Challenge: Proving Prayer Works

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blackwidow

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This was posted to me by an atheist. Can anyone help me out in proving him wrong within his standards???

Merely pointing out that there is no verifiable evidence that prayer works. Anyway, why should religion be immune from healthy examination? Religions can burn books, go tax free, advocate for measures which ensure the propagation of aids and the ensure overpopulation, yet it is a big no no to ever say “Hey, calling on the magic man in the sky to do your will is silly” causes outrage. Religion has made itself immune to criticism, and this is unhealthy. Saying “If you examine my beliefs I will get really really angry” is really unhealthy.

Some religious folks, having nothing else to fall back on, resort to rage, name calling and so forth. Anything except supporting their side of the story with evidence or reasoned argument.

YOU have have bucketfuls of evidence (not sally prayed for joan type evidence - real cold hard research) that suggests prayer does squat???

Show me.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efficacy_of_prayer
springerlink.com/content/t2rq61213nx11063/
sram.org/0802/faith-healing.html
quackwatch.org/11Ind/wirthstudy.html

That’s not even scratching the surface. But yes, I was hasty saying you have no evidence of prayer working. But if you do have real evidence it would be a first, and I encourage you to share it with the world, it would cause an absolute revolution.

PS, your evidence should

a: be testable
b: not be apocryphal
c: be repeatable
 
Try asking your creator tonight, OR ANY TIME…HE’S ALWAYS THERE
THIS IS A
TRANS-DIMENSIONAL UP-LINK TO THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE

O CREATOR OF ME, If there is a way of life you most love out of all the ways of life, then guide me to it,let me understand it and act upon it with the greatest of ease.

Show me truth as truth and help towards that and show me falsehood as falsehood and help me to avoid that.

O CREATOR OF ME, WHEN YOU SHOW THE TRUTH LET ME SEE IT AND UNDERSTAND IT, LIKE I KNOW BLACK IS BLACK AND WHITE IS WHITE ,WITHOUT ANY CONFUSION
O Creator protect me from the EVIL around me.

HERE ASK FOR WHATEVER YOU WISH/DESIRE NEED ETC…
 
blackwidow said:
PS, your evidence should

a: be testable
b: not be apocryphal
c: be repeatable
Click to expand...
And tell him his evidence against prayer should be

a. testable
b. not apocryphal
c. repeatable

This guy sounds angry. If he’s so confident it doesn’t work, maybe he should…just go about his own method.
 
Proof that prayer works: conversions, miracles, etc.

Some works God has done in my life:
  • I asked Him for my niece to be born on my birthday, and she was born on my birthday
  • I complained about being thirsty, and He made a cup of coffee appear out of nowhere
  • I ask Him for certain graces and He always gives them to me
  • I asked Him to let me visit my dad, and my dad called to ask me to visit him
  • I asked Him to lead me to Himself, and He has been doing that ever since
  • I ask Him for contrition and He gives it to me
  • I ask Him to teach me about Jesus and He dose
 
Thats not what I was doing at all. Actually prayer has worked also in my life.
 
As miracles–single events that are clearly outside or beyond the natural order, are rare, I think it likely that statistical variation associated prayer that is of a such a degree as to be clearly outside or beyond the natural order will also be rare.
 
blackwidow said:
“Hey, calling on the magic man in the sky to do your will is silly” …

PS, your evidence should

a: be testable
b: not be apocryphal
c: be repeatable
Click to expand...
Your atheist friend clearly does not understand what prayer is. It is about developing a loving relationship with God who loves us infinitely. It should bring us to conform our will to God’s, not the other way around. It is NOT “calling on the magic man in the sky to do your will.” Prayer should include worship, adoration, thanksgiving, contrition — not just asking for stuff. God is not a vending machine, where we insert our quarters (prayers) and get exactly what we want. God knows what we need better than we do.

Yes, God will SOMETIMES give us what we ask for, IF He knows it is what is best for us (eternally, not just in this world).

As for “testable” and “repeatable”: dare we subject God to the scientific method, when He is the one who created all the laws of science (and can certainly work outside them when He chooses)?

Prayer “works” if it helps us to love God more, to listen to Him, to serve Him more faithfully.
 
I’ve heard of some scientists who made ‘experiments’ to see if prayer works. The problem with this, or anything like it, is that we can’t ‘test God’. Prayer is not magic, prayers are answered only if it’s God’s will, and it also depends on the holiness of the person praying. So all these studies are fundamentally flawed 😦

really the only way to see if prayer works is to pray. 🙂

but if you are trying to convince an atheist, you can always point to the various miracles that have occurred around the world as a result of prayer.
 
PhilotheaZ said:
Your atheist friend clearly does not understand what prayer is. It is about developing a loving relationship with God who loves us infinitely. It should bring us to conform our will to God’s, not the other way around. It is NOT “calling on the magic man in the sky to do your will.” Prayer should include worship, adoration, thanksgiving, contrition — not just asking for stuff. God is not a vending machine, where we insert our quarters (prayers) and get exactly what we want. God knows what we need better than we do.

Yes, God will SOMETIMES give us what we ask for, IF He knows it is what is best for us (eternally, not just in this world).

As for “testable” and “repeatable”: dare we subject God to the scientific method, when He is the one who created all the laws of science (and can certainly work outside them when He chooses)?

Prayer “works” if it helps us to love God more, to listen to Him, to serve Him more faithfully.
Click to expand...
👍
 
My reply to the athiest was that prayer works for me. I do not just pray to God for things I need or want whoever suggested that.

Actually, the athiest was just stating how he felt, which I have no issue with regardless if it is certainly different from my beliefs.

I expected I think some different types of responses, not so negative with replying that I am offending God by asking this question.

It was put to me and I put it out there to see what responses I would receive.

I will continue to pray.
 
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