God?

>lifelong agnostic/atheist
>chronically ill, depression, etc.
>take pride in working through it myself
>hit a rough patch (really rough, moved back w/ parents, etc. at 23)
>thinking about prayer as a way to reduce anxiety

How unreasonable is this? After all it's a way to reduce overall anxiety and take control over things I know fully well I don't have any control over.

OP here, I ask this here because you're the most rational people I know

It will only reduce anxiety if you believe God might actually be listening.

Prayer isn't bad actually. I liken it to self talk which can be good for the psyche. As far as whether or not you can logically determine is has an effect, well obviously it doesn't, but just feeling like someone is there can make things better even if there isn't. Hell you might even induce a strong enough placebo to actually physically change you to a degree.

I would say that praying to a god that you don't really believe in wont help you out that much. If you feel like praying would help then meditation may also help.

This is usually my thing. Just the chance that there may be someone at least listening makes me feel better. In which case I guess I've answered my own question.

agreed, though i'm a newbie at mediation, so my concentration is lacking

Then what damage can it do. It sounds like you're in a position without much reprieve so go ahead and pray, we all need hope for a better life.

Im a doctor and a huge amount of my lifelong patients are deeply religious, why not when the life they have materially is so rotten?

Im guessing IBD, literally everyone seems to have it now.

You're not an atheist

They say at times even atheist pray because it can be used as a stress reliever or as a form of meditation.

E D G Y
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Who cares if it's unreasonable? The placebo effect is real. If you don't believe in a higher power but it actually does work, consider it meditation. If the idea of praying to something that doesn't exist bothers you then don't do it.

Do you mean IBD as Inflammatory Bowl Disease?


Also thank you. Ya'll are ridiculously nice sometimes.

If you're secular you usually call "prayer" meditation but whatever. Strokes and folks.

They don't know what they are talking about, because they haven't met me, and they don't know how my inner life is.

Just do it. Prayer is for free, you won't lose anything. Look into meditation as well

>Hurr durr rational == atheism == science

Fuck off to >>>/reddit/

I didn't turn to God when my fucking mom died. Don't be a goddamn pussy.

atheism is a spook

There's nothing unreasonable about an AI signaling and communicating to its programmer.