If prayer did any good, wouldn't we hire people to pray?

Question

That's a paraphrase of the Yiddish proverb: "If praying did any good they'd hire men to pray." Even great agnostics like Carl Sagan admitted that praying can make people feel good, like getting things off your chest to a psychiatrist or friend, sorting your thoughts out, but this is all true if you're just talking to yourself.

It seems like most prayers are asking for miraculous intervention, as in "Oh Lord, when two and two are added, let it be not four." That doesn't work. But a sensible comment on prayer that I've heard from a believer was C.S. Lewis famous, "I don't pray because it changes God. I pray because it changes me." If true, that would seem to justify some sort of prayer by atheists and agnostics, even though not directed at a divine personage.

I know people engage in selective observation to convince themselves God did a miracle for them as a result of prayer, but the notion that prayer might change us for the better seems worth considering. Your thoughts?

We actually hire priests and pastors to do a lot more than prayer, and believers generally do their own praying. I've never heard anyone claim they get their prayers answered if their clergyman is the one asking. Sso I don't think that's a responsive answer.

It is true that Buddhists in fact do hire monks and priests to perform specific blessings, like clearing a house of spirits, but the individual laity still prays of course.

lwheavenlyangel

I'm fully aware of the Biblical take on prayer. I'm also aware that the studies done on intercessory prayer for the sick according to the Biblical model show no effect on recovery times. I'm interested in what works. What you have been culturally conditioned to believe without testable evidence is really not useful.

Ever wonder if there are Christians know how to express themselves on these topics without condescension?

Behold, asked and answered. As I was typing someone posted a non- condescending answer from a Christian viewpoint! So it's possible, just not that common,

So 'the prayer of a righteous man availeth much" and we assume the priest is more righteous than us, so we hire him to pray. "If any are sick, let them call for the elders of the church." I've seen that lots. Never seen them paid for it. Never seen it work either.

Answer 1

All this supports my belief that the power is in prayer itself, and there is no deity involved. There is a small amount of evidence that prayer actually works, and eventually science will have the means to measure, analyse and answer how it works. At that point we can all learn to do it effectively. THAT is the religious/spiritual revolution that is just down the road.

'Prayer' is interchangeable with meditation, thinking good thoughts, chanting mantras, or whatever your theosophy calls it.

Answer 2

If prayer did good all the time, then why hire when you could do it yourself? Prayer was meant to be a way of talking to God and to tell him about difficulties, troubles, good fortunes, etc. Just about your life. However, it has been twisted and mis-interperated by man and now the definition to some if not most is "to request a favor be granted by God (or a god)." People have modified and bent the laws of God to suit them. Take the Pharisees: They had rules about everything. Your hands had to be cleaned a certain way before eating anything, you could only walk a certain number of paces on the Sabbath, etc.

Prayer is meant for talking to God about what is going on in your life. I have seen it being abused. Take for example, runescape. I don't play it, but I noticed that you could have a certain number of "prayer points". Other games like runescape also mis-interprate the meaning of the word "prayer". People have made it seem that if you pray, it is for something you want or want to happen. Say for example, "Dear God (or gods), I pray for a new bike and for jimmy to be sick on tuesday". In A Tale In The Desert, (a game I absolutely love to play), you are in ancient egypt and set out across the land in random locations are alters, in which you can worship. (Worship what, I don't know). Well, those are my thoughts on prayer.

Answer 3

In all the religions there are people to pray for you. And they are making good money too. People pay them fat money and think that they have done a good job and now god will listen to their prayers and everything will be alright.

True prayer, I believe, is the one which a person does from heart. No specific words, mantras or phrases are required. Just a simple, true cry from the heart is enough. If nothing else, that gives a person confidence.

Answer 4

those human beings do not hear an audible voice. The voice heavily isn't vocalized. The voice is a concept or premonition christians imagine is the Holy Spirit or God or Christ ( the three in a million) talking to them intuitively in the spirit.consider the idea of Christianity is faith (concept). I s it possible it truly is a theory or feeling or sensation they generated with the exception of another influence? positive. Christians via technique of religion evaluate that advice or result's from God, by very actuality they trust God to be on precise of issues in the adventure that they enable him. form of like no matter if it truly is meant to be it is going to likely be, or the coolest purchase takes position for a motive, Christians without issues characteristic that to God, thinking the actual undeniable actuality that they offer theory to or trust he's in take care of. Prayer is then effectively a communication with God, and the outcome no matter if that's an action, a concept, or an adventure is the answer from God. even as issues do not bypass as you prayed, then the answer is God has even with else planned it truly is more beneficial for you. the quick answer is that's all concept and also you need to trust or that's all moot.

Answer 5

Prayer is a privilege for those who have a relationship with Jesus Christ- it is a free gift from the one that died to save us from our sins, and allow us to have a personal relationship with God. Prayer does work- He answers the prayers of His people- every time- with YES, NO, or WAIT. When you want professional help with something and you pay someone to help you- does that mean that always helps? Of course not- paying someone for a service does not make it any more reliable. You pay for a doctor's service- if you do not like the doc you find another, etc- say just because Prayer is a free gift- that does not negate it's effectiveness.
The quote of "prayer not changing God but us" is very true I think. Another one that really speaks volumes to me is- "Prayer does not get God ready to do His will, it gets us ready to do His"- Oswald Chambers.

Answer 6

Although your logic makes sense to yourself, you must consider the obvious.

God does not hire men to pray and God does not do miraculous results when you pray. If that be the case, evilness can pray to God and their wants and desires would be done in His name. There's more to God than your sensible observation and maybe reading the bible may give you an insight on prayer and how to pray and what to pray for.

Answer 7

I see your point, but I think it is best to let people believe in what they want. Many people say that praying helps to them, and if it makes them feel better, who am I to say theyre wrong.

I'm a spiritual person, but so far from any organised religion or traditional practice. I have stopped trying to prove everyone wrong,.. You cant force an opinion on anyone. After all, I want them to respect my beliefs, so how can I at the same time disrespect theirs? If prayers dont make sense to you, then dont pray. Simple as that. But respect peoples wishes as if they were your own.

Good luck!

Answer 8

I believe that belief in an unbending mythology places modern humans no higher than the prehistoric humans.

I do agree, however, that the mind is much more powerful than scientists believe and that putting something "out there" into the universe may help bring it to pass.

Prayer hasn't helped people from getting blown up in war, has it? Somehow violence, at least in the short-term, is much more powerful than prayer. How many people of various religions prayed for the US to stay out of Iraq? How many hundreds of thousands have died inspite of our prayers?

Answer 9

People already do that. They go to churches and pay money as apart of it all.

In the majority of the world thou, prayer is accepted only if it came straight from the heart of a sincere man.

Answer 10

If prayers genuinely did work then I would sell mine for some serious cash.... There aren't many wills as strong as mine around, so it'd be worth the money. ^_^

[O'course for it to work we're assuming there would be some sort of god operating it.... and in that case I'd do well to use any excess cash to better the planet rather than... well.... just selfish stuff.]