Do you pray?

[mmmcannibalism]

You can just be agnostic this way:

 

"Hey, do you believe in any sort of god?"

 

"Pfft, I don't know."

 

 

 

But you wouldn't be a theist and therefore you would be an atheist. The a- in atheist meaning "without", and theist meaning "belief in the existence of a god or gods", so atheist meaning " without belief in the existence of a god or gods". If you just say " I don't know", then you don't believe in a god. :?

 

 

 

You are trying to break it down into black and white categories which doesn't work in the real world.

 

 

 

As an example, not being a pacifist doesn't mean you are a war mongerer.

[Zygimantas]

You can just be agnostic this way:

 

"Hey, do you believe in any sort of god?"

 

"Pfft, I don't know."

 

 

 

But you wouldn't be a theist and therefore you would be an atheist. The a- in atheist meaning "without", and theist meaning "belief in the existence of a god or gods", so atheist meaning " without belief in the existence of a god or gods". If you just say " I don't know", then you don't believe in a god. :?

 

 

 

You are trying to break it down into black and white categories which doesn't work in the real world.

 

 

 

As an example, not being a pacifist doesn't mean you are a war mongerer.

True, I guess I'm just playing with definitions. I think in the end, its just a matter of a opinion..

[J35u5_M4]

I used to pray on waking up and sleeping, but I stopped, but I still pray pretty much every day at random times :P

[Caromon]

I pray all the time, it is the only way to communicate with God who I believe exists. There are many people who have to deal with many terrible issues their whole lives, if God didn't exist, life sucks and then you die and that's all there is to it.

 

 

 

I also think that things happen for a reason and nothing is going to change that. Praying really hard doesn't guarantee that something is going to happen because God has the power to not answer prayer as much as he could answer it. Prayer was a way for us to talk to God and thank/praise him for what he's done. Prayer gives hope to hundreds of millions of people everywhere on earth. At the very least prayer can't hurt.

 

 

 

P.S. I do believe that some people lose all common sense when it comes to prayer. The stories that were posted are a prime example of this and is a huge problem, we have the gift of common sense and many people need to use it :x

[nerdboyxxx]

I come from a heavily-catholic background, my family goes to church every weekend and they say grace before every meal.

 

 

 

Doesn't mean I do.

 

 

 

I'd say I'm more of an agnostic, despite actually been "signed up" to the Catholic faith. My parents don't hate me for it, but they are disappointed. They're always saying, "pray, it's good for you". And when I ask them to repsect my feelings, they say "I don't give a [bleep] what you think you're going to mass". So, in the end, I have ended up resenting God, Religion, and most importantly the most boring time of the week...mass -.-

 

 

 

Religion promotes many good values, like peace, goodwill, and all that crap. But the people who go to church and actually follow the faith barely show any of these characteristics. In summation, the rules & regulations are fine, but the authorities aren't very good at cracking down on those who break them, if you know what I mean.

 

 

 

Besides, I'm a "seeing is believing" guy. If I don't see any proof (which I don't in the current circumstances with korea, poverty, drought, and war) then I'm not buying the full product.

 

 

 

My 10 cents.

[llamster]

You can just be agnostic this way:

 

"Hey, do you believe in any sort of god?"

 

"Pfft, I don't know."

 

 

 

But you wouldn't be a theist and therefore you would be an atheist. The a- in atheist meaning "without", and theist meaning "belief in the existence of a god or gods", so atheist meaning " without belief in the existence of a god or gods". If you just say " I don't know", then you don't believe in a god. :?

 

 

 

You are trying to break it down into black and white categories which doesn't work in the real world.

 

 

 

As an example, not being a pacifist doesn't mean you are a war mongerer.

True, I guess I'm just playing with definitions. I think in the end, its just a matter of a opinion..

 

 

 

No... If definitions were based on opinion then the world would fall apart.

[Zierro]

No... If definitions were based on opinion then the world would fall apart.

 

 

 

When we define things like evil, it ranges to anything from A to Z. My definition of evil is probably different than yours. When it comes to agnosticism, the only way to really find out what it means would be to either confront the person who created the word or to analyze the meanings of the prefixes and stuff like that.

[llamster]

No... If definitions were based on opinion then the world would fall apart.

 

 

 

When we define things like evil, it ranges to anything from A to Z. My definition of evil is probably different than yours. When it comes to agnosticism, the only way to really find out what it means would be to either confront the person who created the word or to analyze the meanings of the prefixes and stuff like that.

 

 

 

There a lot of people out there who say they are agnostic, and if you don't have a set definition that everyone agrees upon it would get quite confusing.

[warren211]

I'm Catholic and I consider myself religious. In october (the month of the rosary, although many catholics sadly seem to overlook it) my family and I say the rosary every day, and every day outside of october we say a few prayers after dinner and when we go to bed we (or at least I) say a few prayers alone before I go to sleep. Once a month my family goes with a cultural religious group to say the rosary. And of course our family goes to church every sunday.

 

 

 

I get really annoyed at people who bash prayer mainly because some of them only know about how many people don't get results. I don't think prayer is about instant gratification; it's more to do with a better afterlife. If you pray simply to get things you want, of course most of the time it's going to go unanswered. God isn't exactly a genie in a bottle. Prayer to me is more about thanksgiving that I have a life I'm confortable with, not a beg or bargain with God. But in the afterlife it's sure as hell (no pun intended) going to make a difference when we face God and He knows how often you've shown your thankfullness, or how often you've expected him to answer your requests. To be totally honest, I don't have answer to why people in 3rd world countries pray for peace or an end to poverty only to end up dead the next day. I don't know everything there is about God's motives, but faith isn't about knowing everything. I can only trust that God his plans, and worry about myself and how God sees me.

[Zierro]

There a lot of people out there who say they are agnostic, and if you don't have a set definition that everyone agrees upon it would get quite confusing.

 

 

 

It already appears to be that way though. Some think it is a fence-sit between atheism and theism but some think it merely means your assertion concerning a god isn't absolute. Personally, I think it is the first one because the second should already be obvious when talking about metaphysics. But all we can do is debate about it I suppose.

[Rien]

I can't remember the last time I prayed, honestly. My family used to attend nondenominational church services, but we stopped going at least ten years ago, I'd say. We would also say grace before meals (if that counts), but that was quite awhile ago as well. I suppose that, while I've long been interested in the topic of religion, I've never been particularly engaged in my own spirituality; I'm apathetic for the most part.

 

 

 

'Rather boring, yes? :lol:

 

 

 

There a lot of people out there who say they are agnostic, and if you don't have a set definition that everyone agrees upon it would get quite confusing.

 

It already appears to be that way though. Some think it is a fence-sit between atheism and theism but some think it merely means your assertion concerning a god isn't absolute. Personally, I think it is the first one because the second should already be obvious when talking about metaphysics. But all we can do is debate about it I suppose.

 

For what it's worth, I agree with you. Being agnostic ("without knowledge") means precisely that, at least in its pure form. As an agnostic myself, I don't have the evidence to draw conclusions on any form of first cause or afterlife, so I reserve my judgement. Now, the definition can become confusing once the different types of agnosticism are considered (strong/weak, theistic/atheistic, etc...), but these are simply used to clarify the specifics of one's beliefs. For reference, I would classify myself as being both a strong agnostic and an apathetic agnostic, since I don't believe there is (or ever will be) substantial evidence to be obtained in proving or disproving the existence of the supernatural through our purely natural means, and I don't particularly care to find out in the first place.

 

 

 

If anyone's interesting in reading about the different types of agnosticism, the wikipedia article breaks them down fairly well.

[Zygimantas]

I'm Catholic and I consider myself religious. In october (the month of the rosary, although many catholics sadly seem to overlook it) my family and I say the rosary every day, and every day outside of october we say a few prayers after dinner and when we go to bed we (or at least I) say a few prayers alone before I go to sleep. Once a month my family goes with a cultural religious group to say the rosary. And of course our family goes to church every sunday.

 

 

 

I get really annoyed at people who bash prayer mainly because some of them only know about how many people don't get results. I don't think prayer is about instant gratification; it's more to do with a better afterlife. If you pray simply to get things you want, of course most of the time it's going to go unanswered. God isn't exactly a genie in a bottle. Prayer to me is more about thanksgiving that I have a life I'm confortable with, not a beg or bargain with God. But in the afterlife it's sure as hell (no pun intended) going to make a difference when we face God and He knows how often you've shown your thankfullness, or how often you've expected him to answer your requests. To be totally honest, I don't have answer to why people in 3rd world countries pray for peace or an end to poverty only to end up dead the next day. I don't know everything there is about God's motives, but faith isn't about knowing everything. I can only trust that God his plans, and worry about myself and how God sees me.

I must say, I disagree with all your beliefs :P Reminds me that we all don't think alike, makes life more intresting :

[nerdboyxxx]

I'm Catholic and I consider myself religious. In october (the month of the rosary, although many catholics sadly seem to overlook it) my family and I say the rosary every day, and every day outside of october we say a few prayers after dinner and when we go to bed we (or at least I) say a few prayers alone before I go to sleep. Once a month my family goes with a cultural religious group to say the rosary. And of course our family goes to church every sunday.

 

 

 

I get really annoyed at people who bash prayer mainly because some of them only know about how many people don't get results. I don't think prayer is about instant gratification; it's more to do with a better afterlife. If you pray simply to get things you want, of course most of the time it's going to go unanswered. God isn't exactly a genie in a bottle. Prayer to me is more about thanksgiving that I have a life I'm confortable with, not a beg or bargain with God. But in the afterlife it's sure as hell (no pun intended) going to make a difference when we face God and He knows how often you've shown your thankfullness, or how often you've expected him to answer your requests. To be totally honest, I don't have answer to why people in 3rd world countries pray for peace or an end to poverty only to end up dead the next day. I don't know everything there is about God's motives, but faith isn't about knowing everything. I can only trust that God his plans, and worry about myself and how God sees me.

I must say, I disagree with all your beliefs :P Reminds me that we all don't think alike, makes life more intresting :

 

 

 

Well if there was complete equality in life, noone would move forward with new, innovative ideas. No new music, art, etc. would be created because we'd all be the same. And eventually, you'd just go insane.

 

 

 

Thank God there is Runescape, where there is no equals :

 

 

 

As I said before, I like the viewpoints the Catholic faith promotes (well, some of them. Some are just incredibly stupid, and attempt equality. Which is stale and boring -.-). I just don't agree with the extra ones the catholic church puts forward, there own perceptions and ideas. So, essentialy, all catholics are following the rules of "mortals", when the divine laws are meant to come from god. Which just doesn't make sense.

 

 

 

I have a lot of experience with the catholic faith, I just don't believe that one god could let the world he created go to hell. That and, according to what's recorded in the bible, a major divine act hasn't been recorded in about 2000 years. So, there is no god, because he goes against everything the caholic faith teaches about him.

[Glandringg]

yes I pray..

 

 

 

well rather I don't pray because pray suggests that I'm asking god to change something he has already done. God is perfect and has made everything according to God's will so I would not pray to have anything changed. I praise God repeatedly and remember God's name at all times.

[Flyingjj]

 

That and, according to what's recorded in the bible, a major divine act hasn't been recorded in about 2000 years.

 

That would be because none of the books of the Bible were written after approximately 150 AD. If I'm not mistaken, each of the Catholic saints, who would have been appointed after that time, are credited with having performed a miracle or more technically had God intercede and perform a miracle because the saint(or saint candidate) asked(prayed) for it.

[sohkmj1]

No, I'm not religious, maybe I'm one of the mixed up scientific terms you guys were (or are) arguing over, but I prefer to say that I'm just not religious. Much simpler than all that "athiest" "agnostic" "agthiest" or whatever.

[Darksavior69]

To people saying that even if praying doesn't work it can't hurt: it can.

 

 

 

http://www.slate.com/id/2139373/

[Zierro]

To people saying that even if praying doesn't work it can't hurt: it can.

 

 

 

http://www.slate.com/id/2139373/

 

 

 

Correlation doesn't imply causation. There is no way to prove or disprove prayer with statistics. There are too many "divine factors" to take into account. For example, what if god only answered prayers to a specific kind of people, like ones who made a lot of sacrifices in their lives or something? Not the best example, but I'm sure that paints the picture.

[PastyGangsta]

I'm not an extremely religious person, and I have no intention to go into Seminary or something (public speaking is not my thing, and if I someday have a family I'd like a secure job to provide for it) but I am set in my religious ways. I'm not too formal with the prayer, I wasn't raised that way. Prayer is a personal thing, just you and God, all that extra formal stuff seems unnecessary. Whether you kneel at your bedside or not isn't going to determine His response to your prayers...

 

 

 

In short, yes I pray, and that's that. End of story.

[warri0r45]

To people saying that even if praying doesn't work it can't hurt: it can.

 

 

 

http://www.slate.com/id/2139373/

 

 

 

Correlation doesn't imply causation. There is no way to prove or disprove prayer with statistics. There are too many "divine factors" to take into account. For example, what if god only answered prayers to a specific kind of people, like ones who made a lot of sacrifices in their lives or something? Not the best example, but I'm sure that paints the picture.

 

 

 

Correlation doesn't necessarily imply causation, but with controlled studies it can. For example, if you have two plants and only water one, the death of the other is almost certainly due to not getting enough water.

 

 

 

Having said that, I'm only vaguely familiar with this study, so I don't know how well they controlled for variables between the test and control groups. I wouldn't draw any conclusions from one study anyway - I'd look at where the preponderance of evidence lies. Having done that to an extent, it seems that there have been some studies showing a correlation between prayer and health benefits, and others - like this one - that show no benefit at all (and even, oddly, a negative effect). In other words, nothing has been proven convincingly.

[ImstillFly]

Praying man lets his daughter die

 

[hide=]

A US jury has found a man guilty of killing his sick 11-year-old daughter by praying for her recovery rather than seeking medical care.

 

 

 

The man, Dale Neumann, told a court in the state of Wisconsin he believed God could heal his daughter.

 

 

 

She died of a treatable disease - undiagnosed diabetes - at home in rural Wisconsin in March last year, as people surrounded her and prayed.

 

 

 

Neumann's wife, Leilani Neumann, was convicted earlier this year.

 

 

 

The couple, who were both convicted of second-degree reckless homicide, face up to 25 years in prison when they are sentenced in October.

 

 

 

A lawyer representing Dale Neumann said he would appeal.

 

 

 

'Faith healing'

 

 

 

During the trial, medical experts told the court that Neumann's daughter could have survived if she had received treatment, including insulin and fluids, before she stopped breathing.

 

 

 

On Thursday Neumann, who is 47 and studied in the past to be a Pentecostal minister, said he thought God would heal his daughter.

 

 

 

"If I go to the doctor, I am putting the doctor before God," he said. "I am not believing what he said he would do."

 

 

 

He also said he thought his daughter had had flu or a fever, and that he had not realised how ill she was.

 

 

 

Neumann's lawyer said he had been convinced that his "faith healing" was working, and that he had committed no crime.

 

 

 

The prosecution argued that Neumann had minimised his daughter's illness and that he had allowed her to die as a selfish act of faith.

 

 

 

They said the girl should have been taken to hospital because she was unable to walk, talk, eat or drink.

 

 

 

Instead, an ambulance was only called once the girl had stopped breathing.

[/hide]

 

That is what praying gets you.

 

 

 

That's just an ironic situation...

 

Praying isn't proven to help anything, because you can't really prove it.

 

I do believe praying helps with many situations though....

 

medical reasons

 

sports games

 

hard times

 

friends

 

etc etc etc

 

 

 

Im not a very church-going guy, but yea i still pray, and it has helped me. sometimes you just need a little guidance.