God: No magic required

[Mudhammam]

I see Larry as basically advocating transcendental states of consciousness where our everyday narrow circle of experience, in the clutches of the ego, is enlarged so as to create a strange sense of boundlessness, and in which the religious framework so easily but irrationally tries to claim for itself. Prayer and meditation may make people happier and healthier but no one needs to posit Jesus as an actual entity in charge of the cosmos somewhere. Atheists can lead spiritual lives too, so I think Larry's dichotomy is a false one, though perhaps it's true for certain skeptics who would rather veer clear of language like "spiritual" and "transcendental."

[Ravenshire]

Does "God" answer prayers? The evidence is, of course, inconclusive.

The evidence (what little there is) shows consistently that prayer in no way affects reality.

[The Reality Salesman01]

I have a magic 8 ball too, let's see how it handles my query:

Q: Do leprechauns keep gold at the end of rainbows?

A: The evidence, is of course, inconclusive.

That's because this is an example of a concept that does not correlate with an aspect of reality that is, in any way, measurable or demonstrable. Such things cannot be falsified as they are immune to evidence as much as they are void of it.

[dyresand]

I would have like to use my bullshit meter but it broke from OP's post.

[Norman Humann]

I smell a train wreck and I want in. And, as always, I'm late to the party. Damn it.

[h4ym4n]

Good peer review medical research shows that spiritual and religious people are happier

Ignorance is bliss?

Ignorance is BLESSED

---

[Whateverist]

Certitude is poison.

How could prayer work, assuming, just for sake of argument, that a universal sentience (let's call it "God") really does exist? Pretty simple ..

A sentient dark energy, permeating every atom of the universe, would have no trouble doing far more.

You certainly are correct .. regarding the toxicity of certitude. No doubt about it.

But I like the idea of the god who answers prayers being made up of dark matter. But then why don't we call him the "Dark Lord"?

Our father, who art in dark matter, invisible be thy face. Thy kingdom come .. when all matter at last is cold and inert. Then truly all will be 'raised' up into His realm.