i think it's the 'what if?' scenario.
what if there isn't a god, or god is not who we have assumed? is it harmful for people to pray? i don't think so. if it works for them, if they're getting piece of mind, if problems are working out, then pray baby pray.
but that's prayer, there's also self talk and self dialogue which everyone has and some aren't even conscious of it. putting word out to the universe to make something happen, i've personally witnessed it happen to me over and over again. sometimes it's prayer. sometimes it's writing down what i need. that might be just setting personal goals who knows?
i have a hard time believing in myself, some of it from the propoganda we grew up with, some of it from inherited depression....and you know me personally, so you know my quirks.
if prayer could get rid of my demons (aka phobias), i'd pray every day. but prayer actually gives me anxiety attacks sometimes, reminding me how fucked up being a jw was and why would god allow that dogma on kids?
i believe in prayer and prayer having power. i don't pray more than once a month, about as much as i smoke a cigar...hrmmm, maybe the two are related?
there's powerful forces in the universe that we can utilize, either through self talk, meditation (i typed medication first, is that a freudian slip?), or prayer.
i won't discount any of them....like i even have a hard time buying into anthony robbins 100%, but about 20% of what he says, and most of what he says is regurgitated psych 101, does provide results.
if someone says they pray and their prayer has been answered, more power to them.