Why do human beings pray?
- Thread starter JBrentonK
- Start date
No it's not.
Please explain exactly why you think so.
Atheists don't believe there is a god that answers prayers. I did try it when I was young and foolish, but nothing happened (and it was really important that it did happen, it was nothing trivial).
What about all those starving people in third world countries? Almost none of them are atheists, and yet they die all the time. Many are held as slaves and abused. Many die of diseases that we know how to cure. Are your privileged white prayers more important than theirs?
What about all those starving people in third world countries? Almost none of them are atheists, and yet they die all the time. Many are held as slaves and abused. Many die of diseases that we know how to cure. Are your privileged white prayers more important than theirs?
Happy belated birthday!
Why do you believe? Come on, make an effort.
Sounds like to me your the one who needs to make the effort.
That's called being defensive. I put a lot of effort into my posts, often more than it's worth.
This is your self evidently wrongness, not mine.
Quite possibly.
But if you want anyone else to subscribe to your beliefs - or even take them seriously - then YOU have to provide some evidence.
Unsupported belief.
Then try posting as if you were an adult.
Delicious!
Hmm...
I pray to God giving my gratitude for life and for the beautiful nature
But what of others who suffer and so life isn't so wonderful? And nature is mean?
He says to knock it off, he can already read your mind.
I thank my parents and evolution. No God necessary.
People pray for two main reasons:
(1) When young they were taught too, same reason they eat with fork or chopsticks and do other learned behaviors (Shake hands or bow, etc.)
(2) Fear and hope that some greater power will help them, if asked in sincere pray. - Pascal's wager applies. I.e. what have you got to lose? Answer: zero. What have you got to gain: X, which may be non-zero.
Before my early teens, I prayed for reason (1), then I transformed into an agnostic, and it seemed of little use as even if some god(s) existed they obviously were not concerned with earthly events and certainly had no foresight. If they did, they could have let / caused Hitler to die of heart attack in his teens.
However, behavior patterns that once gave some comfort when under stress, are not forgotten. Once, more than four decades ago*, while sailing at night, I heard a "hissing" sound and looked up to where it seemed to be coming from. I immediately saw the bluish glow of "St. Elmo's fire" at the top of the aluminum mast. Instantly (as a physicist) I knew the boat was in an intense electric field and that it was so strong (amplified at the mast tip which was at same potential as the sea surface) that it was ionizing the air there.
I was already at the stern with hand on the wooden tiller so did not expect a lightning bolt to pass thru me, but thru the aluminum mast which was electrically connected to the metal keel; however as I was only a couple of meters from the mast, I feared the dB/dt could kill me. You can believe I was soon praying as sincerely as I ever did. Fortunately, the hissing stopped in a few minutes. The power of pray? I doubt it.
* Interestingly, intense fear makes for strong memories. I can still mentally see that St. Elmo's fire!
(1) When young they were taught too, same reason they eat with fork or chopsticks and do other learned behaviors (Shake hands or bow, etc.)
(2) Fear and hope that some greater power will help them, if asked in sincere pray. - Pascal's wager applies. I.e. what have you got to lose? Answer: zero. What have you got to gain: X, which may be non-zero.
Before my early teens, I prayed for reason (1), then I transformed into an agnostic, and it seemed of little use as even if some god(s) existed they obviously were not concerned with earthly events and certainly had no foresight. If they did, they could have let / caused Hitler to die of heart attack in his teens.
However, behavior patterns that once gave some comfort when under stress, are not forgotten. Once, more than four decades ago*, while sailing at night, I heard a "hissing" sound and looked up to where it seemed to be coming from. I immediately saw the bluish glow of "St. Elmo's fire" at the top of the aluminum mast. Instantly (as a physicist) I knew the boat was in an intense electric field and that it was so strong (amplified at the mast tip which was at same potential as the sea surface) that it was ionizing the air there.
I was already at the stern with hand on the wooden tiller so did not expect a lightning bolt to pass thru me, but thru the aluminum mast which was electrically connected to the metal keel; however as I was only a couple of meters from the mast, I feared the dB/dt could kill me. You can believe I was soon praying as sincerely as I ever did. Fortunately, the hissing stopped in a few minutes. The power of pray? I doubt it.
* Interestingly, intense fear makes for strong memories. I can still mentally see that St. Elmo's fire!
Last edited:
I thank my parents to, I am grateful God give me my parents too.
You are entitle to pray to who ever you choose .
I don't have problem with evolution . I look into Genesis 1, there you can se progress in evolution .