Why do people pray for someone?

droxford, read Exodus 32.

 

What idiot has said that?

 

I guess I'm the sort of person that wants people to help out because they want to help out, not because I asked them to. Yes, people you ask to might still want to help, but you don't really know that if you ask.

Also, does having a bunch of people say they're saying prayers on your behalf really reduce the burden? Really?

 

Maybe all the prayers you think are unanswered are actually prayers answered for other people.

 

Maybe people resort to prayer to comfort themselves and others over things they have no real control over.

 

I don't understand why people believe God chooses to save or kill people. We have free will, he does not interfere in our lives, but we are held accountable in the hereafter.

I feel like Christians tend to ignore this principle when they make statements like "everything happens for a reason," I mean yes there is a reason for everything, but there is a predestined cause for everything that happens.

So I guess we just pray because what else can we do, but pray that God will intervene. We can't prove whether or not he intervenes, we assume he has if they live and he hasn't if they die, but this isn't right.

 

I always thought this was kind of strange too. I'm not the praying type so I can't relate to how rhester see's it...but it seems strange that people believe God will only intervene in a problem if enough people ask him to, like he doesn't already know that someone is having a hard time in life.

I'm sure someone is going to tell me I have it all wrong and I have no idea about how God works, but people ask others to pray for them in hopes it will give them better fortune or help them or their loved ones out of a bad situation, right? I don't see how God is suddenly going to say "Oh, I see Bob has found 11, 12, 13...oh dear, 20 people praying for him now...I guess I'll help the ol' fella out..." It seems pretty damn wishy washy to me...

 

Because Jesus told his disciples to do so. Check out Matthew chapters 7, 18, and 21, Luke chapter 11, and John chapters 3, 5, 14, 15, and 16.

 

What exactly do you hold accountable for a person who never had a chance at life before it is ended?

Like the starved, terminally ill or the innocent casualties of war?

Do they get a free pass to heaven or do they get a do-over...?

 

Human beings are empathetic social animals with a consciousness of the fact that our mortality is subject to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Banding together with a shared purpose is a proactive effort to instill order on to the chaos. At the root is the evolutionary drive for the self-preservation required for procreation.

It's instinctual.

 

I think it's funny when people say they'll pray for you out of spite. Like, if you're drinking some beers and some dude and some hot chick walk by and you're all like "DAMN woman, you should work at Hooters because you got some fresh melons in your bra!" and then the dude (probably her husband or boyfriend) looks at you and then makes a gas-face and says, "That is horrible!" and so you're all like "Dang, I just wanted to compliment that woman on her hooters and maybe invite her back to my place to do some nude Graeco-Roman wrestling or something! What's wrong with that?" and then you notice the hot chick is making sexy eyes and you so you make some sexy eyes back at her and she sits on your lap and feels your muscles and the dude (probably her husband or boyfriend) gets this shocked look on his face and looks at her and then looks at you and says, "I will pray for you both!" and then walks away and you say to the hot chick "DAMN that dude was mad! Go buy us some beer so we can go get naked and DO IT!"

 

I apologize in advance for the first two paragraphs of this post, as the third needs no apology. I didn't feel like I could address the OP's question without giving context on what I believe:

I am a proud and avowed athiest. I don't just believe there is no god, I hope there isn't, especially if he is actually as modern religion portrays him. IF the Judeo-Christian/Muslim god is real, he's at best an exclusionary bigot and at worst a genocidal puppet master. THIS IS ONLY MY OPINION/CONJECTURE/BELIEF.

Although I see a huge value in religion existing (It greatly helped in creating civilized society), I think we've "outgrown" it as a species. I also strongly and vocally support any and everyone's desire to worship and believe as they wish, as long as they allow me to do the same. I won't hate on what you believe or disparage those beliefs to your face, but I will offer my true feelings on the subject if asked.

Be that as it may, I think telling someone they're "in your prayers" when they're in a time of need is a beautiful gesture. God or no god, if you're earnest about it, you're telling them that you will take the time and expend your brainpower to hope beyond mortal hope for someone else's well-being. That is an act of kindness, which our world has far too little of. If you tell someone they're "in your prayers" and they honestly believe you, you have helped them... even if it's just a little. And wasn't that the point of praying for them anyway?

 

You have never had to ask anyone for help? Everyone who has ever helped you was able to ascertain that you needed help without being asked?

I really think that when you have people praying for you or sending positive thoughts helps. It certainly helps me knowing there are people praying for me or thinking about me during difficult times.

 

I would but in addition to the teams you support I am also a CAL fan so I need those prayers a lot more than you do.

 

Basically yes. Even if you pray there is very very little guarantee that the prayer will work for all of the reasons you stated. In that sense the act of prayer isn't so much an intercession on your part to a deity but an action that expresses your goodwill and hope to the one you are praying for.

 

Sounds like the OP knows very little about prayer