[Atheists] When was the last time you 'prayed' as an atheist?

r3nu4l

I'm not talking about the last time you prayed and then two weeks later decided you were athiest.

What I mean is as a committed, devout (:p) Atheist have you ever said:

'Well I really don't believe there's anything up there but FFS, if you are there, can you stop [insert prayer here] from happening? Please? Have some compassion for the people that you supposedly created'?

Have you ever felt that it might be good to fire off a quick prayer just on the off-chance that someone might be listening?

I'm not asking this so that I can trap people and say 'Ha hah! So you do have faith...'. I'm genuinely curious.

If you have prayed, has it been a case of old habits die hard or just a case of 'I suppose it's worth a shot, can't do any harm anyway!'

Well, in a "please let me pass my exams!!" kind of way - but that's a combo of expression of desire and maybe "feck it, it's worth a shot if anything is listening" as much as prayer...

magicbastarder

i can't remember ever 'sincerely' praying; in the sense that i'm sure i did it as a kid, but can't remember any of the occasions.

Rev Hellfire

If the situation is grave enough everyone with throw out such a thought in a there's nothing to lose sort of way.

gbee

Every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights, just before I tick the Quick Pic on the Lotto.

To be perfectly honest, as a boy praying to Mary or St. Anthony, I did get more of a response ... I did get to see most of my favourite films in the cinema ~ remember no TV way back when I was a boy.

As a confirmed atheist, praying to the God of nothing for the lotto numbers, well I guess he has really answered me after all, I never win anything.

I'm talking myself out of a Lotto win here, somehow!?

Zombrex

Never

bnt

I've found myself thinking of friends at strange times, wishing I could talk to them about what was going on, imagining what I might say. I'd call that a form of "praying", in the sense of "talking" to someone who isn't there with you at that time.

It seems to me that, in life, most of the hurdles we face are set for us by other people. You might be sitting an exam - set by people - or in a war zone, being shot at by other people. Even when other people aren't around, problems are usually of one's own making e.g. climbing a hill in bad weather without protective gear: "nature" is against you at that point, but nature is neither the cause of or the solution to your problem!

I mention all this to point out that, when you try to look at it objectively, "praying" doesn't necessarily mean you believe in a "god": you might be reaching out to other people, or an idea, or even yourself before you made that dumb mistake. :cool:

r3nu4l

bnt wrote: »

I mention all this to point out that, when you try to look at it objectively, "praying" doesn't necessarily mean you believe in a "god": you might be reaching out to other people, or an idea, or even yourself before you made that dumb mistake. :cool:

Yeah I understand that but was thinking about prayer in the sense of to a 'God'.

I have to say that it wouldn't surprise me if many Atheists did sometimes sneak out the odd prayer but I think that's probably only because when we are children we are often told that praying to God in your moments of greatest need is the thing to do. We are conditioned to do it as children so when we feel super-stressed I can imagine it's easy to slip into that almost 'comfortable' mode of thinking and not be able to help slipping one out.

Ickle Magoo

I don't think I ever have.

When my wee one was in hospital I remember chanting in my head "Come on X, you can do this, you are going to be okay" or giving myself the same kind of pep-talk about passing exams or driving tests but I don't think I really throw any prayer "out there" as it were.

ColmDawson

Never.

Improbable

Never in a serious manner.

GLaDOS

Tuesday at Bohs v TNS, something along the lines of "For the love of **** let us score"

Galvasean

r3nu4l wrote: »

I
Have you ever felt that it might be good to fire off a quick prayer just on the off-chance that someone might be listening?

That might piss him off even more. "Oh so NOW you want my help? No dice!"

sink

When I was a kid, and I wanted something like a new bike, I would say a prayer, but even at that stage I already knew nobody was listening. Never in my adult life.

robindch

r3nu4l wrote: »

Have you ever felt that it might be good to fire off a quick prayer just on the off-chance that someone might be listening?

Yes, to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, but only when religious people were within earshot.

seamus

For a time when I was a kid I was convinced that if I really really wanted something to happen, it wouldn't happen. So I always used to visualise the opposite of what I wanted, and until I was old enough to know better I thought it worked

I wouldn't say I ever pray to anything in particular. Watching the Ireland -v- France match last year I would have been clenching my fist and saying "Please please please please please please please cmon cmon cmon cmon cmon cmon cmon", but I wouldn't be saying to anyone/anything in particular, just kind of hoping in my own head that it would happen. If that makes sense.
I was disappointed when it didn't happen - not because nobody heard me but simply because I didn't get the outcome I had hoped for.

Stercus Accidit

I was never religious (as a child I was curious and experimented with prayer a bit, but I did not inhale) and as such it never even crosses my mind to describe in my mind, to myself what I hope to happen in a given situation. I tend to just do whatever I can to make that desirable outcome happen.

I wonder how much of prayer is thinking out loud or habit.

r3nu4l

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

I wonder how much of prayer is thinking out loud or habit.

Well this is what I was getting at with atheists, it must be a really concious decision for some atheists and perhaps hard for some who have been conditioned as a child.

Equally, for believers I wonder how much 'prayer' is actually fervent prayer to their God and how much is actually just thinking or talking their problems out to themselves.

Of course, the above excludes the traditional 'Hail Mary's and Our Father type prayers.

smokingman

Didn't even pray as a kid as even then, I knew it was worthless.
These days, at that moment when I buy a lotto ticket or somesuch, I'll hope for the right numbers instead of lying to logic.

Pompey Magnus

I'm with Christopher Hitchens when it comes to this topic:

"If one could get erections on demand, there’d be no need for prayer in the first place."

Beruthiel

Never in a manner that I would consider serious.
I'll sometimes say praise Thor.
Or, if it pleases the gods.
Doesn't mean anything though. Probably habit more than anything else.
Prayer was bet into me as a kid.

nozzferrahhtoo

It is common in humans to make appeals to the inanimate objects around us. I would imagine most of us have appealed to our cars on an icy day to start, maybe even bargaining with it at times.

“Please please start, if you do I promise I will get you a tune up next weekend, the works inside and out”.

Similarly many of us have stubbed our toe, for example, and actually got angry at whatever it was we did it against… as if the inanimate object actually had some malicious intention towards us which is successfully carried out.

This is a natural human tendency. We personify things around us and in doing so elevate them to a state in our minds that allows us to appeal to, bargain with, or get angry at them.

However what if your appeals can not be directed at anything in particular? Not an object, but life itself, the probability of an event occurring, or some other intangible aspect of our universe. How do we personify that?

I would suggest that the human tendency to believe in god is the result of the personification of aspects of ours lives, our universe and the human condition and the amalgamation of those personifications into one entity which we then label “god”.

Am I immune to this natural tendency to personify the things around me? No. Have I made appeals to the personification of the intangible? Yes. I did so today infact when I said “please please do not let it get as hot today as it was yesterday!”

Is that therefore “praying”? I honestly do not care. I will leave it up to others to decide that. I see nothing wrong in my doing it. The “wrong” comes when people start thinking such personifications actually exist as very real non-human intelligent agencies and that we can bargain with those entities… communicate with them… and discern through ancient man made books what the will and desires of those entities are in regards our geography, morality, sexuality, politics and more.

robindch

robindch wrote: »

Yes, to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, but only when religious people were within earshot.

To which I should add that I'd only ever do this either if there was a good chance of a laugh or more commonly, if some religious person, knowing my views of religion, has chosen to try to wind me up or embarrass me by asking me to pray in publicly front of some group (as a few religious peeps have done over the years, and not always pleasantly).

But doing this seriously? No, never.

The Mad Hatter

Does yelling at inanimate objects count as prayer?

mikhail

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

If the situation is grave enough everyone with throw out such a thought in a there's nothing to lose sort of way.

Yeah, but we don't all pray to the same guy. Personally, I share Homer Simpson's sentiment, "I'm not normally a religious man, but if you're up there, save me Superman."

And I'm curious as to what atheists are sworn in on in court. Personally, I'd go with Batman.

MikeC101

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

Does yelling at inanimate objects count as prayer?

Probably not - after all, the objects do exist.

On the topic - I'm not trying to come across as thinking I was ever so clever as a kid or whatever - but I genuinely can't ever remember a time when I believed a deity. I can remember being afraid of ghosts, the possibility of vampires, and Santa Claus, but for whatever reason, the "god" thing never made any sense.

So equally, I don't really remember ever "praying" in the sense that I believed in it, or that anything would come of it. It was more a case of mumble the words along with everyone else at the mass, or funeral, or sit in a pew after confession and look like you're mumbling the words to yourself until an adequate time has passed that you reckon the priest will think you've done your penance.

A few dodgy plane landings and motorbike crashes later and I still haven't found myself offering to make deals with any deities

ShooterSF

sink wrote: »

When I was a kid, and I wanted something like a new bike, I would say a prayer, but even at that stage I already knew nobody was listening. Never in my adult life.

That's because you were doing it wrong. God doesnt answer prayers like that. Instead you steal one and pray for forgiveness.

(Credit Mr. Emo Phillips)

r3nu4l

mikhail wrote: »

Personally, I'd go with Batman.

MikeC101 wrote: »

I still haven't found myself offering to make deals with any deities

Ah but do you dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?

storm2811

I think I prayed to St.Anthony a while ago when I couldn't find something that was really important to me.(I was desperate!)
Ironically the thing I was looking for were rosary beads..:rolleyes:
I'm an atheist but a friend gave to me who recently passed away so I like to keep them.

MikeC101

r3nu4l wrote: »

Ah but do you dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Well, he paid for dinner - it's only polite!

Galvasean

Actually I do sometimes try to invoke a psychic will to further an end (It's kind of like praying). Like willing Arsenal to win the champion's league, willing that hot chick to accept my advances etc.

Efforts have thus far proved fruitless. The research continues.

Sam Vimes

People sometimes say they'll pray for me or x is bad luck or some such and I usually respond that i'll be grand because I got my shaman to dance around with a skull for me to please the gods.

Two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer

amacachi

Honestly can't remember, something had me panicking big time the other night and I couldn't know how it would turn out til the next day and I didn't look above or below for help.

liamw

ShooterSF wrote: »

That's because you were doing it wrong. God doesnt answer prayers like that. Instead you steal one and pray for forgiveness.

(Credit Mr. Emo Phillips)

you took my joke

goingpostal

For some people, prayer is not literally talking to God but, rather,
a "symbolic" activity, a way of talking to oneself about one's deepest
concerns, expressed metaphorically. It is rather like beginning a
diary entry with "Dear Diary." If what they call God is really not an
agent in their eyes, a being that can answer prayers, approve and dis-
approve, receive sacrifices, and mete out punishment or forgiveness,
then, although they may call this Being God, and stand in awe of it
(not Him), their creed, whatever it is, is not really a religion accord-
ing to my definition. It is, perhaps, a wonderful (or terrible) surro-
gate for religion, or a former religion, an offspring of a genuine
religion that bears many family resemblances to religion, but it is
another species altogether............ Belief in Santa Claus has also lost its
status as a religious belief.

This is what Daniel Dennett says on the topic in breaking the spell. While intellectually I am certain that there is no reason whatsoever to believe in a conscious personal god who can hear and answer prayers in real time, indoctrination at a young age is a very powerful tool that all religions use and the vestiges of this brainwashing are still with me. It can be hard to break a habit that has become deeply ingrained. It is very frustrating to have an emotional yearning for something that I know doesn't and couldn't exist. I find that reading Harris, Dennett, Hitchens, and Dawkins and the like, to be an effective antidote.

nozzferrahhtoo

r3nu4l wrote: »

Ah but do you dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Would you offer him your throat?

Daftendirekt

This thread reminds me of my favourite Father Ted scene.

Ted: Alright, this is a long shot, but it's our only hope - I'm going to leave this paper and pencil here and hopefully in the morning, God will have written down what we should do. Okay?

Dougal <skeptically>: That is a long shot.

* * *

Ted <waking up and looking at the notepad>:AHHHHHHHH!
Dougal: Ted, Ted! What is it? Did God write back?

Ted: No he didn't... Bollocks anyway!

Gets me every time.

But no, I've never prayed on the off-chance that something might be listening. Not that I can remember anyway. Although I have on occassion caught myself pleading with my computer not to crash on me while I'm in the middle of tweaking an unsaved Word document or something.

bnt

I hope the OP isn't trying to lead us to the "no atheists in foxholes" scenario - the idea that atheists start praying when things go wrong. I know that I've been in metaphorical "foxholes" on several occasions and felt no urge to pray to anything, and there are definitely atheists in actual foxholes, but I'm in no position to say it never happens.

But even if it does happen, and an atheist calls to "god" or "mummy" in a time of severe distress ... so what? That doesn't represent the person as he or she really is and wants to be. It would be beneath any questions of theism vs atheism, as primeval and sub-intellectual as the "fight or flight" response. It wouldn't tell you anything about that person as a thinking human being, so I wouldn't think it meant anything.

Sam Vimes

bnt wrote: »

But even if it does happen, and an atheist calls to "god" or "mummy" in a time of severe distress ... so what? That doesn't represent the person as he or she really is and wants to be. It would be beneath any questions of theism vs atheism, as primeval and sub-intellectual as the "fight or flight" response. It wouldn't tell you anything about that person as a thinking human being, so I wouldn't think it meant anything.

If anything, a religious person giving the old "no atheists in foxholes" bit is admitting something atheists often say, that fear is a prime motivation for belief

Gambler

I've "hoped" for things but never "prayed" for them to happen. I've said to myself "Please let this happen" but I've never thought of it as asking "The universe"\"god" to let it happen..

checkyabadself

Never. Even time counting the ceiling tiles at work is a more worthwhile use of my time.

Zillah

Wicknight wrote: »

Never

This. I've had close friends dying in hospital before my very eyes and not even thought of praying. I am no more likely to beg a God for help than I am to try and send telepathic distress signals to a passing alien mothership. Both are preposterous actions with no connection to reality.

She survived, by the way, despite my lack of faith.

liamw

Zillah wrote: »

She survived, by the way, despite my lack of faith.

Obviously someone else was praying for her

Zillah

liamw wrote: »

Obviously someone else was praying for her

I sent a psychic signal to the alien mothership asking them to ensure that someone came back with a smartass reply. It worked!

"Lisa, I want to buy your rock!"

aidan24326

Never for me either.

Really don't see the point at all. Muttering in your head to an imaginary entity not being the most productive use of one's time, whatever the situation.

liamw

aidan24326 wrote: »

Never for me either.

Really don't see the point at all. Muttering in your head to an imaginary entity not being the most productive use of one's time, whatever the situation.

dvpower

Of course God would never answer the prayers of Atheists.
Naturally, the fact that God hasn't answered any of your prayers is overwhelming evidence for the existence of God.

r3nu4l

bnt wrote: »

I hope the OP isn't trying to lead us to the "no atheists in foxholes" scenario .

You didn't fully read the OP before you dived in to answer did you? I hate when people do that because that's when they go off on tangents like the one you just did...

r3nu4l wrote:

I'm not asking this so that I can trap people and say 'Ha hah! So you do have faith...'. I'm genuinely curious.

eblistic

Never with any sense of belief but I was asked to do a prayer of the faithful minutes before a wedding (by someone who knew I wouldn't be comfortable with that). The particular prayer involved death and very personal loss so I didn't object. At the same time, I felt emotionally blackmailed. I'm still not sure what's the honest and right thing to do in those circumstances.

irishconvert

Wicknight wrote: »

Never

Ian Paisley, What are you doing here?!:D

Dr. Baltar

Seven Years Ago. I was 13.