Prayer is a waste of time!

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Well, almost all of these replies seem to have shot down the OP title.

I know it since elementary school times.

When I was a kid my grandma told me that if I pray and think of a wish the wish will come true.

I didn't want to bother God with the impossible (as the ability to fly) or something that depended on me (getting good grades at school) so I chose an easy wish: "God, please. Let me fall asleep faster tonight." because I always had trouble falling asleep and I was tired of spending hours in dark room listening to clock ticking every night.

But it never worked.

So I stopped believing in God.

I think active praying has personal benefits similar to regular meditation.

For me the video describes a rote style of praying, without higher level thought, which as I understand it, is passive prayer. Similar to people who arrive for mass every Sunday, but don't actively live a Christian life.

Prayer doesn't "work", but it provides some people with peace of mind.

It shouldn't be used in lieu of actually finding a solution (e.g. if your child is very sick), but some problems don't really have solutions - no harm turning to prayer then.

That is a cynical video produced by thoughtless cynics.

Campin_Cat, my father had a similar disdain for organized religion, thanks to the "Liars and Hypocrites." While he didn't consider himself a Christian, he was a firm believer in God. He used to refer to himself as a "Godian"

Brilliant video, AspieOtaku....thanks.

I think just to know that another cares for you, as auntblabby wrote, means so much. It is a reassurance, a validation, that gives a real mental boost of confidence. Imagine, for instance, you are to be interviewed for a critically important position you need/want. To have someone pray it goes well means they are endorsing you with their confidence. Likely your interview will then go better; that confidence projects!

Prayer is a form of meditation which is a means of self-hypnosis. The benefits of which are well-established.

So while I am not religious, nor do I believe in divine miracles (re: Susie in the cool video), I actually can see how prayer could be beneficial. Although not for the same subjective reasons as a conventional bible-believing church-goer might think.

For me, I tend to get confused when people talk about prayer. As an example, my mother-in-law might say, “I’ll say a prayer for Bob (who is sick)”. What exactly does she mean? Is she thinking: “I hope Bob gets better”? Or, does she really believe that the act of praying will help Bob get better? And what happens if the prayer doesn’t work? Does that discourage her from praying in the future?

I guess, ultimately, I don’t understand it. I could ask. But, I suspect it would be considered rude. So, I don’t.

With all that being said, I think those who pray, get a positive benefit from doing so. And, I think a subset of those who pray, also get a positive benefit from telling others what they pray about. And, I suppose that make them feel better. Which I guess is a good thing.

prayers=petitions