, wont bring me comfort. I dont believe in it anymore, but now I find it hard dealing with my stress, over-worrying, paranoid and anxiety problem, it makes me feel like throwing up sometimes. Actually I dont know how to make myself feel like everything is going to be okay.
According to a pew forum report, 21 percent of atheists believe in God, 12 percent believe in Heaven and 10 percent pray every week:
http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/report...ndings.pdf
It's probably natural for you to feel this way since you now believe you live in a reality that is completely indifferent to your struggles, and is slowly grinding everything into oblivion. It's at bottom a kind of nihilism which I think is very psychologically unhealthy.
I know you don't believe that it helps, but I am praying for you. You may not believe God cares for you anymore, but I believe that He does, so I am praying He will comfort you. I hope you feel better soon.
Psalm 19:1-2
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
