How many of you pray and why?

[Split Personality]

Felt like we needed a new subject to explore. Prayer. Do you pray? If you do, why do you pray? If you don't, why not? For those who pray, do you feel your prayers get answered?

I will leave it as this for now and see what this thread evolves to.

I will leave my opinion. I do not pray. As many of you may know, I am not religious. I do not consider myself an Atheist. Iv'e been told I am agnostic, it think that's the word. So anyways, no I do not pray. I do not see a reason for it. I have prayed in the past, when I was younger, mainly because I was told I was suppose to. I hear a lot about people praying and saying the lord has blessed them, and yes many of them are blessed, I also hear those who do nothing but pray and yet are in poverty or worse. I think we make our own faith and our motivation will make it happen, not prayer. I can still pray but if do nothing about it, nothing will happen.

Your thoughts???????????

[letschat]

I do not consider myself an Atheist. Iv'e been told I am agnostic,

I don't feel comfortable being labled one way or the other, I just say atheist so others will know where I'm coming from. I know that SOME kind of incredible event sparked life in the universe. I just can't believe it was by an all-knowing, all-powerful, invisible being who created the whole universe, and who lives in another dimension called heaven.

So, I believe in the Incredible Event, but there's no such thing as a biblical god <--- of this I have no doubt whatsoever.

[Split Personality]

I don't feel comfortable being labled one way or the other, I just say atheist so others will know where I'm coming from. I know that SOME kind of incredible event sparked life in the universe. I just can't believe it was by an all-knowing, all-powerful, invisible being who created the whole universe, and who lives in another dimension called heaven.

So, I believe in the Incredible Event, but there's no such thing as a biblical god <--- of this I have no doubt whatsoever.

Yeah I'm not much for a label either, I don't there's one that suits me. Like u, I believe something started us, I just have no idea what that is.

[Draggy]

I pray every day many times a day. Sometimes it's more like meditation. Sometimes it's just to Thank God for seeing me through some thing or another.
If you don't pray you'll never be able to hear.

[Split Personality]

I pray every day many times a day. Sometimes it's more like meditation. Sometimes it's just to Thank God for seeing me through some thing or another.
If you don't pray you'll never be able to hear.

You know in my head this is just about the exact response I thought I would get from you. My wife prays, she teaches my kids to pray, its not a ritual but she wants them to have an understanding. We don't force anything and my thoughts are mine and I don't push it on my kids. My wife and I agree on a lot but she has a lot more belief than I do. Sometimes I see her praying and I can see it does calm her, so yeah, I think to many it is used as meditation.

I do not see the harm in prayer unless it is all that a person uses. I hear a lot about kids whose parents are religious and think that prayer will cure their sick child and refuse medical attention. The kid dies and they say well its what God wanted. In cases like that, I see it as a bad thing, but then that goes past praying and more into their religious beliefs.

[letschat]

I pray every day many times a day. Sometimes it's more like meditation. Sometimes it's just to Thank God for seeing me through some thing or another.
If you don't pray you'll never be able to hear.

I think George Carlin put this in my head and I can't get past it. If it is God's Will for something to happen (be it good or bad), then what's the sense in praying? Someone can pray every day to be cured of cancer, but if it's God's will for that someone to die, what good can prayer do? If it is God's will that this someone should live, then hasn't He already made the decision before this someones prays?

[Split Personality]

I think George Carlin put this in my head and I can't get past it. If it is God's Will for something to happen (be it good or bad), then what's the sense in praying? Someone can pray every day to be cured of cancer, but if it's God's will for that someone to die, what good can prayer do? If it is God's will that this someone should live, then hasn't He already made the decision before this someones prays?

Yeah his statement makes sense. I think that for some it brings comfort and like Draggy said, some use it as meditation and a way to feel closer to God.

[Draggy]

I believe there is no such thing as happenstance. Everything in our lives happens for a reason. We are given choices and it's up to us to decide what choices we make. When we pray we ask for guidance or even relief of things going on in our lives.

I have seen to many miracles in my life to deny prayer works. And you always get an answer. Maybe not the answer you were looking for but an answer. And maybe as it turns out the thing you thought you wanted you didn't need.

[Split Personality]

I believe there is no such thing as happenstance. Everything in our lives happens for a reason. We are given choices and it's up to us to decide what choices we make. When we pray we ask for guidance or even relief of things going on in our lives.

I have seen to many miracles in my life to deny prayer works. And you always get an answer. Maybe not the answer you were looking for but an answer. And maybe as it turns out the thing you thought you wanted you didn't need.

Can you clarify on these miracles, unless its too personal and you'd rather not say.

[Draggy]

I can tell you what I truely believe to be miracles that might not seem that way to normal people. I've seen birth and I've seen death...both to me are considered miracles. I've sat at the bedside holding the hand of a dying person and feel the miracle of death. The movement as the soul leaves the body..or the life leaves. I laid across the chest of my mother when she died and felt her go through me. It took my breath away.

Split all we really have to do is look around. There are miracles just waiting to be seen every where.