What do religious people think they are doing when they pray?

[YngiweRhoads]

Not a problem....you're free to feel that way.

I'd strongly suggest seeking out non-biased views for any further research into this subject for historical or scientific accuracy.

[Fallsview]

COULD "NATURE" BE GOD?

[YngiweRhoads]

Then why argue and debate?

Already answered this.

[doison]

the human brain responds to prayer in a unique way, a way only activated by prayer. whther or not you realize the necessary existence of God, its an undeniable fact reveleaed through science that the human brain contains a segment devoted to communication with God. take it for what its worth

Activated by prayer, properly placed magnetic field, various drugs, or any number of other stimuli....

You can't really say the brain responds in a "unique way" to any single stimulus.  If you do, you're generalizing the stimulus.  
If you say that prayer response is "unique" then you can say the same for sleep, excitement, REM sleep, etc.  

I'd be interested in seeing this "undeniable fact."  There isn't a single undeniable fact about the brain.  
There are biophysicists and mathematicians working on mathematical modeling of brain activity.....if you know anything about mathematics, the algorithms are anything but unique....
The very fact that nerve signals must convert an electrical signal into a chemical signal and back to an electrical signal at every single synapse is fundamentally non-unique.  

Neural signaling is non-linear....the chemical output at the synapse is not directly proportional to the electrical input from the axon.  
The best you can do with that is to make better and better linear approximations.....which isn't unique.  

Considering that there are about 100,000,000,000,000 synapses in a human brain, any given "stimulus" is a system of millions, billions, or trillions of non-linear processes....all of which are non-unique.

I'm sure you saw some show on the Discovery channel that said something about the "prayer" response, but it's really much more complicated than that.

[Tito24]

synthol

[Tito24]

but i have to admit, when i see mos his arms i can only think, there must be a god!

[Man of Steel]

I'd strongly suggest seeking out non-biased views for any further research into this subject for historical or scientific accuracy.

I have friend....I have.  It's the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit in my heart and life and the works the Lord has done in my life that make it so hard to deny him.

[YngiweRhoads]

I have friend....I have.  It's the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit in my heart and life and the works the Lord has done in my life that make it so hard to deny him.

 

[Man of Steel]

but i have to admit, when i see mos his arms i can only think, there must be a god!

LOL!!  I like your style!

[Deicide]

Wait, I just realised: Man of Steel is the Genetic Giant!

[James Blunt]

I'll just leave this here.

It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master.

Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves - or whether it should be ours here and now and on this earth

From the smallest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from one attribute of man - the function of his reasoning mind.

Ayn Rand

[Deicide]

I just realised that Man of Steel would not be a Christian if he had bad bbing genetics. He believes because he was lucky to have good genetics.

[Man of Steel]

Let's provide a different twist to this

for those that don't believe in God: What would it take in order for you to believe in God? The historical proof that a man named jesus existed? The end of times (or would u think u were crazy if u saw horses come out of the sky)?

for those that believe in God: What would it take in order for you not to believe in God? Historical proof that jesus didn't exist? Or would you just think the records were wrong,

If there are no arguments that will change your point of view. Then why argue and debate?

I was actually asked this question when I was younger, but I don't remember how I answered.  Still, it's an intriguing quetion actually.  

What would it take for me to belief that God didn’t exist?  

It would require the presence of the Holy Spirit suddenly being removed from my heart and life.  It would require that all the past works the Lord has done in my life to somehow be negated.  I would take the completely private, absolutely personal, transcendant spiritual experiences (that not even my wife has seen me experience) with the Holy Spirit to be somehow negated or removed from my life.  It would require the personal relationship I experience with Christ on a daily basis being somehow turned off and the past experiences being explained away and negated.

I don’t know how else to put it…..I ain’t that smart LOL!!!  

[James Blunt]

A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.

After coming into contact with a religious man I always feel I must wash my hands.

Every church is a stone on the grave of a god-man: it does not want him to rise up again under any circumstances.

In Christianity neither morality nor religion come into contact with reality at any point.

The apocalypse is not something which is coming. The apocalypse has arrived in major portions of the planet and it's only because we live within a bubble of incredible privilege and social insulation that we still have the luxury of anticipating the apocalypse. If you go to Bosnia or Somalia or Peru or much of the third-world then it appears that the apocalypse has already arrived.

We are so much the victims of abstraction that with the Earth in flames we can barely rouse ourselves to wander across the room and look at the thermostat

[Man of Steel]

I'll just leave this here.

It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master.

Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves - or whether it should be ours here and now and on this earth

From the smallest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from one attribute of man - the function of his reasoning mind.

Ayn Rand

1 Corinthians 1:18-31
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
 
19For it is written:  "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,

23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

26Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.

27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,

29so that no one may boast before him.

30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
 
31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

[Man of Steel]

I just realised that Man of Steel would not be a Christian if he had bad bbing genetics. He believes because he was lucky to have good genetics.

God made me a fat kid with a knack for curling stuff LOL!!!

[Man of Steel]

I want to thank y'all for the conversation today.  I always learn a lot in these conversations and it broadens my knowledge base.  I like getting glimpses into the conflicting schools of thought and I appreciate when the exchanges are healthy.  A little aggression is cool, but it's mostly been contained and that's all good.

I think now we can get back to the real business....oily, muscle hunks in glitter thongs.

[James Blunt]

 

[YngiweRhoads]

I want to thank y'all for the conversation today.  I always learn a lot in these conversations and it broadens my knowledge base.  I like getting glimpses into the conflicting schools of thought and I appreciate when the exchanges are healthy.  A little aggression is cool, but it's mostly been contained and that's all good.

Ditto.

I think now we can get back to the real business....oily, muscle hunks in glitter thongs.

Yep, dudes in thongs is serious business.

[Parker]

A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.

After coming into contact with a religious man I always feel I must wash my hands.

Every church is a stone on the grave of a god-man: it does not want him to rise up again under any circumstances.

In Christianity neither morality nor religion come into contact with reality at any point.

The apocalypse is not something which is coming. The apocalypse has arrived in major portions of the planet and it's only because we live within a bubble of incredible privilege and social insulation that we still
have the luxury of anticipating the apocalypse. If you go to Bosnia or Somalia or Peru or much of the third-world then it appears that the apocalypse has already arrived.

We are so much the victims of abstraction that with the Earth in flames we can barely rouse ourselves to
wander across the room and look at the thermostat

This.

You keep on this path, you are knocking them out of the park...

[FREAKgeek]

Man of Steel,

Let's just face it. You are a Christian due to your cultural and environmental influences, with probably a genetic component  
as well (not a gene towards Christianity, but just to have religious zeal in general). There is no divine influence or calling.

If you had been raised in Israel, you would have probably been a devout Jew. If you had been raised elsewhere in the Middle East, a Muslim, in Tibet, a Buddhist, etc. There are exceptions, but that is the norm.

There is this principle called Occam's Razor which you are probably familiar with, i.e. the simpler explanation to an observation is usually the correct one. I think it applies here.

[johnnynoname]

i'm coming in at this thread now and can't figure out how this thread got so big

i mean, I'm willing to bet that it is filled with Atheists talking about how "God" doesn't exist


don't you Atheists feel silly making this page as big as it has become discussing something that "doesn't exist"?

[garebear]

 

These guys ate five protein shakes a day and prayed to Jesus.

That's why they have the big muscles.

[Man of Steel]

Man of Steel,

Let's just face it. You are a Christian due to your cultural and environmental influences, with probably a genetic component  
as well (not a gene towards Christianity, but just to have religious zeal in general). There is no divine influence or calling.

If you had been raised in Israel, you would have probably been a devout Jew. If you had been raised elsewhere in the Middle East, a Muslim, in Tibet, a Buddhist, etc. There are exceptions, but that is the norm.

There is this principle called Occam's Razor which you are probably familiar with, i.e. the simpler explanation to an observation is usually the correct one. I think it applies here.

Yes, that is definitely correct.  As I mentioned previously:

I was very blessed to be raised by a mother and father that guided me and my siblings with love and that shared with us the love of God.  I never once saw my folks disrespect and speak ill of any nonbelievers in our community.

God has blessed me and my family.  We were raised in the United States, in the great state of Texas under the guidance of loving, Christian parents (and grandparents);  fortunately I wasn't raised in a jungle, desolate country or third world nation.  I was blessed with all the comforts and freedoms of this country in conjunction with the love of a Christian home and elders.  As a child my parents had several missionary friends and today my sister and brother in law have both gone on missionary trips to spread the word of Christ to those areas you mentioned.   

It's easy to have zeal when I have the "joy, joy, joy , joy down in my heart to stay!!"

God has truly blessed me and my family and I give him praise for it!!

Occam's Razor, yep, learned about that in the movie Contact   and then was later exposed to this theory again during some research on topics of metaphysics.

[James Blunt]

What is good? Everything that heightens the feeling of power in man, the will to power, power itself.
What is bad? Everything that is born of weakness.
What is happiness? The feeling that power is growing, that resistance is overcome.
Not contentedness but more power; not peace but war, not virtue, but fitness.
The weak and failures shall perish: first principle of our love of man. And they shall even be given every possible assistance.
What is more harmful than any vice? Active pity for all the failuires and all the weak: christianity. nietzsche!