Prayer

[POI]

For Debate: Is prayer just talking to yourself? If not, why not? Sure, prayer may make one feel satisfied/other, but there is likely no agency, on the other side, facilitating such desired response(s).

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People pray to many differing god(s) and/or other. Statistically speaking, many god(s) and/or other aren't answering, as many of these god(s) and/or other likely do not even exist. Hence, at least in part, many are merely talking to themselves in prayer. If many of the desired result(s) can happen in prayer, without any agency actually responding, because such agency does not exist, then it's quite plausible this is the case for all prayer.

[POI]

Self talk is very powerful. If that is all prayer is then I think secularly speaking it is wise to do it.

Is this all you think prayer is?

For me prayer is a conversation with God.

Many people think that, who believe in a differing god or god(s) than you. How do you know that you too are not just talking to yourself, and that the god you think you are conversating with, is not really there at all?

Remember self talk is beneficial.

I know my theology and I am praying to God.

I do believe they are praying to their gods. Scary thought.

Why do you believe all people, who claim to speak to their differing god(s), are speaking to their differing god(s)?

[POI]

For Debate: Is prayer just talking to yourself? If not, why not? ...

No, because it is directed to someone else.

In the case for praying to 'god', how do you know the 'someone else' is actually there?

However, is the someone else listening is a different issue and seems to be matter of belief.

Well, you first need to verify that there is actually 'someone there' at all. And then, I guess you could assess as to if/why they (may or may not) be listening.

However, if you want to just assume your god is there, couldn't any opposing god believer use this same argument? (i.e.) Hmm, is my god(s) listening to me?

[Wootah]

[Replying to POI in post #11]

Well two things can be true:

The idols are mute and useless mostly.

There may be demons behind them.

I pray to God to give thanks, ask for His strength and wisdom mostly.

[POI]

[Replying to POI in post #11]

Well two things can be true:

The idols are mute and useless mostly.

There may be demons behind them.

I pray to God to give thanks, ask for His strength and wisdom mostly.

How do you know it is not you, who is merely conversing with 'demons', or more likely, just speaking to yourself alone?

[Wootah]

[Replying to POI in post #11]

Well two things can be true:

The idols are mute and useless mostly.

There may be demons behind them.

I pray to God to give thanks, ask for His strength and wisdom mostly.

How do you know it is not you, who is merely conversing with 'demons', or more likely, just speaking to yourself alone?

Do demons ask you to 'love God and love others as you love yourself'?

More likely they are asking all of us to not pray for a heart like that.

edit: Remember, speaking to yourself is generally beneficial so if that is all we are doing then we should all do it and as a baseline prayer is good.

[POI]

[Replying to POI in post #11]

Well two things can be true:

The idols are mute and useless mostly.

There may be demons behind them.

I pray to God to give thanks, ask for His strength and wisdom mostly.

How do you know it is not you, who is merely conversing with 'demons', or more likely, just speaking to yourself alone?

Do demons ask you to 'love God and love others as you love yourself'?

More likely they are asking all of us to not pray for a heart like that.

edit: Remember, speaking to yourself is generally beneficial so if that is all we are doing then we should all do it and as a baseline prayer is good.

1. How do you know demons even exist?
2. If you can demonstrate demons do indeed exist, how do you know they are not deceptive enough to earn your trust by merely asking you to do things you would never think they would ask?
3. It's likely you are merely talking to yourself in prayer. Sure, it may be 'beneficial' to some degree or extent, but you are likely fooling yourself to also think some agency, on the other end, is actually present and listening.

[Wootah]

[Replying to POI in post #11]

Well two things can be true:

The idols are mute and useless mostly.

There may be demons behind them.

I pray to God to give thanks, ask for His strength and wisdom mostly.

How do you know it is not you, who is merely conversing with 'demons', or more likely, just speaking to yourself alone?

Do demons ask you to 'love God and love others as you love yourself'?

More likely they are asking all of us to not pray for a heart like that.

edit: Remember, speaking to yourself is generally beneficial so if that is all we are doing then we should all do it and as a baseline prayer is good.

1. How do you know demons even exist?
2. If you can demonstrate demons do indeed exist, how do you know they are not deceptive enough to earn your trust by merely asking you to do things you would never think they would ask?
3. It's likely you are merely talking to yourself in prayer. Sure, it may be 'beneficial' to some degree or extent, but you are likely fooling yourself to also think some agency, on the other end, is actually present and listening.

1. Have you see the world lately?
2. Greatest trick the devil ever pulled ...
3. Fooling ourselves seems a necessary part of life. You know you are gunna die, but you fool yourself things matter. It may be a matter of choosing your illusion. I sure know my outcomes in life are better now, with my current illusion if that is all it is.

[TRANSPONDER]

[Replying to POI in post #11]

Well two things can be true:

The idols are mute and useless mostly.

There may be demons behind them.

I pray to God to give thanks, ask for His strength and wisdom mostly.

How do you know it is not you, who is merely conversing with 'demons', or more likely, just speaking to yourself alone?

Do demons ask you to 'love God and love others as you love yourself'?

More likely they are asking all of us to not pray for a heart like that.

edit: Remember, speaking to yourself is generally beneficial so if that is all we are doing then we should all do it and as a baseline prayer is good.

1. How do you know demons even exist?
2. If you can demonstrate demons do indeed exist, how do you know they are not deceptive enough to earn your trust by merely asking you to do things you would never think they would ask?
3. It's likely you are merely talking to yourself in prayer. Sure, it may be 'beneficial' to some degree or extent, but you are likely fooling yourself to also think some agency, on the other end, is actually present and listening.

1. Have you see the world lately?
2. Greatest trick the devil ever pulled ...
3. Fooling ourselves seems a necessary part of life. You know you are gunna die, but you fool yourself things matter. It may be a matter of choosing your illusion. I sure know my outcomes in life are better now, with my current illusion if that is all it is.

We are all very happy for you if your life is indeed better for believing the Christianity claims. We just happen to see the world as it is - clearer perhaps than you who appears unaware of how much better it actually it is than it was back in the day when everyone was a religious believer. And yet it was so bad that the devil (not God) had to be made ruler of the world to explain why it was so bad. So does the 'greatest trick' mean that it making things better so we don't know it's an evil deity doing it? Or is it the 'pretending I don't exist' idea of C.S Lewis. But God is hidden by Dogma, or at least by apologetic excuses for doing nothing. Have you even thought about the Dogma you are expounding?

Rhetorical question I don't really care. The point is that people are hopefully waking up to the false story being peddled by Christianity and they see though the accusation that we doubters are all being allowed to be fooled by Satan, just as if there no God there that could do anything about it, never mind the fear - promise of and afterlife, which i don't care about either.

Just knock yourself out trying to sell the worthless claims of religion, and I'll continue to knock myself out exposing them for footle.

[boatsnguitars]

[Replying to POI in post #11]

Well two things can be true:

The idols are mute and useless mostly.

There may be demons behind them.

I pray to God to give thanks, ask for His strength and wisdom mostly.

Give a concrete example of how God manifests differently than an idol?

Seem God IS an idol, just one in the Mind.

[1213]

...
Well, you first need to verify that there is actually 'someone there' at all. And then, I guess you could assess as to if/why they (may or may not) be listening.

However, if you want to just assume your god is there, couldn't any opposing god believer use this same argument? (i.e.) Hmm, is my god(s) listening to me?

As I said, it is a matter of belief. In my opinion it does not matter, if the other gods exist and even listen, I wouldn’t keep them as my God anyway, because I don’t think they are worthy of that.