[url]http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-05-05-prayer05_ST_N.htm[/url]
[release]Americans are overwhelmingly sure there's a God who answers prayers.
But that doesn't mean they all favor an official annual National Day of Prayer — or that its goal should be promoting Christianity.
President Obama signed the annual proclamation last weekend, inviting Americans of all religious stripes to pray on Thursday, the 2010 National Day of Prayer.
This fits with most Americans' views: 92% say there is a God and 83% say this God answers prayers, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,000 adults May 1-2. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The survey also asked two groups of 500 people each a question about the National Day of Prayer. These questions have a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
One group was asked if they favored or opposed the National Day of Prayer or if it "doesn't matter."
About 57% of adults favor it, and 38% shrugged it off. Only 4.5% opposed it.
For most 18- to 29-year-olds, it could be the National Day of Whatever — 59% said it doesn't matter.
Those who most strongly favor it were Republicans (76%); women 50 and older (71%); and Midwesterners (71%) or Southerners (63%).
Thousands of events nationwide are being organized Thursday by the National Day of Prayer Task Force, a private conservative evangelical group that says one of its primary goals is to "publicize and promote Christian prayer."
Among 500 respondents asked if this should be "a major goal" of the National Day of Prayer, 62% said it should and 36% said it should not. People of all ages and regions held roughly similar views.
Most strongly in favor of promoting Christian prayer were Protestants (72%) and Catholics (70%). People with no religious preference were most strongly opposed: 69%.[/release]
:psyboom:
I need a cigarette.
[editline]2:29AM[/editline]
[quote=Emo Phillips]When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I
realized that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked
Him to forgive me.[/quote]
Dear God, can I get a girlfriend?
[QUOTE=Roof;21788709]Dear God, can I get a girlfriend?[/QUOTE]
No.
They are right, God has been answering my prayers. I prayed for humanity to fuck off and die so we can get another go as a species as this round was a disaster, seems our stupidity is rising everyday which should result in extinction someday.
[QUOTE=Axznma;21788797]They are right, God has been answering my prayers. I prayed for humanity to fuck off and die so we can get another go as a species as this round was a disaster, seems our stupidity is rising everyday which should result in extinction someday.[/QUOTE]
Atleast one real prayer is coming true.
92% americans say they believe in god. I've lost faith in americans :(
...Believing prayer works isn't retarded, seriously, calm down.
[QUOTE=Gummylamb;21788849]...Believing prayer works isn't retarded, seriously, calm down.[/QUOTE]
Depends how you define retarded
I laughed so hard at the bike quote.
[QUOTE=Gummylamb;21788849]...Believing prayer works isn't retarded, seriously, calm down.[/QUOTE]
Prayers are just placebo.
[QUOTE=combine487;21788872]Depends how you define retarded[/QUOTE]
Everyone in this thread defines retarded as disagreeing with them :(
[editline]11:51PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Hullu V3;21788902]Prayers are just placebo.[/QUOTE]
So? You can't prove that God DOESN'T answer prayer. I mean, I don't believe in God, but just because you believe that the person you BELIEVE to exist helps you, which is what he's supposed to do, doesn't make you retarded. You all think they're retarded because you think "GOD IS SUCH A RIDICULOUS IDEA AND ANYONE WHO BELIEVES IN IT IS RETARDED" or something, probably less drastic.
83% of people they surveyed, not everyone. They might of surveyed 100 people at a god damn church for all you know.
This isn't surprising. If someone prays and then they get it then they say how god answered their prayers. However, if someone prays for something and doesn't get it they say either, "God works in mysterious ways" or "It probably isn't the right time for me to have that yet". They downplay the failure and exaggerate the "success".
Lots of people don't understand that God answers all prayers. However, sometimes his answer is "Fuck you."
[QUOTE=yawmwen;21788933]This isn't surprising. If someone prays and then they get it then they say how god answered their prayers. However, if someone prays for something and doesn't get it they say either, "God works in mysterious ways" or "It probably isn't the right time for me to have that yet". They downplay the failure and exaggerate the "success".[/QUOTE]
They are pretty stubborn about it, yeah, but it doesn't make them retarded for believing it helps.
[QUOTE=Hullu V3;21788902]Prayers are just placebo.[/QUOTE]
That isn't a bad thing. If it works, it works. If believing god answers their prayers makes someone happy, then let them. As long as they don't infringe on someone else's rights I don't see the problem.
[QUOTE=Gummylamb;21788904]Everyone in this thread defines retarded as disagreeing with them :([/QUOTE]
I wouldn't call them retarded. Misguided and deluded with a huge dose of wishful thinking I would say. I don't really care if people pray or not, I'm just surprised that so many people actually think it works...
[QUOTE=Gummylamb;21788943]They are pretty stubborn about it, yeah, but it doesn't make them retarded for believing it helps.[/QUOTE]
Never said it does. It's like the people that believe in ghosts. If they see something jiggle or they feel a gust of wind it's "OMG GHOSTS!" and if they don't see a ghost in a place that's supposed to be haunted then "obviously the conditions weren't right/this is a sunday and ghosts come out tuesdays/they are shy today".
[QUOTE=combine487;21788949]I wouldn't call them retarded. Misguided and deluded with a huge dose of wishful thinking I would say. I don't really care if people pray or not, I'm just surprised that so many people actually think it works...[/QUOTE]
Why surprised? Just because you disagree? It's ridiculous to YOU, but to most people prayer is normal shit to them.
After two years of trying god has answered my prayers and gave me a child!
*A few years later.*
I can't believe he's gone, I suppose the lord works in mysterious ways.
[QUOTE=JohnnyMo1;21788940]Lots of people don't understand that God answers all prayers. However, sometimes his answer is "Fuck you."[/QUOTE]
That would be the best answer actually.
[QUOTE=yawmwen;21788964]Never said it does. It's like the people that believe in ghosts. If they see something jiggle or they feel a gust of wind it's "OMG GHOSTS!" and if they don't see a ghost in a place that's supposed to be haunted then "obviously the conditions weren't right/this is a sunday and ghosts come out tuesdays/they are shy today".[/QUOTE]
I know you never said it, I'm just addressing the thread as a whole
[QUOTE=Gummylamb;21788965]Why surprised? Just because you disagree? It's ridiculous to YOU, but to most people prayer is normal shit to them.[/QUOTE]
If someone thinks something is right, and they hear a lot of people think that the contrary is true, of course they will be surprised. It goes against their logic.
[QUOTE=Gummylamb;21788943]They are pretty stubborn about it, yeah, but it doesn't make them retarded for believing it helps.[/QUOTE]
Okay first off no one is calling them retarded so far. It's surprising so many people think it works. Prayer is a big placebo, if it works that way then fine. It just seems to me that if prayer works god needs to turn his hearing aid up a bit because something must be getting lost in translation.
[QUOTE=yawmwen;21788978]If someone thinks something is right, and they hear a lot of people think that the contrary is true, of course they will be surprised. It goes against their logic.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but you gotta be open about things like this, and realize that lots of people believe in god, whether you like it or not.
[editline]11:58PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=combine487;21788982]Okay first off no one is calling them retarded so far. It's surprising so many people think it works. Prayer is a big placebo, if it works that way then fine. It just seems to me that if prayer works god needs to turn his hearing aid up a bit because something must be getting lost in translation.[/QUOTE]
Well okay, but lot's of people in this thread implied that it was ridiculous to believe that prayer works.
[QUOTE=Gummylamb;21788904]Everyone in this thread defines retarded as disagreeing with them :(
[editline]11:51PM[/editline]
So? You can't prove that God DOESN'T answer prayer. I mean, I don't believe in God, but just because you believe that the person you BELIEVE to exist helps you, which is what he's supposed to do, doesn't make you retarded. You all think they're retarded because you think "GOD IS SUCH A RIDICULOUS IDEA AND ANYONE WHO BELIEVES IN IT IS RETARDED" or something, probably less drastic.[/QUOTE]
They did a study where some 300 patients in hospital for various illnesses where they broke the 300 down into a group of 1. Control, 2. Prayed for, doesn't know, 3. Prayed for, knows. The 100 in control did as expected. Prayed for, didn't know, had no notable improvement, nothing statistics doesn't account for. The final group actually did notably worse, getting sick in most cases.
Not proof, but damn good reasoning.
[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;21788993]They did a study where some 300 patients in hospital for various illnesses where they broke the 300 down into a group of 1. Control, 2. Prayed for, doesn't know, 3. Prayed for, knows. The 100 in control did as expected. Prayed for, didn't know, had no notable improvement, nothing statistics doesn't account for. The final group actually did notably worse, getting sick in most cases.
Not proof, but damn good reasoning.[/QUOTE]
I'm not saying that prayer works or anything, I'm just saying that it's their beliefs, and it isn't tolerant or open to "lose faith in america" because they don't agree with your logic.
[QUOTE=Gummylamb;21788983]
Well okay, but lot's of people in this thread implied that it was ridiculous to believe that prayer works.[/QUOTE]
Well, when you put it that way it is kind of ridiculous to think it works. I mean there is no proof it works at all, so the fact that alot of people believe in it is surprising. Again, I'm not calling them retarded, it's just surprising.
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