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Atheists praying

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  • Atheists praying

    A new poll of people in Britain found that roughly one in five[1] non-believers there admit that they pray -- especially during a crisis. This sort of agrees with findings by the Pew Research Center which a couple years ago found that nearly 6% of American atheists pray every day and 11% pray weekly or monthly.

    This causes me to wonder why these atheists pray if they claim that God does not exist.

    The new poll was conducted by ComRes (a market research consultancy headquartered in London and one of the country's best known pollsters) at the behest of Tearfund (a Christian charity involved in alleviating world poverty).









    1. Although The Independent says it's "around 24%" and then later says "as many as one in five" and the Daily Mail reports "One in four atheists or agnostics." Taking a quick look at the raw data from ComRes, suggests that 20% is correct (page 21).
    Last edited by rogue06; 01-15-2018, 09:26 AM.

    I'm always still in trouble again

    "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
    "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
    "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

  • #2
    Maybe a "just in case" strategy?
    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

    Comment


    • #3
      Couldn't hurt right?

      I was an atheist because I believed the world was a godless world, but I sometimes wondered if it wasn't, and sometimes when I wondered I prayed. I mean if God exists, and I want to know that, I should pray to get in contact with Him.

      That was my thought process at least.

      Comment


      • #4
        I prayed even when I was more or less a quasi pantheist.
        sigpic

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by TheWall View Post
          I prayed even when I was more or less a quasi pantheist.
          Did you pray to yourself?
          Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

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          • #6
            Originally posted by seer View Post
            Did you pray to yourself?
            No. I had the idea that God existed I just thought he was more of an impersonal actor or that he preferred to act as a force.
            sigpic

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            • #7
              I remember a number of times in my rebellion when I was younger praying, "OK, God, if you're real....."
              The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

              Comment


              • #8
                Considering that the time that they seem to have prayed most often -- in times of a crisis or emergency -- seems to lend support to the old adage about there being no atheists in foxholes.

                I'm always still in trouble again

                "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                  Considering that the time that they seem to have prayed most often -- in times of a crisis or emergency -- seems to lend support to the old adage about there being no atheists in foxholes.
                  Tending to lend support is no match for direct contradiction.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by lao tzu View Post
                    Tending to lend support is no match for direct contradiction.
                    And yet 20% of British non-believers openly acknowledge that they do upon occasion pray -- especially when faced with a crisis or emergency.

                    I'm always still in trouble again

                    "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                    "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                    "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                      A new poll of people in Britain found that roughly one in five[1] non-believers there admit that they pray -- especially during a crisis. This sort of agrees with findings by the Pew Research Center which a couple years ago found that nearly 6% of American atheists pray every day and 11% pray weekly or monthly.

                      This causes me to wonder why these atheists pray if they claim that God does not exist.

                      The new poll was conducted by ComRes (a market research consultancy headquartered in London and one of the country's best known pollsters) at the behest of Tearfund (a Christian charity involved in alleviating world poverty).









                      1. Although The Independent says it's "around 24%" and then later says "as many as one in five" and the Daily Mail reports "One in four atheists or agnostics." Taking a quick look at the raw data from ComRes, suggests that 20% is correct (page 21).
                      Not really all that surprising. I'm an atheist and often pray myself, I use the Jesus prayer as a form of meditation, which is what prayer actual is anyway. Being human, we also fear death, so no matter how much of a disbeliever one is, the thought of oblivion could overcome ones reason, or like you say, just in case. But of course that's not a true belief, it's just a fear of death, or a desire to live like that of the sudden conversion of the foxhole atheist.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by JimL View Post
                        Not really all that surprising. I'm an atheist and often pray myself, I use the Jesus prayer as a form of meditation, which is what prayer actual is anyway. Being human, we also fear death, so no matter how much of a disbeliever one is, the thought of oblivion could overcome ones reason, or like you say, just in case. But of course that's not a true belief, it's just a fear of death, or a desire to live like that of the sudden conversion of the foxhole atheist.
                        To those of us who believe, prayer is not just meditation, it's talking with God.

                        The most basic definition of prayer is “talking to God.” Prayer is not meditation or passive reflection; it is direct address to God. It is the communication of the human soul with the Lord who created the soul. Prayer is the primary way for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate his emotions and desires with God and to fellowship with God.
                        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                          This sort of agrees with findings by the Pew Research Center which a couple years ago found that nearly 6% of American atheists pray every day and 11% pray weekly or monthly.
                          According to the Religious Landscape Survey, five percent of evangelicals don't believe in heaven, seven percent of Muslims and ten percent of Catholics feel the same, and just for grins, 49 percent of Jews, a plurality, don't either. It doesn't make much sense, but I don't think there's any way to get around this. There's really no substitute for self-reported religious affiliation.

                          IIRC, there's also a huge churn among American nones, with nearly half the population moving in and out between surveys.

                          Maybe the atheists surveyed on Sunday were Baptists on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                            To those of us who believe, prayer is not just meditation, it's talking with God.

                            The most basic definition of prayer is “talking to God.” Prayer is not meditation or passive reflection; it is direct address to God. It is the communication of the human soul with the Lord who created the soul. Prayer is the primary way for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate his emotions and desires with God and to fellowship with God.
                            Ya think. Do you think you are directly communing with god when praying the rosary, repeating the same words over and over?

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                              And yet 20% of British non-believers openly acknowledge that they do upon occasion pray -- especially when faced with a crisis or emergency.
                              I don't feel like looking again, but I think that was 16 percent, wasn't it? Leaving 84 percent to continue the contradiction. How does this support the "no atheists in foxholes" trope again?

                              I know, math is still of the debbil.

                              Comment

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