Why do people pray?

[cverzonilla]

Why do people pray?

[Alexia]

Because they think that god will "hear" them and save them, or the
people they care about, or sometimes just random people...

Maybe, I don't know...
I stopped praying when when I was about 10 or 11 I think...
For me(being that young), my praying always consisted of little kid
things like a new bike or some such...
But close to the time that I stopped praying, I would always ask why I
had been abused, and why I had been separated from my sister for 5
years, and why Debbie and I were so different...

Man is in love, and loves what vanishes.
--W. B. Yeats

"Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight, with
scatterings of light by morning."
I saw this on and Ohio Dental sign... ;-D

I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to
it laughing.
--Stubb in Moby Dick

On Jun 28, 2011, at 12:48 PM, cverzonilla <christopher...@gmail.com
> wrote:

> Why do people pray?
>
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[Neil Kelsey]

On Jun 28, 9:48 am, cverzonilla <christopher.verzoni...@gmail.com>

wrote:

> Why do people pray?

Because they've been convinced that God exists and that he will answer
their prayers.

[lawrey]

cverz,

In the hope of something for nothing ;))

On Jun 28, 5:48 pm, cverzonilla <christopher.verzoni...@gmail.com>

[dali_70]

On Jun 28, 12:48 pm, cverzonilla <christopher.verzoni...@gmail.com>

wrote:
> Why do people pray?

Because they're deluded.

[Drafterman]

On Jun 28, 12:48 pm, cverzonilla <christopher.verzoni...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> Why do people pray?

It gives them the emotional satisfaction of doing something without
having to actually do anything while at the same time absolving them
of any perceived responsibility.

[philosophy]

On Jun 29, 2:48 am, cverzonilla <christopher.verzoni...@gmail.com>

wrote:
> Why do people pray?

Because they seem to think that some magical
being will be able to do something for them
that they can't do for themselves.

[cverzonilla]

As it stands today I pray to experience love and a lot of times
concern in an expressive way. I do the same sometimes when I'm happy
and thankful. I used to pray for control but now that I meditate I
catch myself praying for control less and less.

I'm still at odds with reality and I possess conflicting thoughts and
ideas but I'm okay with that. At least for now.

[student13]

Hi,

to experience love, why one need to pray? If you love,
don't you experience love?

sorry, I am not able to understand what exactly you have in mind.
Do you think you will be able to explain it a bit?

cheers
st13


On Jun 29, 6:37 pm, cverzonilla <christopher.verzoni...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[cverzonilla]

n Jun 29, 11:55 pm, student13 <pairam...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> to experience love, why one need to pray?  If you love,
> don't you experience love?
>
> sorry, I am not able to understand what exactly you have in mind.
> Do you think you will be able to explain it a bit?

Hi student. Yes, thank you for your question. Love is love
regardless. At least to me. I wasn't implying that someone has to
pray to experience love or that someone has to pray at all. I was
just saying that when I pray it's usually just an act of expression
out of love or concern as opposed to trying to influence life or some
deity to rule in my favor.

[Eris]

On Jun 28, 12:48 pm, cverzonilla <christopher.verzoni...@gmail.com>

wro Why do people pray?

Because it is a form of Meditation, it relaxes them and in a relaxed
state they think of answers to problems and this seems to come from a
divine inspiration.

[student13]

Thanks CV.

Do you mind my asking more questions? If you do not,
then kindly read further.

You say that "out of love or concern" as *opposed to * trying to

influence
life or some deity to rule in my favor.

Just going a step deeper!

While I cannot understand * to whom you pray * ;
is there a difference between "love or concern"
and "influencing life in my favor" ?

Is that wrong to "interpret" - on final analysis
any action performed by any human being is
to satisfy the pleased self ?

cheers
st13




On Jun 29, 10:24 pm, cverzonilla <christopher.verzoni...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[xeno]

On Jun 28, 9:48 am, cverzonilla <christopher.verzoni...@gmail.com>

wrote:
> Why do people pray?

It's auto-therapeutic. (A self-applied method and/or remedy to deal
with their anxiety.)

[xeno]

On Jun 28, 9:55 am, Alexia <abeane43...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Because they think that god will "hear" them...

But literally they're hearing themselves and what's bugging them is
out in the open. Appeals to god is an appeal to one's higher self, the
objectifer.

[xeno]

On Jun 29, 9:55 am, student13 <pairam...@gmail.com> wrote:
> If you love,
> don't you experience love?

Yeah, to a degree but I think people need a little biofeedback or
interaction with others to really experience love.

[xeno]

On Jun 29, 10:30 am, Eris <vith...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Because it is a form of Meditation, it relaxes them and in a relaxed
> state they think of answers to problems and this seems to come from a
> divine inspiration.

But it comes from the self. Praying is like making a phone call to
yourself and you may pretend it's to somebody else.

[Brock]

On Jun 28, 12:48 pm, cverzonilla <christopher.verzoni...@gmail.com>

wrote:
> Why do people pray?

Two specific reasons come to mind:

* believers are commanded to do so
* believers (and others) often benefit by doing so

Regards,

Brock

[cverzonilla]

Thanks student. No, I don't mind at all. I enjoy your questions as
they are good ones a deepen my understanding.

> Is that wrong to "interpret" - on final analysis
> any action performed by any human being is
> to satisfy the pleased self ?

Answer:
"The only way to be selfless is to be self less—without a self. No
matter what it does, a self isn’t going to be selfless. It can
pretend. It can approximate selflessness, but a self is never going to
be selfless because there is always an identified personal self at the
root of it."
http://www.adyashanti.org/index.php?file=writings_inner&writingid=26

[Joe]

For a similar reason that they breathe. People breathe to maintain
physical life; they pray to maintain spiritual life.

[Neil Kelsey]

On Jun 30, 11:39 am, Joe <jfg...@gmail.com> wrote:

> For a similar reason that they breathe.  People breathe to maintain
> physical life; they pray to maintain spiritual life.

Breathing is a reflex action, we can't not breathe. On the other hand
those who choose not to pray (and prayer is a choice) are not
qualitatively different from those who do. "Spitiual life" exists only
in your imagination.

> On Jun 28, 12:48 pm, cverzonilla <christopher.verzoni...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>

> > Why do people pray?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Alexia]

Man is in love, and loves what vanishes.
--W. B. Yeats

"Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight, with
scatterings of light by morning."
I saw this on and Ohio Dental sign... ;-D

I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to
it laughing.
--Stubb in Moby Dick

So in other words, the sub-conscious?

[Alexia]

Exactly!!

Man is in love, and loves what vanishes.
--W. B. Yeats

"Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight, with
scatterings of light by morning."
I saw this on and Ohio Dental sign... ;-D

I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to
it laughing.
--Stubb in Moby Dick

[Alexia]

Lol
It actually makes for a good therapy session, and it's free!!!

Man is in love, and loves what vanishes.
--W. B. Yeats

"Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight, with
scatterings of light by morning."
I saw this on and Ohio Dental sign... ;-D

I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to
it laughing.
--Stubb in Moby Dick

[Alexia]

I have an issue with authority figures (little ol' rebel me!! ;-D) so
I don't get the praying because I'm told to...

Man is in love, and loves what vanishes.
--W. B. Yeats

"Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight, with
scatterings of light by morning."
I saw this on and Ohio Dental sign... ;-D

I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to
it laughing.
--Stubb in Moby Dick

[xeno]

On Jun 30, 7:56 am, Brock <brockor...@gmail.com> wrote:
> * believers are commanded to do so

Believers command themselves to pray. Or rather *some* believers
command themselves to pray. (These folks are also compelled to command
other people to do shit & pretend it's their imaginary friends that
are doing the commanding.) Others are just compelled to express
themselves to their imaginary friends without imagining that they are
under any compulsion. Still yet others entreat & implore other people
& themselves. The act of praying is to make a plea. Pray tell when are
you going to release yourself from the dogmatic jail of fideism?

[xeno]

On Jun 30, 4:34 pm, Neil Kelsey <neil_m_kel...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> "[Spiritual] life" exists only in your imagination.

The imagination is the spiritual life.

[xeno]

On Jun 30, 4:52 pm, Alexia <abeane43...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Because it is a form of Meditation, it relaxes them and in a relaxed
> > state they think of answers to problems and this seems to come from a
> > divine inspiration.

> So in other words, the sub-conscious?

Could be. Might be easier to access things in the mind when the static
gets turned down.

[xeno]

On Jun 30, 4:57 pm, Alexia <abeane43...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have an issue with authority figures

But Brock standing around chastising people with a sock puppet doesn't
see himself as one. Though it's rather incredible given what a bossy
sock he has on.

[Joe]

Yes, you have free will, to choose eternal life or reject it. Surely
this is not new material to you.

I understand your deep and overwhelming desire to cast doubts in the
minds of believers, but I want to point out to you two things. First,
it isn't working, at least not on me, and certainly not on anyone
whose faith is authentic. Secondly, it is an evil act on your part.
Even though you scoff in the face of the prospect of your upcoming
judgment by the One you incoherently think might not exist, ordinary
human good will ought to prevent you from doing such things. Unless
that, too, is lacking in you, which would actually explain a lot.

[Joe]

Actually, no. The imagination is part of the mental life.

[xeno]

On Jul 1, 3:28 pm, Joe <jfg...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Yes, you have free will, to choose eternal life or reject it.  Surely
> this is not new material to you.

If people have souls, & souls are immortal, then NO, they don't have
a choice to choose "eternal life".
You may want to call eternal damnation eternal death, or death but an
eternity of pain is an ELS, (eternal life situation).

[xeno]

On Jul 1, 3:28 pm, Joe <jfg...@gmail.com> wrote:

> > The imagination is the spiritual life.

> ...The imagination is part of the mental life.

That doesn't make the imagination not the spiritual life.

[Neil Kelsey]

On Jul 1, 3:28 pm, Joe <jfg...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Yes, you have free will, to choose eternal life or reject it.

You need to provide a good reason for me to believe that.

>  Surely this is not new material to you.

Just because it isn't new doesn't mean it isn't just as unsupported by
valide evidence as ever.

> I understand your deep and overwhelming desire to cast doubts in the
> minds of believers, but I want to point out to you two things.

I am not to blame for your complete lack of evidence that "spiritual
life" exists independently of your imagination.

>  First,
> it isn't working, at least not on me, and certainly not on anyone
> whose faith is authentic.

That doesn't mean that you aren't simply imagining things.

> Secondly, it is an evil act on your part.

Evil is a subjective measure. From my point of view people who try to
stop others from adopting your delusions via peaceful means
(conversation) are performing a moral act.

> Even though you scoff in the face of the prospect of your upcoming
> judgment by the One you incoherently think might not exist,

Correction: I know your God does not exist independently of your
imagination.

> ordinary
> human good will ought to prevent you from doing such things.

Ordinary human good is what causes people to point out that your
religious delusions are anti-social.

> Unless
> that, too, is lacking in you, which would actually explain a lot.

I don't trust your ability to judge ordinary human good. I think your
perceptions are skewed by your mental illness.

> On Jun 30, 7:34 pm, Neil Kelsey <neil_m_kel...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Jun 30, 11:39 am, Joe <jfg...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > For a similar reason that they breathe.  People breathe to maintain
> > > physical life; they pray to maintain spiritual life.
>
> > Breathing is a reflex action, we can't not breathe. On the other hand
> > those who choose not to pray (and prayer is a choice) are not

> > qualitatively different from those who do. "Spiritual life" exists only

> > in your imagination.
>
> > > On Jun 28, 12:48 pm, cverzonilla <christopher.verzoni...@gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
>
> > > > Why do people pray?- Hide quoted text -
>

> > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[Alexia]

Hmm
Interesting

Man is in love, and loves what vanishes.
--W. B. Yeats

"Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight, with
scatterings of light by morning."
I saw this on and Ohio Dental sign... ;-D

I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to
it laughing.
--Stubb in Moby Dick

[Alexia]

Lol
He has a sockpuppet??

Man is in love, and loves what vanishes.
--W. B. Yeats

"Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight, with
scatterings of light by morning."
I saw this on and Ohio Dental sign... ;-D

I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to
it laughing.
--Stubb in Moby Dick