Love

[Tonus]

I find the whole concept of prayer to be really fucking offensive. If you get a promotion, it's because god helped, not because you worked hard. If you didn't get it, it's because you didn't pray hard enough.

Or if you didn't get it, it's because god has another plan for you. Perhaps it's time you ditch that job!

The thing about rationalizing the effects of prayer is that they can be uniformly positive if you approach it that way. That is to say, any outcome is the "right" outcome. Did you get what you prayed for? God answered your prayer. Did you get something different, but which can be rationalized as positive? God answered your prayer, he just did so in a manner you did not expect. Did nothing happen? God will answer your prayer in due time, you simply need to be patient. Did something bad happen, that you cannot easily rationalize as positive? God is allowing you to be tested, and if you hang in there you will be rewarded for your faith. Heck, to some people the trials are a reward in and of themselves, proof that the devil is so upset at your friendship with god that he's trying everything he can to mess with you. And so on.

In my experience, when you are hearing people explain that god cannot be detected but there is evidence of his existence, this is one of the things that they are referring to. This is "personal witness" of the hand of god in action, because he has answered prayers. Totally not a self-delusion or anything like that.