The power of prayer: in action

One of the claims tossed about by some atheists and science minded skeptics is that Christians by and large engage in circular reasoning, baseless assumptions, and non provable assertions.
Why do they do this? If we were studying an insect or an animal and we found that it had a great affinity for a certain object, path, or behavior, we would seek to find out what the attraction was.Why are Christians so adamant about their faith?
For me, I have experienced too much to ever doubt the authenticity of the Spirit. Some have said that what I experienced was an emotional link to a bunch of lonely people seeking a calling in life.
I have acknowledged this possibility, yet I sense something deeper. I have always known this as God. This deep, inner knowing. The odd thing is, the more "proof" against Him that I am shown, the more that I need to experience Him.Atheists would say that I am afraid of living without the crutch of religion. I wish it were that simple. The crutch that is referred to is very much alive and personal. It is a relationship rather than a religion. I derive great strength from talking with Him every day.
Some would say that I am talking to myself. What do you think?

Well, they don't have an affinity for a "certain" path; they seem to have an affinity for about 200 different paths, in American alone. That you're talking to yourself.

I'd say you're talking to yourself too, but I wouldn't say that's necessarily a bad thing. You can probably give yourself quite a few good answers without even knowing it.

Perhaps prayer is a form of self-reflection.Whatever the power of prayer, it remains indetectable by science. When you pray and feel you are in communion with God, science says that nothing is happening. Studies have not demonstrated that prayer has any measurable effect on people.If the human soul were a spirtual connection to God then one could argue that the connection is physically indetectable. But studies indicate that prayer has no relationship to happiness or incidence rates of depression and so forth. In fact, the largest factors seem to be a generally positive outlook and good social contacts. And considering the impact of prayer on others instead of just on ourselves, the absence of any positive results from the prayer studies (for example, praying for sick people) means that to this point in time we have no evidence that prayer has any power in the real world.So the important question is, what is it that you are experiencing when you pray? It sounds very much like what I experience when I meditate. The feeling of connecting with the universe is not limited to those who pray.--Percy

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Isn't it amazing how we are so affected by what others do to us.

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The trick is to let it affect us for the better and not the worse. Build good character, not destroy it.I've always been fascinated by psychology and why we do the things we do.Several years ago I read a good book called "The Other Side of Love: Handling Anger in a Godly Way" by Gary Chapman. It was after a Bible study when the teacher kept emphasizing that Christians aren't supposed to get angry. I've seen many people struggle with this unreasonable teaching.The main point of the book though is that God doesn't say never get angry, but he does say that in your anger do not sin! The book also helps to understand what is justified anger. It helps me to help my sister deal with her anger issues. She has a mean temper!I was called into work today and didn't have time to address this question from the earlier post.

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If you had to sum up the reason why you left behind religion, what would it be.

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It no longer serves a purpose. Because I am a giver, religion can take a lot out of me, but it doesn't give anything back.I realize you are going through a process of change right now, but do you feel you receive anything back from the acts of religion that can only be done through religion?If this post sounds disjointed, I apologize. The coaches are busy today and keep interrupting my train of thought.
How rude!

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

I really need to find that prayer/drugs/meditation thread...Edit: Ut! There it is!Man, I was so much more polite back then.This message has been edited by Dan Carroll, 11-01-2004 12:52 PM

Phat,The impression I've gotten of you and your religious beliefs it seems to me they have a positive supporting role in your life and I've no problem with that.I have issues with fundamentalists of any religious persuasion who believe that what they believe is the only truth and that all others belief systems are from evil sources.I also have trouble with YEC creationists, particularly those who haven't even tried to understand science, who think they can just dismiss the huge number (millions?) of man hours that have gone into studying the universe and it's compostion and phenomena scientifically.Belief systems that help people live happily and compassionately with one another in this world are fine by me though I may disagree with certain policital issues that arise thereby such as wanting prayer in public schools.lfen

Because I've been through the process.I'm not sure what I can compare it to outside of religion, since I grew up in the church. It is an emotional high.But the feelings are genuine. No one slipped us any drugs or such.

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

God doesn't tell me to do anything. He puts things on my heart to do. Things that are always good. Its up to me to carry it out. Just like the devil can temp you to do something, but its up to you to carry it out.That is why man is responsible for all evil.You know good from bad? So do I. If there even was a question of it was bad, I probably wouldn't do it, and question where the thought came from.

Any of them.You think there is a religion out there that would justify such actions?
I am not talking about extremists, because they are obviously wrong, even if they think they are right.

I am saying there is no way we could even know all the variables to fully survey the results.How do we know who is true to God or not? Because that is a key factor in getting blessed by God. We can only go by what people say.

My kid came home friday with a paper that explained goblins to him, and said they would be out on Halloween. Thats ok right?

Yes absolutly, on many levels.
In todays world it seems hard to find people to get along wiht. It is so easy for people to get mad at each other then not talk to each other. Most people can't even name their nieghbors anymore. The backyard has replaced the front porch.I finally found a church where I feel the people there get it. They act in a Godly way with themselves and each other. It is such a blessing to be involved with them, and I hope it never changes.Believe me I had no shortage of friends before, but these people are more like family, the kind of family you like.I also get great spiritual satisfaction from knowing the Lord and doing his works. I feel as though his blessings are upon me and my family.I enjoy everthing I do there. They let me have my own ministry, I build and fly radio control planes, and that is the focus of my group. I got a bunch of guys together from the church, and from outside the church. I try to spread the Love of Jesus through example, and do not preach, unless asked to. We have a great time building/flying together, and have made some pretty good friends, and care for them a lot.My other ministry is of course worship leader. How cool is it to play music to the Lord! Especially almost anykind of music we like, as long as the lyrics fit.I am going to be producing a musical about how David worshipped. It is also an introduction to trance as a form of worship music. It will start out with ancient worship music, then blend in to trance. It will bring the past in to the present and show people how to dance to the Lord.

Sure. And very Christian as well.One of my favorite prayers is the one for All Hallows Eve, the source of Halloween.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Where is that from specifically?