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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/8/2009 9:19:20 PM   
MzMia


Posts: 5333
Joined: 7/30/2004
Status: offline 		Davan, thank you so much.
Your answer makes a lot of sense.
................deep.........................


Thanks Nihilus, for many it means NOTHING, it is just an "expression".
I got that.

< Message edited by MzMia -- 7/8/2009 9:32:29 PM >

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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/8/2009 9:26:41 PM   
ThatDamnedPanda


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quote:

This is a serious question for me!


I know. That's why I gave you a serious answer, too!


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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/9/2009 4:24:16 AM   
GotSteel


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quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyHibiscus

When I tell someone that I am "praying" for them, it means that I am thinking positive thoughts, sending good energy, that kind of thing.  The aliens, notion, though, I might look into that!


Here they are: http://www.rael.org/rael_content/index.php I guess they count as atheists because they don't believe in a god, but what they do believe in is rather silly.

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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/9/2009 4:36:44 AM   
lazarus1983


Posts: 828
Joined: 2/25/2006
Status: offline 		Even if I were a christian, I would have serious doubts about the power of prayer. How many children died while their parents prayed for them to get better instead of seeking treatment? If Jeebus is too lazy to save a child, he's probably not too concerned with the rest of us.

Every year people descend into Detroit to "pray for it". Again, if Jeebus can't even answer the prayers to save a child's life, I doubt he's going to do much about Detroit.

Now, I do believe in positive thinking, or visualization, as I call it. As a weightlifter, it's an invaluable tool. Convince the mind and the body will follow. However I'm not praying to Jeebus to give me strength to lift. So positive thinking is the closest I come to praying to a cosmic zombie.





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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/9/2009 5:05:39 AM   
DesertRat


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From: NM/USA
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I don't pray or tell people that I'll pray for them. If a non-believer uses the term "pray" I'd write it off to the casual use of a very common English language colloquialism. An atheist friend who attends 12-step recovery meetings gets asked the "who do you pray to?" question pretty often. She ususally tells the questioner that she prays to "Jesus H. Fucking Christ".

Bob

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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/9/2009 6:05:39 AM   
samboct


Posts: 1817
Joined: 1/17/2007
Status: offline 		Hi Mia

I'm with Ken- I'll send my own well wishes.

But as an example of how people's minds work-

I was raised a very reformed Jew, but in times of stress, I often implore a fellow Jew who happens to be the symbol of another religion, Jesus Christ- rather unwittingly, rather than saying "Holy Moses" as a good Jew should.  The last time this happened in public was rather noteworthy.  As I was getting ready to step the mast on my boat, a buddy pulled the side stay pin rather than the forestay.  I was quite surprised, and everybody heard me implore the Christian deity for assistance- and got a chuckle out of it.

Sam

< Message edited by samboct -- 7/9/2009 6:06:13 AM >

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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/9/2009 7:31:26 AM   
rulemylife


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quote:

ORIGINAL: GotSteel

Here they are: http://www.rael.org/rael_content/index.php I guess they count as atheists because they don't believe in a god, but what they do believe in is rather silly.



I think what they believe in makes perfect sense:

"The Messages given to Rael by our human Creators from space contain the world's most fearlessly individualistic philosophy of love, peace, and non-conformism: a beautiful combination of spirituality, sensuality, and science."

I mean human Creators from space is just as plausible as the white-bearded old guy who sits on a throne on a cloud and the goat-horned, hoofed guy who has been trying to knock him off that throne for all eternity.




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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/9/2009 9:56:57 AM   
Arpig


Posts: 9930
Joined: 1/3/2006
From: Increasingly further from reality
Status: offline 		I responded to this question in the other thread, but since you have asked the question here in its own thread, I will answer it here as well.

I do NOT pray to anyone or anything.


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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/9/2009 12:33:05 PM   
Marc2b


Posts: 6660
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Status: offline 		It has been noted by somebody (I forget who so all due credit to whoever credit is do) that people will pray for the probable - “please let aunt Jane’s plane land safely,” and for the possible (if not probable) – “please let uncle jack come out of his coma,” but they will rarely pray for the obviously impossible –“please grow cousin Jerry a new leg.” That should tell you something about the power of prayer.

That aside, I do pray because I do believe there is a Creator. I tend to refer to this Creator as “He” or “God” or “Lord,” but that’s just because I grew up in a culture that uses those terms and they have become habit. I don’t know if the Creator is male, female, both, neither, or what have you. Judging by human history I am fairly certain that the Creator is a hands off kind of guy which probably makes praying a useless gesture on my part.

Still, it doesn’t hurt to hedge one’s bets.

I pray every night before I go to bed. I start by thanking God for granting me this day and asking if I may have tomorrow. I end by asking God to bless my family, my friends, my neighbors, my acquaintances, everyone who feels lonely and sad, and the entire world. I used to just ask for blessing on my family and friends but, as time went on I kept expanding it. It occurred to me that by asking for blessings on only for those I cared about, I was being selfish. It is essentially saying, “God, please bless those I love. Everyone else go fend for themselves.” That seemed wrong, so…

I end by asking for God’s blessing upon specific individuals that I know are having some troubles and upon people I am particularly pissed off at – I figure my soul could use the antidote. This isn’t always easy and it usually comes out as something like: “please bless that pompous, ignorant, jackass [redacted]. This may be self-defeating but at least I am making the effort. That should count for something, right?


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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/9/2009 4:42:18 PM   
Ialdabaoth


Posts: 1073
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From: Tempe, AZ
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quote:

ORIGINAL: MzMia

I have a question for those that are non-believers, atheists, etc.
When you pray, or say you are praying....Who are you praying to?


I don't.

quote:

I see many here that go to great lengths to explain that they do not believe in GOD, there is no GOD, etc. on and on until the break of dawn.
Then I turn around and read where these same people tell others, they are praying for them.


Perhaps "I'm praying for you" is merely a shorthand for "you have my best wishes, for what it's worth". We're pack animals. We need to know that we're part of a community. The language of our culture has a lot of religious overtones to it. Saying "I'm praying for you" is a quick and easy way to tell someone, "I consider you part of my pack and want you to do better". Believe it or not, it helps psychologically to know that people wish well for you.

quote:

For many non-religious people, WHO are you praying to? to the air? to the ground? to other human beings? to the man in the moon? aliens? satan? grasshoppers?
seriously,who?


In my case? I don't, really. If I do something akin to "prayer", it's to whatever force controls probability - and I do so with the full conscious understanding that my "prayer" will have absolutely no affect on the outcome. But there's a certain psychological need within the human mind to try to gain control of things, to bargain and cajole and plead before the fact, and then to self-justify and delude after the fact. It's called "cognitive bias", and it's how casinos make their money. And in order to do all that, we need to anthropomorphize our universe. It's stupid, but then again so are most addictions - and you just try telling an addict to quit.


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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/9/2009 4:55:33 PM   
CallaFirestormBW


Posts: 3651
Joined: 6/29/2008
Status: offline 		I don't pray. I do offer good thoughts, or offer what comfort I may, or send my condolences or well-wishes, but I don't pray. My most common response is "I'll hold you in my thoughts." or "I'll be thinking of you."

In my case, not believing in a god doesn't mean that I don't believe in energy, and in a connection between everything in the Universe, so I may reference either of those when offering comfort. Being an atheist also hasn't prevented me from over 30 years as a fully ordained, pan-denominational minister and pastoral care counselor. Technically, if you want a box for me, I suppose I'd fit pretty well somewhere between Secular Humanism and Spiritual Humanism... but not having a god to pray to hasn't impeded my social, emotional, or metaphysical progress or capacity for compassion a whit.

DC



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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/9/2009 7:32:33 PM   
DavanKael


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Status: offline 		While I sometimes pray, I never tell people that I will pray for them. 
  Davan

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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/9/2009 7:52:38 PM   
Brain


Posts: 3792
Joined: 2/14/2007
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: MzMia

I have a question for those that are non-believers, atheists, etc.
When you pray, or say you are praying....Who are you praying to?

I have wanted to ask this for a long time.
I see many here that go to great lengths to explain that they do not believe in GOD, there
is no GOD, etc. on and on until the break of dawn.
 
Then I turn around and read where these same people tell others, they are praying for them.
WHO are you praying to?
to the air? to the ground? to other human beings? to the man in the moon? aliens? satan? grasshoppers?
seriously,who?
 
I totally understand that you are not a Believer, I just want to know who you are praying to?





George Carlin - Religion is bullshit.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o

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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/9/2009 7:54:51 PM   
MzMia


Posts: 5333
Joined: 7/30/2004
Status: offline 		Thanks for all the replies, I think I will understand a bit more, the next
time I hear/or read a Non-believer say they are praying for someone.
Much stranger things are possible!


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Namaste'
To Each His/Her Own
"DENIAL ain't just a river in Egypt." Mark Twain


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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/9/2009 8:26:14 PM   
rulemylife


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Marc2b

This isn’t always easy and it usually comes out as something like: “please bless that pompous, ignorant, jackass [redacted]. This may be self-defeating but at least I am making the effort. That should count for something, right?






< Message edited by rulemylife -- 7/9/2009 8:27:36 PM >

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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/10/2009 5:19:06 AM   
MarsBonfire


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Status: offline 		It's sort of like asking a fish, "when you are in your car, what do you listen to on the stereo while you drive?"

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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/10/2009 9:42:27 AM   
Crush


Posts: 1031
Status: offline 		Just found this one...was too funny not to share...with apologies to those that find the Virgin Mary on toast:

Atheist Melon  

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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/10/2009 9:52:38 AM   
NihilusZero


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From: Nashville, TN
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Crush

Just found this one...was too funny not to share...with apologies to those that find the Virgin Mary on toast:

Atheist Melon  

30 points!


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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/10/2009 10:01:33 AM   
sirsholly


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quote:

I end by asking for God’s blessing upon specific individuals that I know are having some troubles and upon people I am particularly pissed off at – I figure my soul could use the antidote. This isn’t always easy and it usually comes out as something like: “please bless that pompous, ignorant, jackass [redacted]. This may be self-defeating but at least I am making the effort. That should count for something, right?
i shorten by saying "Bless my family"

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RE: Question for non-believers! Who do you pray to? - 7/10/2009 1:26:40 PM   
subrob1967


Posts: 4591
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Status: offline 		The Flying Spagetti Monster
But seriously, I don't pray, nor do I tell people I'll pray for them.

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