I’d describe myself as agnostic but I am on the way to atheism. Most of the way there, probably. I used to be a practising Catholic until I was late 20s. I’ve been drifting away from belief since then and I’m now 44.
The thing is, I really miss praying. I still sort of “pray”, in the sense that I sit quietly and reflect with thanks for the good things in my life and I also think positive thoughts about people who are important to me and I sort of mentally will them to do well and be happy. Sounds silly and probably is, but I like to think this somehow benefits them even though of course that isn’t logical.
I am not really sure what my question is now… Obviously, the premise of praying in the traditional sense is that there is a God and that he/she hears my prayer. If I don’t believe in God, is the purpose completely defeated? I feel there’s a benefit to me in the “praying” that I do now. It’s a time-out where I reflect and think positive thoughts.
I thought I had more of a question to ask people. Maybe I don’t. If anyone has any views or questions, I’d be interested to hear. Thanks in advance.
I thought about that. I never tried meditation but I always assumed it wasn’t a world away from praying. I guess I thought meditation was less about specific thoughts and more about sort of zoning out. Anyway, I shouldn’t overthink it. Like Bryan said, if it makes me feel better, it’s fine. There’s no real need to classify what it is I’m doing.
I’m a theist, but a lot of my praying has to do with calming and centering myself, and strengthening my ability to deal with tough situations. In my mind, those types of prayers have a lot more to do with connecting with the best part of myself than they do with connecting to God. If you want your prayers to be more than just “thinking happy thoughts”, you might want to see if you can manage to address some inner core of you when you pray, asking yourself for strength and guidance, and giving thanks to yourself for what you’ve been able to accomplish or overcome.
Sometimes for me prayer is about getting myself to really hear and acknowledge what I need to hear. If you can step away from the noise and confusion both outside your head and inside it, and really listen, your prayers will be heard even without a God to hear them.
Speaking as a believer… go ahead and talk to God, even if you’re not convinced there’s anyone listening. If He’s not there, you’ve just wasted a little time. If He is there, He still listens.
Heck, I’m a pretty well entrenched atheist, who was raised in a church, and I pray now and then in times of trouble (along the lines of the no atheists in fox holes). I realize its not actually going to do much but much like rubbing a lucky rabbits foot it gives you something to do. Interestingly in these situations I always imagine god having my own voice attitudes and sense of humor, so I’m probably in some sense just using this as an exercise to access my more calm and rational self.
My feeling as far a religion goes, is that as long as you aren’t hurting anybody, or trying to force your views on them, if it makes you happy go for it.
So who do you “pray” to? If you are an atheist, then why bother?
I would hope all agnostics and atheists would reconsider your choices. I am a Christian, and I accept God by faith. I also believe that Jesus is the only way to eternal salvation. If I am wrong, then what have I lost? Nothing. If you are wrong, then you have wagered your eternity .
Thanks for the replies. SpoilerVirgin, your thoughtful comments really touched me and I appreciate them.
Thanks, astorian. I think you answered the question I had but didn’t ask: whether I can pray to God even though I suspect He doesn’t exist. Because I think that’s sort of what I’m doing. I like what you said and I want to believe that it’s true.
I’m agnostic and damn proud of it. But I also occasionally listen to black gospel music and other “inspirational” music with overtly religious themes. I’m all about doing what feels good.
But prayer is one of those things I was glad to let go of once I stopped calling myself Christian. I used to pray all the time whenever I’d get anxious. Even though it used to make me feel better temporarily, now it just makes me think of being scared. It’s funny that I haven’t felt nearly as scared about stuff since I dropped the habit. think it may be that relying on prayer may have made me feel helpless.
What use to call on him? Little he cares if men live or die. Better to be silent than to call his attention to you; he will send you dooms, not fortune! He is grim and loveless, but at birth he breathes power to strive and slay into a man’s soul. What else shall men ask of the gods?
