Why do you pray?

• sleeper

  

  Tiger2003;1056737 wrote:What dont you believe? That my brother doesn't believe or what?

  I don't believe you were ever given a choice. Your parents still pressured you into your beliefs. At least your brother has tasted freedom.
• Tiger2003

  

  sleeper;1056740 wrote:I don't believe you were ever given a choice. Your parents still pressured you into your beliefs. At least your brother has tasted freedom.

  
  My parents didn't pressure me into anything. I still go to church every Wednesday and Sunday. I havent lived with my parents for nearly 10 years. I was given a choice at a young age. It was our choice if we wanted to go or not.
• sleeper

  

  Tiger2003;1056748 wrote:My parents didn't pressure me into anything. I still go to church every Wednesday and Sunday. I havent lived with my parents for nearly 10 years. I was given a choice at a young age. It was our choice if we wanted to go or not.

  I don't buy it. But okay.
• Tiger2003

  

  sleeper;1056749 wrote:I don't buy it. But okay.

  
  Ok.
• I Wear Pants

  Tiger2003;1056748 wrote:My parents didn't pressure me into anything. I still go to church every Wednesday and Sunday. I havent lived with my parents for nearly 10 years. I was given a choice at a young age. It was our choice if we wanted to go or not.

  A+ for your parents then.
• believer

  

  I Wear Pants;1056475 wrote:The idea that because we don't have all the answers proves that there is a god is a little bit absurd.

  The idea that because we don't have all the answers disproves that there is a God is also a little bit absurd.
• Skyhook79

  

  I Wear Pants;1056680 wrote:Ah yes the "you are entirely wrong but I can't be bothered to actually discuss or debate with you".

  I could give you several examples of how prayer works but it wouldn't matter because you and sleeper would just discount it. It really is a useless discussion. Believers believe in prayer and non believers don't pretty simple. That is why there are believers and non believers. But I can say without doubt that each every person will reach "that" point in their life...
• ZWICK 4 PREZ

  

  Tiger2003;1056748 wrote:My parents didn't pressure me into anything. I still go to church every Wednesday and Sunday. I havent lived with my parents for nearly 10 years. I was given a choice at a young age. It was our choice if we wanted to go or not.

  So you're not Catholic anymore? I'm just making the assumption since a wednesday service usually indicates a protestant denomination.
• berry

  He won't answer letters.
• se-alum

  

  I don't pray, but I certainly understand why people do, and I would never question their reasoning. We all have the right to choose what we believe in, as people also have the right to question our beliefs. In my mind, neither is any better or worse than the other. I think alot of people pray to keep a healthy mind. It's an outlet much like going to a psychiatrist or psychologist. It allows you to clear your mind by speaking with a being that you truly believe in. In my situation, I don't attend church or pray, but I believe in God. I just don't believe going to church every Wednesday and Sunday makes you a good person. I believe that living your life the right way, doing your part to be a positive member of society, and treating others as you would want yourself to be treated, is what God really wants.
• Raw Dawgin' it

  

  Skyhook79;1056785 wrote:It really is useless.

  I'm commenting on the only valid point from your post. +1.
• Fred Flintstone

  This is a very interesting thread. I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school for 12 years. The best piece of infomation that I got from a world religion class that I took in HS was that religion is your relationship with your version of god. I came to another conclusion not long after is that if I do the right thing and act as a good person then that is my religion. I do not need a building to go to once a week or a book to read that tells me how to do these things.
  
  It seems to me that many people pray out of desparation, they are too lazy or don't want to work hard, so they use it as a cop out.
• Skyhook79

  

  se-alum;1056843 wrote:I don't pray, but I certainly understand why people do, and I would never question their reasoning. We all have the right to choose what we believe in, as people also have the right to question our beliefs. In my mind, neither is any better or worse than the other. I think alot of people pray to keep a healthy mind. It's an outlet much like going to a psychiatrist or psychologist. It allows you to clear your mind by speaking with a being that you truly believe in. In my situation, I don't attend church or pray, but I believe in God. I just don't believe going to church every Wednesday and Sunday makes you a good person. I believe that living your life the right way, doing your part to be a positive member of society, and treating others as you would want yourself to be treated, is what God really wants.

  I respectfully disagree. Just going to Church does not make you a good person but God definitely wants you there.
  

  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25. Now that can be a Home Church or a traditional Church but He wants us meeting together. "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened" Luke 3:21 Jesus prayed so I think it is important to also pray.

• Skyhook79

  

  DeyDurkie5;1056717 wrote:embrace something written 300 years ago...that's almost as bad as embracing hte bible, written 2000 years ago! Do you think the world is flat? LOL

  The Constitution was written in 1712?
• Dr Winston O'Boogie

  

  Questioning a peson's belief in God or prayer will never provide any satisfaction. If you believe in God and the power of prayer, you know it works. If you don't believe in God, you know he doesn't exist. There's not way to provide physical proof one way or another, so there we are. I think God and prayer is deeply meaningful to those who are believers. THey couldn't imagine life without.
  
  My gripe when it comes to any of this is only with people who feel it necessary to push thier own beliefs on others or judge others by their personal scale. A hyper-religious person who believes others are going to hell for not following the rules is entitled to his ideas. When he tries to impede my life because of these ideas, I object. Just the same, a fanatical atheist is welcome to hold his view. But when he spends his time trying to convince everyone that believers are stupid or ignorant, he's out of bounds.
  
  Fanatics are in every camp. And as always, they're the ones that can ruin it - whatever "it" is.
• password

  

  From reading this thread I have come to the conclusion that Praying and watching Porn are one in the same. People pray for there own self gratification, such as praying for a good day, to relieve stress and forget about their problems and to feel like they are someone that they are not. That sounds like the reason people watch porn, so would religion be more accepted if the church involved more porn in their sermons?
• Steel Valley Football

  friendfromlowry;1056547 wrote:From one of the few people with a medical background on this forum, I think you need to leave this stuff alone. Thousands of people die every day of heart disease, cancer, HIV/AIDs, etc...do you think any of them had positive outlooks/attitudes and prayed and had faith? I can tell you from experience that they did, yet still died -- sometimes at a very young age, from a very painful death, with families left behind. So for every person that can be said they survived because of a positive outlook, there are literally thousands more who didn't.
  As for the 'marriage phenomenon' -- it probably has something to do with having somethere for you who cares about you, loves you, looks out for you, etc. all your life. It should come as no surprise that some of the unhealthiest people in the hospital are also the lonliest in life.
  
  That's my biggest quarrel with religion. You can be the holiest sumbitch out there -- but at the end of the day, you've got the same odds for the good and the bad as anyone else. Several months ago I had a 30-something year old male as a patient, laying in his hammock one day. A tree branch snaps off and falls on his chest, separating his right lung from his trachea. He makes it to surgery but doesn't survive long. He leaves behind a wife and two young children. Now I don't know anything personally about this guy - whether he was a religious folk or the complete opposite - but if there is a God, I'm pretty pissed off when I meet him having just endured that and what I leave behind.

  
  This is not a logical argument. Furthermore, your post is filled with speculation and unfounded facts.
• Tiger2003

  

  ZWICK 4 PREZ;1056787 wrote:So you're not Catholic anymore? I'm just making the assumption since a wednesday service usually indicates a protestant denomination.

  
  No I am still Roman Catholic. Wednesday is the day for Novena Service.
• ZWICK 4 PREZ

  

  Tiger2003;1057074 wrote:No I am still Roman Catholic. Wednesday is the day for Novena Service.

  Every wednesday?
• friendfromlowry

  Steel Valley Football;1056995 wrote:This is not a logical argument. Furthermore, your post is filled with speculation and unfounded facts.

  Not a logical argument how? You stated on page one that "There are effects of prayer that are not fully understood. Much like people who beat cancer due to positive outlooks and attitudes, which science has no explanation for." My point was that there are literally thousands more that do NOT beat cancer (or heart disease, pneumonia, AIDS, etc) despite having a positive outlook.
  What are the unfounded facts by the way? Thousands of people die each day from the disease I mentioned. That is a fact. Do you think any of those thousands of people had a strong faith but still died?
  
  Ha, it's ironic...My post is full of speculation and unfounded facts, but your basis "People beat disease because they have a positive outlook and science has no idea why." Really? Who are these people? Have any specific examples? Are you reviewing their medical records? Does their positive outlook on having cancer have ANY correlation with early detection of the disease, having stage one cancer (relatively harmless if properly treated) vs. having stage four cancer (deathbed)? Do they happen to receive treatment at the best hospitals with well-recognized staff/doctors?
  Is any of that taken into account or should I just take your word that the fact that they had a strong belief in prayer and/or religion and/or God thus they survived and science is completely flabbergasted as to why?
• Tiger2003

  

  ZWICK 4 PREZ;1057086 wrote:Every wednesday?

  
  Yep.
• ZWICK 4 PREZ

  

  Tiger2003;1057096 wrote:Yep.

  I've never seen one around here have them every Wednesday. That's interesting.
• Skyhook79

  

  friendfromlowry;1057095 wrote:Not a logical argument how? You stated on page one that "There are effects of prayer that are not fully understood. Much like people who beat cancer due to positive outlooks and attitudes, which science has no explanation for." My point was that there are literally thousands more that do NOT beat cancer (or heart disease, pneumonia, AIDS, etc) despite having a positive outlook.
  What are the unfounded facts by the way? Thousands of people die each day from the disease I mentioned. That is a fact. Do you think any of those thousands of people had a strong faith but still died?
  
  Ha, it's ironic...My post is full of speculation and unfounded facts, but your basis "People beat disease because they have a positive outlook and science has no idea why." Really? Who are these people? Have any specific examples? Are you reviewing their medical records? Does their positive outlook on having cancer have ANY correlation with early detection of the disease, having stage one cancer (relatively harmless if properly treated) vs. having stage four cancer (deathbed)? Do they happen to receive treatment at the best hospitals with well-recognized staff/doctors?
  Is any of that taken into account or should I just take your word that the fact that they had a strong belief in prayer and/or religion and/or God thus they survived and science is completely flabbergasted as to why?

  People of Faith die everyday just like people of non- Faith. The difference is (in my belief) is where you go from death.
• DeyDurkie5

  

  Skyhook79;1057108 wrote:People of Faith die everyday just like people of non- Faith. The difference is (in my belief) is where you go from death.

  where do you go, oh magical dumbledore?
• ernest_t_bass

  

  sleeper;1056115 wrote:I promise I will not attack you or make fun of you in this thread.

  HAHAHA. Oh, hahahahahah. LOL. HAHAH. ROTFLMAO. OHFFHFHAHAHFOAHAFOHAOHFAOAHFohjadl;s jfkl;ajslf.
  
  I lol'd.