Does prayer have any effect? (page 4)

Disillusioned Lost-Lamb

@leavingwt: Don't forget about the theory of law of attraction. If you concentrate on something long enough and hard enough YOU can make it happen; this can work in both positive and negative formats.

Prayer can also be likened to deep meditation or a trance-like state in which your conscience alters your sub-conscience. When you pray you are so absorbed that it does alter your thoughts and then your actions follow; essentially you change yourself.

I’m not talking about some spritistic new age crap. I’m saying if your life is centrally focused on one thing, it usually materializes because your thoughts and actions align, then you make it happen whether you are conscious of it or not.

Disillusioned Lost-Lamb

But then again the law of attraction is just a theory.

cofty

When I became a Christian I started watching Christian TV and I've heard story after story of praying for healing - Bella15

I've heard those stories too. Let us know when god fixes an amputee, until then faith healing says on the shelf labeleld "woo" beside homeopathy and reiki.

The Quiet One

Thanks everyone. Meditation and prayer to a 'God' can both have equally good psychological effects, it seems.

dog is god

L111 You know you might be right. I don't know what is really happening with our existance. They say energy never dies, it just takes another form. energy=spirit? who knows. Collective consciousness? I'd like to believe that. It makes more sense than heaven or digging yourself out of your coffin being resurected. We really will never know until we get there. It's "The Big Secret".

WTWizard

Prayer is, at best, a complete waste of your time. You will either get nothing or what you don't want every time--occasionally, Jehovah will let something slip through just so you will give that Almighty Lowlife Scumbag the praise when it was your own efforts or blind luck.

Or, what happens when you pray for Jehovah to guide you. What happens is that he will exploit you, putting you in a path that he will suck the value right out of your life. One prime example is anyone praying for guidance in a church or Kingdumb Hell, only to get an assignment they cannot handle yet they are expected to. Such would be monastery work at a Catholic church, Beth Hell or the Value Destroyer Training School, going on a long-term mission in Nigeria or Papua New Guinea, or positions where you are responsible for a congregation but you do not receive compensation.

One prime example they use is Jonah. Jehovah forced him to go to Nigerianevah. Jonah had good reason to want to not go, so he boarded a ship to New Zealand Tarshish. So what did that Almighty Freeloader and Exploiter of People go and do? He threw Jonah out of the boat and into the ocean and had a fish swallow him and drop him off in Nigeria Ninevah. Jonah did his work, which was not fulfilling in the least. So Jehovah threw a fit, making it unbearably hot and growing a vine to shade him. Then Jehovah destroyed that vine, causing Jonah to suffer--and Jonah complained about the suffering. What is clear is that Jehovah should have gone to Nigeria Ninevah and let Jonah go to New Zealand Tarshish instead. That way, there would be no doubt--and Nigeria Ninevah would have had a better chance of not ultimately having to be destroyed after all.

Phizzy

I always used to pray before giving a talk as a JW, especially hard and often, before I had to face a large audience made up mainly of strangers, as in away PT's

I was convinced I had neither the ability as a speaker ,or the right as a human, to teach, so I prayed for the ability to get God's words over to my brothers and sisters in a way that would praise him and help the listeners in christian living.

I thought that my prayers were answered, as I appeared confident in delivery, and many came to thank me for the help they had gained, some many years after I had delivered the talk, what I had forgotten saying by that time had stuck in their mind.

I now know that this must have been a plecebo type effect, even if God did work in that way, he would not have helped me to help others in their support of a publishing corporation posing as a religion.

So, prayer has an effect, as do placebos, so it may have a use, just don't fool yourself it comes from "god", unless She has personally told you so.

tec

Meditation and prayer to a 'God' can both have equally good psychological effects, it seems.

I agree with this.

I also agree that prayers can be answered. (and I don't mean with a "no", though that can be true as well)

Peace,

Tammy

cofty

I also agree that prayers can be answered. - Tec

Then you see god as one that intervenes.

Doesn't that put him in the dock for all the tragedys that happen every minute of every day? How often would the the most trivial action by him prevent needless suffering?

You can't have it both ways, either god intervenes or he doesn't. If he doesn't he is useless, if he does he is an underachiever at best.

designs

Its like meditation, it can calm you.

Does prayer have any effect?

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