Faith healing couple acquitted of manslaughter charges! How can this happen?

[Rhizomorph13]

Karatepig,

Start with the assumption that there is no god. What are people doing that causes real uplifting feelings? I would call it meditation.

Using your source meditation seems close enough to prayer to me

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/meditation

Argument from dictionary isn't really all that valid. Here is an interesting article about the use of dictionaries:

http://www.radicalacademy.com/adlerdictionary.htm

Here is a particularly interestinig bit from the above website:

There is no more irritating fellow than the man who tries to settle an argument about communism, or justice, or liberty, by quoting from Webster. Webster and all his fellow lexicographers may be respected as authorities on word-usage, but they are not the ultimate founts of wisdom.

You can't just strip off cultural conotations from a word because it disagrees with the dictionary.

Rhizo