Without a God, it is easy to lose proper perspective and a sense of my small place in the world. Social Media has made a mockery of praying. Why do Atheists Object when Christians Say They'll Pray for You? Or spare a few dollars to help with these killer medical bills?". Religionists knowingly offering to pray for an atheist may also possibly be acting in a passive-aggressive manner (while hiding their condescension behind the "veil" of righteous caring). So, instead of seeing prayer as an unfortunate relic from a religious past, atheists can practice it as a ritual in which one pauses to gain proper perspective, humility, and gratitude. Why are on earth would it trouble me? Which is what our godless universe is. That said, those with religious inclinations should understand that prayers are not always an act of benevolence. Hundreds of events live-streamed from London, Delhi and New York, featuring the biggest thinkers in philosophy, science, politics, the arts and economics. However, my personal private interpretation is "don't expect any real help from me, but I will pray for you." Given the polar opposite you find with Islam...killing the person who doesn't believe. It's nice that you pray and think that something happens when you do. She must have been terrified, and emotionally scarred. Replies. Alas some are just terrified by the suffering of others. Consider the value of writing a letter to a deceased parent. Thus, it is perhaps more excusable when an elderly well-wisher assumes religiosity and conveys her support by assuring you that she is praying for you. I'll tell you what you did with Atheists for about 1500 years. However if I get a call from my neighbor's son who knows me well that they need help I feel free to jump over and help. I had no idea some people pray all the time. Again, the gratitude can be expressed to “God,” the universe, or to no one in particular. And that’s why I would in the same way like to respect people and ask: “Is it ok for you if I pray for you?” or “Do you want me to pray for you?”. Neither will a spiritual person of any faith or creed be offended. You could offer to bring them other things they need or to transport them places they need to go. I would expect something more intelligent than a declaration of hogwashness over my clarifications. As I do not share their beliefs why would it trouble me what others do in this way. What kind of god is that?" One does not need to believe in God for prayer to work. That may not stop the ladies in the rosary circle from claiming credit when someone recovers quickly after having been prayed for (never mind the awesome advances of science and medicine! The prayer takes the form of a wish that all beings will be well. An atheist can express a wish or articulate a plan in prayer as a way of envisioning a positive outcome and thereby increasing its likelihood through suitable actions. Haha, yes I've received prayers and accepted it as a good luck wish. Numerous times I’ve received statements such as, “Your family is in my prayers.” These types of situations create issues of etiquette for both the atheist recipient and the religious sender. At the very least, you can make sure you don't forget about them in your busy life and try to keep in contact with them, letting them know that you are still thinking about them. Learn Religions uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Singing about hopes or desires does nothing directly to bring them about, but singing can still be valuable as an expression of hopes and desires. Implicit in this contract is the threat that if God does not come through, then neither will I next time. A Philosopher's Dilemma. People have to define goodness and evil, and then be responsible for it, because there's no god to do that. When I tell you I am an atheist it means I do not believe. Bohr responded, “I’m told that you don’t have to believe in order for it to work.”. Legend has it that the physicist Niels Bohr had a horseshoe hanging above his door. I accept the well-wishes from anyone, and thank them. In fact, Tibetan Buddhism offers a prayer for the “four immeasurables”—loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity—that some atheists may find appealing: May all beings have happiness and the cause of … You think praying for me will help me? Believers will say that God answers all prayers. @nxina I do expect that if there is something more that I can do for the person, I should offer that help as well, and refrain from trotting out the "I'm praying for you," especially if the people I am speaking to are causual acquaintances. Passive aggressive it may well be but why should that trouble me? Puzzled, the colleague asked again why Bohr had the horseshoe hanging above his door. The world is a better place when we cut people slack and are not so easily insulted. The plant probably will not respond, but it seems worth a try. If I mention the illness of someone close to me I preface my post and say specifically I'm loôking for information, not condolences. Much appreciated! By using Learn Religions, you accept our, An Atheist's View of the Christian Right's Agenda and Beliefs. Everybody knows I'm an atheist and I don't believe in prayers, but some of my friends will be trying to save my souls till the day I die. But the answer could very well be something tangible, like "I could use some help around the house" or "Donate to ___ research" or "Just be there to listen when I need someone to talk to." Nxina, that is really a presumptuous and insulting way to approach someone, and I am sorry that people target you for that. My son has profound autism and even though my husband and I have Always been believers, we frequently have had people doing this with us as well, sometimes going so far as to insist that his problems are a punishment for a sin that one of us has committed and will disappear if we just admitt this to them or someother body of people. Does Sexual Harassment Raise the Risk of Suicide? "Whatever god does is good, and not to be questioned" is a facade people who desperately want thre to be a god have slapped onto an arbitrary and unfeeling universe. I've had an atheist friend offer to "think good thoughts for me" before an exam. Ask "Is there anything I can do for you?" It is just that sometimes the answer is no, or not yet, or “I love you too much to give you that.” God works in mysterious and unseen ways. The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. I told him I'd pray at Mass. ... "I'll pray to science for you" posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 4:33 PM on April 30, 2009 [2 favorites] « Older OOP! And I never post something that is greatly troubling me. Someone chose some philosophers who had determined certain events to be evil and therefore a Good god will not permit them to happen so therefore a Good god does not exist! We do this out of obedience. Anonymous February 25, 2016 at 5:25 PM. Imagining that there's a god that's in control, and that whatever said god ordains is good, is hogwash. The agnostic’s prayer is like watering an apparently dead plant. Whilst I respect your 'diagnosis' what purpose does it serve? An Atheist who is in tune with his spirituality is rather encouraged by the thought. Again, you’ll need to tailor your response to each individual situation. Few atheists will infer hostility from every casual promise of prayer made to them, even when it comes from someone who knows about the atheist's disbelief but is being a bit careless in communicating. To Gift or Not to Gift? It's kind of gauche. Other Christians will normally respond by promising to pray and actually doing so at some point, asking God for miracles and divine intervention. We are actually instructed to pray for you. In my opinion if I hear my noise in my neighbors house I do not go charging in. Can You Take the Chance. May they never be disassociated from the supreme happiness which is without suffering. I also found the photograph very disturbing. Then I offer to visit when they feel up to it. And then I think of the research that indicated that people who were told they were being prayed for were more likely to have negative outcomes, post surgery, than those prayed for but not told of it. ), though oddly enough they rarely accept responsibility when the medical outcome is less fortunate. I think people pray to God because they feel helpless when bad things happen to those they care about and prayer does make many folks feel better. In past generations, when family heritage almost always defined religious identity with a high degree of certainty, the assumption that prayers are welcome would have been more understandable; but with the rise of the nonreligious demographic, that assumption no longer holds. Again, the gratitude can be expressed to “God,” the universe, or to no one in particular. "I am praying for you." But others just find it helpful to talk to their deceased spouses even though they do not think their spouses hear them.

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