I have used prayer before and never was seeking "comfort" or asking for a certain outcome. Rather for something like a boost in some kind of strength, insight or institution. For my purposes, it doesn't really matter if God exists. I just know that if I use it this way, it seems to alter my internal state and I end up coping with situations better than I expected to.
There's a lady here (on a currently locked-down church-run campus for the elderly) who mentions God fairly frequently and I enjoy talking to her. She practiced medicine for 50 years, specializing in ophthalmological surgery. She's not some churchy, stereotypical religious nut. She has also done the guidance-seeking prayer; she applied to medical school on someone else's urging, and when accepted, "told God" she really didn't want to go, but God apparently told her she was supposed to be a doctor. She also takes prayer a step further, believing in the efficacy of intercessory prayer (praying for someone else). She thinks it's been proven, in a double-blind sort of way, which I don't think is true, but I have no desire to argue with her about it.
Maybe once or twice I've told people I would pray for them or a loved one, if I think it might help them to hear it (or if they ask), and then I will make a point of praying for that person, but not in an outcome-based way; more like "Please give so-and-so support in this situation." Well, I don't think God bases medical outcomes or the fate of someone's soul on how hard, or how many, other people pray for them. But the part about looking for guidance, or expressing gratitude? I do that, and when I do it regularly, my life seems to go better. Someone on this forum, I forget who, identifies as atheist but still sometimes puts something out to the universe (paraphrase), deliberately not conceptualizing a God, and she had a reasonable-sounding argument about why it seems to help.
I have no problem, when I'm running on empty, or running out of ideas, or desperate to be of some use in a situation, to ask God, the universe or whatever for strength, courage, or wisdom, and it really has seemed to help at times. On the hand, some people pray and think God is telling then to fly jetliners into tall buildings, so I'm a long way from saying everyone should pray and act on whatever ideas they think they're getting from God. But I think it might have some utility, for some people. Any thoughts?
There's a lady here (on a currently locked-down church-run campus for the elderly) who mentions God fairly frequently and I enjoy talking to her. She practiced medicine for 50 years, specializing in ophthalmological surgery. She's not some churchy, stereotypical religious nut. She has also done the guidance-seeking prayer; she applied to medical school on someone else's urging, and when accepted, "told God" she really didn't want to go, but God apparently told her she was supposed to be a doctor. She also takes prayer a step further, believing in the efficacy of intercessory prayer (praying for someone else). She thinks it's been proven, in a double-blind sort of way, which I don't think is true, but I have no desire to argue with her about it.
Maybe once or twice I've told people I would pray for them or a loved one, if I think it might help them to hear it (or if they ask), and then I will make a point of praying for that person, but not in an outcome-based way; more like "Please give so-and-so support in this situation." Well, I don't think God bases medical outcomes or the fate of someone's soul on how hard, or how many, other people pray for them. But the part about looking for guidance, or expressing gratitude? I do that, and when I do it regularly, my life seems to go better. Someone on this forum, I forget who, identifies as atheist but still sometimes puts something out to the universe (paraphrase), deliberately not conceptualizing a God, and she had a reasonable-sounding argument about why it seems to help.
I have no problem, when I'm running on empty, or running out of ideas, or desperate to be of some use in a situation, to ask God, the universe or whatever for strength, courage, or wisdom, and it really has seemed to help at times. On the hand, some people pray and think God is telling then to fly jetliners into tall buildings, so I'm a long way from saying everyone should pray and act on whatever ideas they think they're getting from God. But I think it might have some utility, for some people. Any thoughts?
via International Skeptics Forum https://ift.tt/2OYLUig
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