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Current time: December 4, 2024, 6:57 am

Poll: Atheists do you pray?
This poll is closed.
Yes I pray
6.67%
3 6.67%
Could potentially be beneficial
2.22%
1 2.22%
Haven't thought about it much
2.22%
1 2.22%
Praying is a waste of time
88.89%
40 88.89%
Total 45 vote(s) 100%
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Atheists do you pray?
#31
RE: Atheists do you pray?
(September 17, 2014 at 2:08 pm)Exian Wrote: You're right Tonus. There really isn't anything particularly profound about what I said in my post, especially if you're already familiar with affirmations or meditation. However; it was a profound experience for me personally to realize I could welcome back that part of myself. I missed it without knowing I was missing it. And, although there isn't anything spiritual about it (for me, at least), I do find "prayer" to be humbling in that it gives me a chance to let go of my biases and my need to be or feel right and to reassess my life in a more honest light.

This probably doesn't resemble prayer all that much, but where today I would silently ask "What do I do?", before I would say "Dear Lord, please show me the way" or something along those lines. So, to me, it still resembles the prayers I was familiar with. And it isn't as much the same as simply assessing my life with the question "What do I do?" because in those instances I still have bias and I'm still worried about the minor details. It's different in that way for me.

I am glad that it benefits you in some way, perhaps prayer wouldn't be the best thing to call it but it is the closest thing I can relate it to. I only hope that it can benefit me in some way as well.
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#32
RE: Atheists do you pray?
What about thoughtful self reflection? Everyone does it, and if they don't they should. difference I guess is that I know when I'm reflecting on things I'm talking to myself via an inner monologue and and not a supernatural being I believe has the magical powers to help, if only he'd listen to me!.
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#33
RE: Atheists do you pray?
Interesting. I had never heard an atheist talk about praying before... subscribing Smile this could be an interesting thread.
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#34
RE: Atheists do you pray?
I haven't prayed since I gave up on religion at 13.

I don't see the need to wish for something that has no effect.

Playing Cluedo with my mum while I was at Uni:

"You did WHAT?  With WHO?  WHERE???"
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#35
RE: Atheists do you pray?
Well that's interesting, I did not know that I posted two of these, could a moderator kindly merge my two threads?
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#36
RE: Atheists do you pray?
:|
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#37
RE: Atheists do you pray?
No, praying by definition is acknowledging your own powerlessness and expecting a higher power to fill that void. Honoring is NOT the same as praying. If you are talking about the "uplifting feeling", that is "confidence" and you can get similar effects by talking in front of a mirror. You cannot honor humanity through prayer, but rather through your actions.
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#38
RE: Atheists do you pray?
Do I pray? No. Given that I don't believe anything is listening, nor able to do anything about whatever I might petition, why would I?

Do I talk to myself in times of introspection, hoping to lead to a resolution (or at least a conclusion)? Yes.

Interestingly, I find that the results I get from my own counsel are somewhat higher than chance. Then again, that's probably what you'd expect from a prophet of my record.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist.  This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair.  Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second.  That means there's a situation vacant.'
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#39
RE: Atheists do you pray?
No. Just no.

Complete waste of time.
Thief and assassin for hire. Member in good standing of the Rogues Guild.
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#40
RE: Atheists do you pray?
No, I don't feel the need to pray and haven't done so since I was 13.

Playing Cluedo with my mum while I was at Uni:

"You did WHAT?  With WHO?  WHERE???"
Reply



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