Our server costs ~$56 per month to run. Please consider donating or becoming a Patron to help keep the site running. Help us gain new members by following us on Twitter and liking our page on Facebook!
Current time: March 29, 2024, 3:44 am

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Does Prayer Really Work? Does God Even Care?
#11
RE: Does Prayer Really Work? Does God Even Care?
Same with me, the only "prayer" I've done is when forced to at school. (I hope they don't do that anymore.) I didn't take it seriously even then, and I was 5 years old.

I've been reading a lot about this recently, and every scientific study ever done has shown no significance of prayer as far as I know (in fact some even show it makes things worse!)

(For Christians) the bible clearly says every prayer will be answered. This is clearly false. The only prayers that are ever "answered" are for things that could have happened anyway. For example, no matter how much you pray for an amputee to grow a leg back, it never happens. But if you pray for someone to recover from an illness that they may recover from anyway, sometimes the prayer will be "answered" and sometimes it won't. Or in reality, sometimes they get better, sometimes they don't. The prayer is irrelevant.
Feel free to send me a private message.
Please visit my website here! It's got lots of information about atheism/theism and support for new atheists.

Index of useful threads and discussions
Index of my best videos
Quickstart guide to the forum
Reply
#12
RE: Does Prayer Really Work? Does God Even Care?
(August 15, 2014 at 7:28 am)Brakeman Wrote: No, you changed yourself, your prayer is merely your talking to yourself.

The fact is there was/is change. The mechanism behind that change is certainly debatable. Sometimes what is most needed, either for ourselves or for the benefit of others, is change within us, and prayer can be one powerful approach to that, as many of us have experienced.
Reply
#13
RE: Does Prayer Really Work? Does God Even Care?
(August 15, 2014 at 7:39 am)robvalue Wrote: Same with me, the only "prayer" I've done is when forced to at school. (I hope they don't do that anymore.) I didn't take it seriously even then, and I was 5 years old.

I've been reading a lot about this recently, and every scientific study ever done has shown no significance of prayer as far as I know (in fact some even show it makes things worse!)

(For Christians) the bible clearly says every prayer will be answered. This is clearly false. The only prayers that are ever "answered" are for things that could have happened anyway. For example, no matter how much you pray for an amputee to grow a leg back, it never happens. But if you pray for someone to recover from an illness that they may recover from anyway, sometimes the prayer will be "answered" and sometimes it won't. Or in reality, sometimes they get better, sometimes they don't. The prayer is irrelevant.

It's like George Carlin theorised, the effect of prayer is much the same as the effect of non-prayer; 50/50. Half the time you get what you want, the other half you don't. Hence why he began praying to Joe Pesci, upon which he began noticing he got a lot more than when he prayed to the biblical god.
Love atheistforums.org? Consider becoming a patreon and helping towards our server costs.

[Image: 146748944129044_zpsomrzyn3d.gif]
Reply
#14
RE: Does Prayer Really Work? Does God Even Care?
God may not give a shit about some babies bleeding to death from the pores in Kinshasa but He cares who is going to win the Lakeside/Central football game tonight at 7PM !!!!!

Go Terriers !!!!!
Reply
#15
RE: Does Prayer Really Work? Does God Even Care?
(August 15, 2014 at 7:41 am)Michael Wrote:
(August 15, 2014 at 7:28 am)Brakeman Wrote: No, you changed yourself, your prayer is merely your talking to yourself.

The fact is there was/is change. The mechanism behind that change is certainly debatable. Sometimes what is most needed, either for ourselves or for the benefit of others, is change within us, and prayer can be one powerful approach to that, as many of us have experienced.

My Comments were not denying a change, my comments were denying that a god conversation was going on. Once you cede that, you are simply stating that a psychotic delusional conversation is the best way that you know how to improve yourself.. how sad..
Find the cure for Fundementia!
Reply
#16
RE: Does Prayer Really Work? Does God Even Care?
[Image: 0eee2cc15c0c78d85d7a67f1d7f9c3da.jpg]
Reply
#17
RE: Does Prayer Really Work? Does God Even Care?
Prayer def works!

I prayed to God, "please kind Sir, make me an atheist!"

And you know what? He did!
Reply
#18
RE: Does Prayer Really Work? Does God Even Care?
(August 15, 2014 at 7:41 am)Michael Wrote:
(August 15, 2014 at 7:28 am)Brakeman Wrote: No, you changed yourself, your prayer is merely your talking to yourself.

The fact is there was/is change. The mechanism behind that change is certainly debatable. Sometimes what is most needed, either for ourselves or for the benefit of others, is change within us, and prayer can be one powerful approach to that, as many of us have experienced.

Well, sure, you can change yourself through prayer, meditation, self reflection ... whatever you want to call it.

No deity needed.

No deity involved.
Reply
#19
RE: Does Prayer Really Work? Does God Even Care?
(August 15, 2014 at 12:48 pm)JesusHChrist Wrote: Prayer def works!

I prayed to God, "please kind Sir, make me an atheist!"

And you know what? He did!


Thinking
Reply
#20
RE: Does Prayer Really Work? Does God Even Care?
Thanks guys for responding to the rebuttals for me. Made my job easy. There have been tests done to prove prayer does nothing as robvalue stated, and I've tested it myself over most of life, and can tell you that it does nothing. You're just putting yourself in a good, positive state of mind, which does make you feel better. So why not just meditate? Prayer is nothing, actions are real. Prayer is an excuse to do nothing. Most people when you speak the truth, they love to go like this. Lalala
"That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence." -Christopher Hitchens- My Hero
Reply



Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Even if theism is a failure, it's still superior to atheism R00tKiT 491 33583 December 25, 2022 at 7:21 pm
Last Post: LinuxGal
  Why does God care about S E X? zwanzig 83 4682 November 15, 2021 at 10:57 pm
Last Post: LadyForCamus
  On the lunacy of prayer slartibartfast 100 5351 October 12, 2021 at 12:17 am
Last Post: slartibartfast
  Global Prayer To End Atheism Foxaèr 60 7564 August 25, 2021 at 8:20 am
Last Post: Brian37
  [Serious] Care to Seriously Consider the Existance of a Creator (God)? theMadJW 117 9973 April 29, 2020 at 12:40 pm
Last Post: polymath257
  Are there any theists here who think God wants, or will take care of, Global Warming? Duty 16 3442 January 19, 2020 at 11:50 am
Last Post: Smedders
  Prayers don't work so why do religious keep jabbing at it? Fake Messiah 65 9564 August 26, 2019 at 7:15 pm
Last Post: HappySkeptic
  A prayer to God ... ignoramus 10 1039 May 3, 2019 at 11:17 am
Last Post: The Grand Nudger
  Question about prayer. purplepurpose 27 5617 October 4, 2018 at 2:06 pm
Last Post: Drich
  What do you think prayer is? vulcanlogician 44 5926 February 2, 2018 at 4:12 pm
Last Post: emjay



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)