Serious question for those of you that are religious
 

When y'all pray for more rain or thank god for you scoring a touchdown, or pray that your relative will recover from illness, what exactly are you expecting will happen? Are you praying that god will intervene or is it more of a prayer of just hope or thanks and not actual expectations?

I'm curious.

Mitch

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tVIJEJiL7E...sus-prayer.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3TWi-6nr6c...600/prayer.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BlOfk6B5HV...pic-757194.jpg

:stoned

ADG

yes and yes.

i hope that he will intervene and make some miracle . and yes miracles do happen.
but its just not the prayer, you gotta work for it too.
amen

but i dont pray like make me billionaire or something.

:1orglaugh I doubt you'll get a serious answer but this should be fun!

mine is serious ..

What type of miracles do happen?
Why can't I pray to become a billionaire?

http://25.media.tumblr.com/a062a5086...b32ro1_400.gif

http://25.media.tumblr.com/8f3420b42...5o1_r3_400.gif

Let's pray that you don't make another stupid thread.

How is it that you are dumber than a sack of busted arseholes?

We will all see what's happens one day... or not...

this year I prayed that after 11 years of being a loyal netbilling client, I'd at least get a christmas card.

so much for prayer.

:(

Hey Mitch!

I remember Beth telling me she had a psychology class that was devoted to the belief of religion and examining those who do and those who don't believe in it. And from a psychological standpoint those who believe in some sort of God benefit more than those who don't. The belief in the possibility of their being a greater force is more powerful psychologically than not believing in anything.

I always think of Holyfield. I don't think he was necessarily the best fighter when he was champ but he always seemed to believe that God was behind him and he seemed almost blinded by that belief.

Also, when I lived in the Bahamas I saw first hand how important it is to society to have religion. It was the first time I witnessed why it is necessary to have poor people believe in a higher power. Religion gives extremely poor people a reason to be good people. The people we saw were so poor they lived in tents and had absolutely nothing and yet spent their days working on million dollar homes doing shit work with no food and just a jug of water in the blazing Bahamas heat. I strongly believe religion is what kept those people from stealing as much as they could from their clients. Jail isn't enough of a deterrent when you have absolutely nothing.

That right there was your mistake. You asked for a Christmas card instead of a Happy Holidays Card. You asked for the wrong thing :winkwink:

I'll change it for next year then

hope & pray

:1orglaugh

nothing like antagonizing potential clients... why to go :thumbsup (are you a fucking retard?)

I have a friend who is very religious. So religious in fact I was with him and his wife once and we went through a fast food drive through on our way to the movies. He was driving and he closed his eyes and bowed his head to give thanks for the food while driving down he road. He said not to worry, God will protect us.

Here is the interesting thing. They are always struggling for money and it is their own fault. They are always moving. Every 3-4 years they are off to a new city because God is calling them there. So he can never get established in his job and start making a decent living.

I have my own theories about these moves and think that it has more to do with his wife wanting to control him than God calling them somewhere, but hitting on your point he is always upbeat and sure something great is going to happen just around the corner.

His belief comes from what he calls a miracle. He got a few concussions as a kid and it gave him narcolepsy and some other kind of disorder. He had been on medication for it for a long time. One weekend his wife was out of town visiting her family and he realized he was out of medication and couldn't get more. He was told without it would have seizures and other issues. His wife told him to pray and ask God to heal him. He made it through the weekend without any problems and has never taken the medication again.

Personally, I think it is because it has been 20 years since his last head injury and over the years he has healed, but he thinks it is a miracle so now he is uber-devout.

What does respecting someone's right to worship whom ever they wish to blacks respecting white supremacists?

He's asking a question. If he has a client that pulls their business because of this post then he obviously they don't have a very good relationship with that client.

I am sure some people do pray like that, but I don't. When I pray I generally thank God for the blessings I already have and ask merely for the strength and direction to do His will and be a better person.

I expect 72 virgins :bowdown

For me believing in something without proof is nothing short of lunacy. Faith = Insanity. :2 cents:

we prayed that mitch would have taken our phone call of emails.

needless to say prayers failed.

pray you never do that to another ex client

You are right on track. People simply don't understand the purpose and motives of religion and that our brains are wired for religion. Monotheistic religions evolved along with the transition to sedentary lifestyles, our gathering into larger and larger groups and large cities and provide the moral law and basic codes of conduct, cleanliness, handling of bodies, of food and so on that allowed people to live together in larger and larger societies. IT IS THE factor which allowed us to live in ever increasingly large cooperative cities.

And with respect to crime and religion, you are again exactly correct. People are far less likely to act out, when they are bound to religion/religious beliefs and the idea that they will be judged in the end or are being watched all the time or are violating a strong code that the entire group holds dear. Many many many cultures throughout time have put a god and a temple at the center of shared resources with no other law (irrigation to farms from a shared and limited water source for example) and people generally do not take advantage, hence the institution of religion as an effective management tool over law and punishment.

Groups that are not bound by religious beliefs live an infinitely shorter life than those which are. This is very well studied and particularly evident in cults which typically have a shorter lifespan than other organized communities or groups or larger societies.

Jesus is lord!

We, here in Miami, are sorry that God does not like the Dolphins.

Religion was introduced to men as a form of police. Without it there would be anarchy.

Its genius really...

Yes, the powers that be used this concept to their advantage during WWII and this current middle east conflict..
kamikaze pilots and suicide bombers have religion in common. (not the same one, but they are enslaved to delusional thought processes. religion.)
Bad people do bad things.
Good people do good things.
With religion you can get good people to do bad things.

go fuck yourself! :)

Thats not true. You don't need religion to do bad things. You need a common enemy of the group. You need to use the concept of "pure evil" to position "them" as "evil" and the "we" as "righteous". Religion is one way of doing that. Hitler did not invoke the name of God to unite a nation against the world and to commit genocide.

Additionally, Kamizaze pilots brought into being by the resurrection and use of Bulshido, not religion.

And by the way... the fighting itself is also basically a religious experience. People bind into groups. People unite behind common beliefs. People unite against an enemy. People start to believe in their "righteous" cause. People start to believe in the "evil" of the enemy. People sacrifice themselves for others. People transcend beyond the "me" and start seeing only the "we" and "us" and act in the interest of the group, for a higher cause and purpose.

It would be a typical thing for a christian to do. not doing business with a person who doesn't believe as they do. Or make a comment they don't like.

I see nothing wrong with this person asking these questions. These questions were not posted in a bad manner.

control!!!!

increased probability of the survival of ones genes!!!

good point however Shap it's a very directed question' from a specific point of view and personally I would keep religious beliefs out of my business relationships.... shows poor judgment, and that is reason enough not to do business with a company :2 cents:

it's also a very common action from liberals and gay action groups.... think chick-fli-a and duck dynasty :2 cents:

I think again you grossly misunderstand the motive and purpose of religion here.

Why do you think Hasidic Jews control much of the world diamond market? To say "they're greedy" is ignorant. It's because its a business that relies heavily on trust. That trust is easily found when dealing with other people with shared beliefs and values and ancestry . Further, it is a natural human trait to trust and feel more comfortable with similar people than dissimilar. Even infants have been proven prefer their own language and their own race to others after just a few days of birth.

as I've mentioned several times here at teh gfy-

anyone would have a difficult time proving religion has done more harm than good.

and there are plenty of studies proving the efficacy of prayer.

Yes, these things are apparent. As a species we need to move away from some old ways and get over it already.
Religion is one. Race and language are others that need to be overcome for the betterment of humanity.

Somebody needs to create "how to pray for a bigger dick" ads on the tubes

Also, I do understand the purpose of religion. As I said before...... "CONTROL!!!"
You explained it in your post.

So.... As Loki said in the Avenger's. "Humans don't want to be free. They long to be controlled." Paraphrasing here.

REALLY? You clearly need to do some research.

Who is controlling who? Who exactly is in "control"? Having a law that someone can't steal your car doesn't mean you or anyone is being "controlled". It means your rights are being protected. The only person that would interpret that as being "controlled" and be resentful towards it would be the guy who really wants to steal cars.

You are misinterpreting and distorting what I said to fit a predetermined belief that you have, which you wish to defend. I said nothing about "control".

People don't want to be "controlled". They want structure. They want rules. They want order. They want leaders. They want to survive and reproduce. And "what they want" is the best means to that simple end.

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

btw, I'm laughing at you, not with you.

more lolz


:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

My genes don't like being lied to.
In the end the Morman's will prove you right. BTW. They are prepared for the next total war and as a group they are the strongest in the US.

So I'm not saying that you are incorrect in some the effects of religion in humans. Survival of the sheeple.

I am saying that a lie is a lie and controling and manipulating people for their own good via religion is a control method of the powerful.

BTW, the majority of the atheists I know are really intelligent and care about the earth, humanity and doing the right thing. They are the most ethical folks around.

Did anyone say otherwise? This is about what works best overall, as has been determined by many many eons and by every organized civilization in the history of man. The fact that your barista at Starbucks adopts puppies doesn't mean any arguments presented are invalid.

Your misunderstanding of religion could be summed up well in your inability to answer the simple questions... "who exactly is in control". Many 1000s of religions out there. Billions of followers. The answer is obvious... no one is in control. We are all free to believe as we choose, yet the majority of people on this planet believe in a higher power. Our brains are wired for it. It's built in to who we are.

Yes, it is.....
And the one group who really don't give a fuck what color you are, what sex you are, your sexual preference, etc... are atheists. (for the most part)

Hell we don't even discriminate againt religious zealots. We will do business with you no matter your belief, Islam, Christian, Jew, Hawiian Huna, etc...... We just think you are delusional idiots in that area, But we will never turn you away or not do business with you because you belive differently about the exsistance of a god.

I said control and your post was an example. In interperate your post to say you agree with being lied to and manipulated for the good of your genes living on. Contol of one form or another.

My only belief here is that I live amongst crazy ass MFers that beleive in ancient fairy tales. If the crazy MFers stop beleiving in BS and start working for a common human cause My beleif goes away.
If there weren't people who beleived in god/gods I wouln't have to disbeleive it. I long for the day when people are reasonablee.

Laws are not control of the same magnitude as religion. If I violate them there is real punishment for my crimes. (I know, what if get get away with it? right?)

A slave is a slave is a slave.

Of course, the personal attacks usually start right around this point in the conversation. (it's only a small attack but, that's worth mentioning)

I you have such religious conviction.... Why are you in the adult business? On an adult board.
Clearly you interpret your religious texts differently than others do.
I have yet bto read a text for the 3 main religions that says selling pussy and cock is OK.