(February 22, 2010 at 8:40 pm)REPuckett Wrote: I understand the contention here, but what all of you are failing to recognize is that prayer has been nothing but 'positive affirmations' all along.
That's what it is, not what it is intended to be nor what it is sold as. Prayer is attempted communication with a deity plain and simple, the reality of the situation is mundane of course, but that does not mean all similar mundane affirmations are prayer, they have entirely different goals, regardless of the actual effect.
Quote: It has simply been mislabeled or, alternately labeled, because of a lack of understanding of what is actually going on psychologically when one prays.
Lets try an analogy to show you how silly that reasoning is:
A car that does not work is still a failed car, even though it now performs the function of a seat. You do not say that because car does not perform desired function it was never intended to be a car and was in fact always a mislabelled seat.
Quote: To cite the definition of prayer does absolutely nothing for me since the definition in itself is rooted in that very misunderstanding. If I 'pray to god' to give me more confidence in life so that I can take more risks and undertake new endeavors, isn't that the same as looking in the mirror and telling myself that I already have this confidence and, thereby, believeing that I do?
The result is the same but the intention is not.
Quote: Again, all prayer is is a positive affirmation just directed incorrectly. The same psychological process, however, is taking place with both.
And you keep ignoring the intention. If I attempt to murder someone by shooting them but miss, the result is the same as if I had never attempted to murder them, but the intention still separates the two.
Quote:Someone tell me how meditation is different than what we call prayer other than it being directed outside of yourself? Again, the same psychological process is taking place and your faith is being motivated, which is also a function of the human brain.
Meditation does not have the intention of communication and subsequent aid involving a deity.
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