What Is The Point Of Prayers ?

[HansUrbancka]

Teresa May has had prayer sessions with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

I feel sure that mikey will agree with me that prayer sessions are a complete waste of time.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3824541/troubled-theresa-may-has-held-private-prayer-sessions-with-the-archbishop-of-canterbury/

Hans.

[gness]

Hi, Hans......how would you feel about an example of the amazing power of prayer....from an atheist?....x

[ladybirder]

Im so glad I didn't have to waste time practising to become an atheist. I just was one without any effort. Clever me;-)

[mikey4444]

Ladybirder....I was brought up as a Catholic, but soon saw the light when I was in my mid-to-late teens !

[douglas9401]

You might want to read the comments in the link Mikey.

[Mamyalynne]

LED?

[HansUrbancka]

G'afternoon Gness....Go ahead. I am all ears.

Hans.

[Prudie]

Well I'm reasonably educated but being a practising atheist isn't obvious to me unless you mean you repeatedly go on forums and say you don't believe in any God and the link given doesn't give it any value either, the most sensible comment being you might as well say you are practising not swimming

[mikey4444]

Dougie...I have read the link, and part from not knowing what "Quora" is ( a brand of margarine perhaps ? ) I do all of those things listed.

I defend my right to be an atheist, as I would defend anybodies right to be religious.

Voltaire and all that, don't you know.

[Mamyalynne]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quora

[Prudie]

Of course you have that right. It's the word 'practising' that means nothing here. In most contexts that means taking some regular defined action eg I don't swim as opposed to I practise at not swimming.

[mikey4444]

Prudie....I think I have already explained that. I rarely miss an opportunity to express my atheist views, here on AB, or elsewhere.

[Togo]

//I rarely miss an opportunity to express my atheist views, here on AB, or elsewhere.//

Noticed. Haha, like one of those faulty car alarms that is apt to set off at any given moment. (&_*)

[gness]

Okay, Hans....bit long so if you don't want to read folks...just skip..... :-)

MrG had a kidney transplant......took a while to get going but it did and life was good till an emergency operation did something that made the kidney go to sleep.....
Eventually we were told....sorry.....this transplant has now failed.....
Now by this time I had gone from the very quiet and a bit shy Gness to the one you see here....and I decided to get the kidney working.....
I went home and contacted everybody I could think of....every church and chapel in Northants.....all my Catholic relatives and their priests in Ireland and America....a stray rector in France...the odd Bishop and a few nuns......I asked them all to do a special mass or include MrG in their prayers on Saturday or Sunday.....
So cocky was I that I told the doctors....who were by now either friends.....or a bit wary of me.....that the kidney would be working by Sunday night....
On that Sunday night I was in MrG's room....he always had a room of his own.....probably to keep me confined......and we were joined by his consultant and a couple of doctors....
Hmmm....I thought....they want to see me fail in yet another of my certainties.....I did win the last one... :-)

Now I will admit here...but I didn't at the time.....I was as surprised as anyone at what happened....I kept that hidden though.....
On Sunday night a trickle of urine flowed down MrG's tube and into the bag.......the donated kidney had started to work again......and work it did for some years.....
Power of prayer?.....I'm an atheist....there is, for me, no God to pray to......

But I do believe that whatever all those people did in their faith and out of love worked....and that's nice.....Gx

[gulliver1]

Wonder what the person who posted at 14.07 is practising , probably how to insult the next person to post on here , I feel so sorry for her what a sad , sad life she must lead. does she need help, if so can she get in touch with MRS MAY, because she is very good at helping people.

[Mamyalynne]

What is truly wonderful about Gness's experience is that it proves that whether we believe or not we can still turn to one another to draw strength , our different beliefs or lack of them don't have to be a barrier between us.

[gness]

Indeed, Mamya.....so many people believed their faith could help us....and it did.....

I believed their love could help us.....and it did.....

And we can all love and respect each other.......that suits me fine......Gx

[Prudie]

Yes I could relate a very similar story to Gness from a work friend who totally believes it was communal prayer that saved him - and who knows what we might turn to in an hour of need, practising atheist or not.

[Mamyalynne]

Exactly x

[jambutty]

Gness that's really lovely x

[HansUrbancka]

@gness........I hope every one, in this thread , reads you lovely story.

Forgive me if I now tell a joke as a follow on to your true experience.

A lady visits her local Vicar and asks him if on Sunday he could say a small prayer in respect of her husbands 'Floating Kidney'. The Vicar responded by saying ..." It is customary to pray for people in poor health but I could not single out a specific illness". To which his parishioner replied..."Nonsense, only last Sunday I heard you pray in regards to Loose Livers"

Hans.