Thread: Could you see yourself praying for Gods intervention were you dying?(for atheists)

Originally Posted by cuddleyperson

I'd be interested in others responses. I don't believe that desperately praying for Gods help at death necessarily means one is not an Atheist though. it would be more an act of uncontrollable desperation, even if one does not believe in his one prayer he may do one out of some sudden last desperate act of fear.

I doubt that most Atheists would uncontrollably act out of "desperation" and start praying. Hopefully most Atheists would have thought out their beliefs fully before foolishly murmuring to an invisible cloud-man. Fear isn't THAT hard to resist.

Who would I pray to? Vishnu? Allah?

Originally Posted by BLUELINE976

I doubt that most Atheists would uncontrollably act out of "desperation" and start praying. Hopefully most Atheists would have thought out their beliefs fully before foolishly murmuring to an invisible cloud-man. Fear isn't THAT hard to resist.

you would think so but I'm saying I wouldn't be harsh on someone who did say a prayer as a just in case, although obviously I'd question if they were actually agnostic.

To then reply by Xei I suppose I meant to just any deity out there. I mean surely God is not a name, it is more of a term. So you can pray to God without praying to the God of a specific religion. Vishnu is name for the the supreme God in Hinduism, Allah is the name for God in Islam etc

The problem is that the concept of God is so vague I'd just be praying to a word... and I'm not a superficial person. I wouldn't be able to do that, I'd just be praying to some vague set of mutually contradictory ideas... some people can manage that, but I refuse.

Originally Posted by Xei

The problem is that the concept of God is so vague I'd just be praying to a word... and I'm not a superficial person. I wouldn't be able to do that, I'd just be praying to some vague set of mutually contradictory ideas... some people can manage that, but I refuse.

Well as I said many don't, I have explained why I wouldn't. But an example might be you in a plane as it is plummiting to the earth. Obviously those who are religious will pray for their God to somehow intervene and save them, although surely they are looking forward to the positive afterlife all believers seem to think they will be rewarded with?, but also some people who have had no faith may whisper "God if your out there please save me", for example.

I didn't pray when ... something bad ... happened to my family a few years ago. I somehow doubt I would break down and delude myself that my beliefs were false all these years, just because I was dying.


Edit: Which did turn out to be okay, luckily.

i can see me trying to use mental powers while dying
is desesperation
you are gonna try everything you know even though you know it wont work
i doubt anyone can think straight while dying

I'm a theist and I wouldn't. God gave us freedom and it comes with a price. If God intervened all the time, what would be the point of life? We wouldn't have free will then.

I mean... fear makes people do irrational things. So, I think there's a possibility I would pray to some kind of higher power in an extreme case. And I wouldn't be embarrassed or ashamed about it or anything. I mean I'm human, after all.

What would be the point of praying for intervention from dying? If it's God's will to end a life on Earth, do you think he's going to change his mind because the lowly human pleads to stay alive? Even so, the promise of heaven seems more than enough incentive to accept fate.

Originally Posted by Xei

Who would I pray to? Vishnu? Allah?

Exactly. Though it may seem comforting to pray during a hard time, it's quite a challange to decide which god is indeed the one and true god. But then again, I've never been in a situation where I thought I would die, so I guess I don't know yet.

Originally Posted by Xei

Who would I pray to? Vishnu? Allah?

Pray to Satan, be funnier.

- " Could you see yourself praying for Gods intervention were you dying?(for atheists)"

Praying for God's intervention (faithfully, repeatedly) is why I ceased believing in that image of god in the first place.

Besides, why would a god who supposedly wants to collect souls prevent that from happening by delaying our deaths which really are inevitable anyways?

When I was dying I "prayed" in the manner/method of a WILD, only that my awareness would not cease to exist, and that I might somehow find myself in a better world than "heaven". I didn't pray that to any god.

Many atheists would say that by believing I might transcend death, that I am therefore not an atheist. But I consider the definition of atheism to be "no god", which does not necessarily require the belief of "nothing besides the material universe".

I often pray to a generic god when people who I know are religious are asking for prayers and such. But I do it in the same vain as when I tell people good luck.

Something along the lines of "if there is a god out there, do me a favor and help them out."


But if it is for myself or for another atheist I'll just stick to hoping for the best.

I suppose being scared to death and seeing if you pray or not would be the atheists ultimate test.

I find myself praying from time to time. I don't necessarily address the Christian god or any god in particular. I just do it to feel better, sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. I don't put much stock in it, rather than it being some sort of concentrated will, or relaxation mechanism. I have recently found better techniques to administer when things get a little crazy and they seem to work very well.

Sometimes you can't help but ask for a hand, even if it's from your self (perhaps the subconscious?).

Originally Posted by Sandform

I often pray to a generic god when people who I know are religious are asking for prayers and such. But I do it in the same vain as when I tell people good luck.

Something along the lines of "if there is a god out there, do me a favor and help them out."


But if it is for myself or for another atheist I'll just stick to hoping for the best.

Put faith in yourself!

I guess the only reason to pray is because it naturally makes you feel better. I mean, isn't that what little children do? They talk to their toys even though these toys are obviously not alife. And lets not forget imaginary friends. I think that Gods might just be an adult version of an imaginary friend (well, for the praying part of religion). I mean, talking/thinking to something somtimes makes you feel better and I think that this is what believers feel after praying. They feel that feeling of comfort a kid would feel after telling their little teddy bear good night.

If I was in a plane crash, I'd put my head between my legs, (which is what you are supposed to do in a plane crash) If I'm praying the way most people pray (with their hands flat against eachother and my head not between my legs) then the chances that I die will increase so I'd rather do the most I can do to try to survive then it all comes to hope and if I can't stop paniking, why not pray/talk to an imaginary friend since its naturally reconforting?

I'd not.

If there is an all knowing, all powerful God who created the universe and everything... well then he created Pedophiles, rapists, murderers, tsunamis, terrorists, AIDS, breast cancer, cot death etc. etc. etc.

I don't think i'd trust a God like that... he's clearly a complete twat.

Luckily for us he dosn't exist and it's all just a big contradictory fairy tale for grown ups who can't deal with the universe as it is.

I would pray for any big event.

I don't think if theres a god he wants us to honor him or change our daily life just because of him.

Originally Posted by DeathCell

Put faith in yourself!

If I had a terminal illness I don't imagine putting faith in myself would help much, though determination may help in some ways, I don't think there is anything you can do when you have that type of illness other than try your best to keep moving and hope for the best.

Edit: Heh, and of course doing whatever can be done medically.

Originally Posted by Sandform

If I had a terminal illness I don't imagine putting faith in myself would help much, though determination may help in some ways, I don't think there is anything you can do when you have that type of illness other than try your best to keep moving and hope for the best.

Edit: Heh, and of course doing whatever can be done medically.

People with terminal illnesses are known to live longer when they are strong willed.

Originally Posted by DeathCell

People with terminal illnesses are known to live longer when they are strong willed.

Yes, I know, that is why I said that whole bit about determination helping, but many times even the most determined of people still die eventually.

Originally Posted by Sandform

Yes, I know, that is why I said that whole bit about determination helping, but many times even the most determined of people still die eventually.

Birth -> Life -> Death

Sometimes it is just meant to be... after all life is a cycle...

We all must "die" eventually.

People look to our creator, if their is one for far more than he can give anyone. Nothing is certain, except your inevitable body breaking down and leaving this world.

You can spell cast, pray, beg, plead but their is only so much that can be done.

There are a few research teams in the world actually trying to figure out how to make people live forever. I think someday it might be possible, but it would need a lot of thought before it became practical.

But when I said die eventually, I mean they die from the illness. We all die eventually, but that doesn't mean people don't die before they should have died. Someone I used to know would have been 19 this year had he not died two years ago from cancer. His determination was as strong as anyone's, yet he still died.

His death was unnecessary and shouldn't have happened, who cares about some bull shit cycle? That isn't any comfort when it is the life of someone who barely even started the cycle.

But we are getting a bit off topic here, I think, lets let people talk about the topic again instead of thread jacking.