*checks wikipedia*
Whew.

I don't think prayer is about results. It's some sort of a coping mechanism, a sort of meditation. Just one with an open end. If the result is good, they say 'my prayer was accepted', if not, it wasn't accepted. In the end, god has a plan.

My guess would be that modern believers rely on prayer more than people lived before... roughly electricity in their daily lives. Old people obviously had more religious routines, rituals, prayers. But reliance in daily practice is different, praying as a habit because it's a strict rule is different. It's not something special with the latter. It's like the course in courses of meal. Everyone is aware there is no meal because there are courses, but the other way around. Because they make almost everything themselves, people die young, no social contract...

Quote from: drunkenshoe on September 24, 2022, 01:58:13 AMI don't think prayer is about results. It's some sort of a coping mechanism, a sort of meditation. Just one with an open end. If the result is good, they say 'my prayer was accepted', if not, it wasn't accepted. In the end, god has a plan.

My guess would be that modern believers rely on prayer more than people lived before... roughly electricity in their daily lives. Old people obviously had more religious routines, rituals, prayers. But reliance in daily practice is different, praying as a habit because it's a strict rule is different. It's not something special with the latter. It's like the course in courses of meal. Everyone is aware there is no meal because there are courses, but the other way around. Because they make almost everything themselves, people die young, no social contract...

When I was a Christian, I was taught that God answers prayers with "yes," "no," or "not yet." Basically, no matter what happens, God gets credit. Might as well pray to a jug of milk.

Quote from: Blackleaf on September 24, 2022, 09:37:00 AMWhen I was a Christian, I was taught that God answers prayers with "yes," "no," or "not yet." Basically, no matter what happens, God gets credit. Might as well pray to a jug of milk.

"God always answers prayers, but sometimes the answer is NO!"

Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on September 24, 2022, 11:55:38 AM"God always answers prayers, but sometimes the answer is NO!"

Or like melania's jacket--god says I don't give a flying fuck!! Do you???!

There is also a passage people in church liked to quote a lot.

Matthew 7:7-11 - "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

"Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

Pretty big promises being made there. And this isn't the only passage like this. According to the Bible, followers of Jesus would have the power to tell mountains to move, but I made plenty of requests smaller than that and got nothing.

When I see a full-grown adult talking about prayer with a straight face, my immediate thought is that this person has not rationally developed at all and is basically a child. 

Most people are very susceptible to con men, symbolism, emotions and gut reactions, baseless ideologies, fear mongers, magicians, subliminal suggestion, hard print, and conspiracies.

Susceptibility does not seem to be 100% correlated with IQ. There is some other factor. It would be a great subject for a study.

Quote from: Cassia on September 24, 2022, 03:25:23 PMWhen I see a full-grown adult talking about prayer with a straight face, my immediate thought is that this person has not rationally developed at all and is basically a child.

Sometimes when people try to preach Jesus at me out of the blue, I quote Paul's words back at them: "When I was a child, I thought as a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child. But when I became a man I put away childish things."

Some people just never grow up.

Quote from: Hydra009 on September 24, 2022, 01:15:35 AM

I like big spiders. But then, I like instant coffee in my orange juice...
🕷�🕸�

Quote from: Unbeliever on September 24, 2022, 05:47:31 PMI like big spiders. But then, I like instant coffee in my orange juice...
🕷�🕸�

You like what?

I used to read ctrl-alt-del. Haven't read that in a long time.

Quote from: Blackleaf on September 24, 2022, 08:55:25 PM

You like what?

Yeah, Folger's instant is best, but other brands will do. Can't taste the coffee, just makes the OJ less sweet.