Power Of Prayer

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Why do people bother with praying? Followers claim that "God" has his "plan". So if their requests are compatible with this cosmic purpose, then their prayers will automatically be "answered". Prayer is no use if the believer's needs/wants are not part of the agenda -- and if the believer's desires are part of the plan, then there's no need to pray.

And what if several people in the same situation are praying for conflicting results? Say the husband of a terminally ill woman is asking God for her quick death, to end her suffering; but the woman's young child is begging God not to take her mommy away, and the woman herself is asking for a miracle cure? If the intention is for the woman to die a lingering and painful death (and why would a "loving" God plan that?), then all of those prayers are a waste of time -- which the child will definitely begin learning! (Unless, of course, any church has its grip on her -- in that case, the brainwashing has already begun.)

If a deity was in the habit of frequently altering his design in favor of the millions of believers asking for such a change, he would be too easily manipulated to be "powerful". Our unfortunate family would make better use of their time by focusing on each other, rather than in useless (and humiliating) attempts to gain the attention of a god who will ignore their requests in favor of his own agenda.

So why pray? - Because prayer has the power to help the worshiper feel better emotionally... that's all. I suspect that the final result doesn't even really matter to the believer; whatever happens is "God's will", and therefore is "good". So if prayer is what makes a person feel better, then "more power to them"!