On the lunacy of prayer

[Spongebob]

I get the idea of prayer being bullshit from an atheist perspective but I do not really understand the negative emotional response to other people praying or even prayer requests.

First off, I do not know any religious person who thinks prayer is a substitute for initiative. Religious people pray for guidance before deciding what to do. They request blessing for actions they commit to taking. And they ask for help after they've done all they can, as in "Its in Gods hands now."  Even from a secular perspective, these are just meditation, motivation, and hoping for the best. So what's the problem besides offending antitheist sensibilities? Or maybe the mockery makes some people feel superior.

Prayer is a strange thing.  It seems that there is an appropriate time/place for it.  When I see a family at McDonald's holding hands, squinting their eyes and praying over their sodium filled, fat drenched gut bombs it just makes me laugh.  I'm pretty sure that when people do this in public it's mostly for show.  Perhaps its for others to see how pious they are or for god to see how pious they are.  Either way, it just looks stupid.  There's something to be said for discretion.  Jesus, himself advocated private prayer.

And some Christians certainly do expect prayer to accomplish things that they have no power to accomplish.  They expected prayer to get Trump elected a second time, for instance.  They've been organizing mass prayers to end abortion for decades.  It happens a lot in some Christian circles.

[Ahriman]

I get the idea of prayer being bullshit from an atheist perspective but I do not really understand the negative emotional response to other people praying or even prayer requests.

First off, I do not know any religious person who thinks prayer is a substitute for initiative. Religious people pray for guidance before deciding what to do. They request blessing for actions they commit to taking. And they ask for help after they've done all they can, as in "Its in Gods hands now."  Even from a secular perspective, these are just meditation, motivation, and hoping for the best. So what's the problem besides offending antitheist sensibilities? Or maybe the mockery makes some people feel superior.

Prayer is a strange thing.  It seems that there is an appropriate time/place for it.  When I see a family at McDonald's holding hands, squinting their eyes and praying over their sodium filled, fat drenched gut bombs it just makes me laugh.  I'm pretty sure that when people do this in public it's mostly for show.  Perhaps its for others to see how pious they are or for god to see how pious they are.  Either way, it just looks stupid.  There's something to be said for discretion.  Jesus, himself advocated private prayer.

And some Christians certainly do expect prayer to accomplish things that they have no power to accomplish.  They expected prayer to get Trump elected a second time, for instance.  They've been organizing mass prayers to end abortion for decades.  It happens a lot in some Christian circles.

No it isn't "for show", it's sincere. These people have nothing to prove. It's fucked up that you would take something heartfelt and endearing like praying at McDonald's and turn it into something stupid and laughable.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Prayer is a strange thing.  It seems that there is an appropriate time/place for it.  When I see a family at McDonald's holding hands, squinting their eyes and praying over their sodium filled, fat drenched gut bombs it just makes me laugh.  I'm pretty sure that when people do this in public it's mostly for show.  Perhaps its for others to see how pious they are or for god to see how pious they are.  Either way, it just looks stupid.  There's something to be said for discretion.  Jesus, himself advocated private prayer.

And some Christians certainly do expect prayer to accomplish things that they have no power to accomplish.  They expected prayer to get Trump elected a second time, for instance.  They've been organizing mass prayers to end abortion for decades.  It happens a lot in some Christian circles.

No it isn't "for show", it's sincere. These people have nothing to prove. It's fucked up that you would take something heartfelt and endearing like praying at McDonald's and turn it into something stupid and laughable.

If praying at McDonald’s worked, their meals would turn into actual food.

Boru

[zwanzig]

By the by, what is blessing the food supposed to do? It was always important to do it before you ate anything, even candy. But I've never known what it is actually supposed to accomplish.

[Angrboda]

By the by, what is blessing the food supposed to do? It was always important to do it before you ate anything, even candy. But I've never known what it is actually supposed to accomplish.

Supposedly if you do it enough, you can get removed from Santa's naughty list.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

‘Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
Bless this food and the plate it’s on.
For the food that fills our tummy,
Thank you, God, and thank you, Mummy.’

You’re never completely free of the nonsense they handed you when you were a kid.

Boru

[arewethereyet]

There is the child-scarring bedtime prayer, 'cause your never too young to comtemplate your own death.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

‘Rub-a-dub-dub / Thanks for the grub / Yay, God!!’

Got a cup of tea thrown at me for that little bit of business.

Boru

[arewethereyet]

‘Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
Bless this food and the plate it’s on.
For the food that fills our tummy,
Thank you, God, and thank you, Mummy.’

You’re never completely free of the nonsense they handed you when you were a kid.

Boru

I have to wonder what blessings there are for a plate...hmmm....

Bless us O Lord,
And these they gifts,
Which we are about to receive,
From thy bounty through
Christ our Lord, Amen.

That's the one we had to say.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

You can bless literally anything.

Boru