(October 14, 2013 at 3:58 pm)Raeven Wrote:(October 14, 2013 at 3:19 pm)freedomfromfallacy Wrote:
Oh, I don't dispute there are physiological changes that come to those who engage in prayer. As has been pointed out, I can garner the same results with mediation or general relaxation techniques.
It's the bit where they entreat the deity for a particular outcome, then excuse said deity when he doesn't come through -- "Everything happens for a reason, and we're not privy to <insert name of deity here>'s plan," -- or praise the hell out of him when things go their way. "I knew <insert name of deity here> was watching out for me!" It's fully delusional. And that makes me nervous.
The insidious treachery of the construct being destroyed by 'short-circuiting' our landscape through prayer, is that when the construct (our desired outcome to a particular prayer) fails to materialize, we have, by praying, actually hindered our ability to recover proper cognitive reasoning by any simple means. The only repair from an unanswered prayer is therefore, more prayer. It's dirty business when you know what's behind it.
