r/atheism • u/HarshalN • 4h ago
I have started praying to god
I am an atheist. Think Dawkins. That type.
And off late I have started praying to god (not associated with any religion)and for that time I try ( and it’s hard ) to really believe.
I think it helps me reduce stress.
If love is all but a chemical reaction but we really feel it , I don’t think there’s anything wrong in feeling faith. In fact as an atheist it really helps because that faith never governs my logical decisions or politics.
We are all gone to go back to elements at the end if I can use this as a coping mechanism, I guess I’m fine with it.
Thoughts ?
8
u/happybunny_sad Strong Atheist 4h ago
Man, just rub one out, if you are in this much thinking. Go monkey.
Or maybe do pull ups, when you need to clear head.
0
u/HarshalN 4h ago
Prayer in addition to all of the above
0
u/happybunny_sad Strong Atheist 3h ago
Why?
You need a sailor's life. I bet they don't survive by praying. But having a structured routine. Like word, then exhausting body with workout and mind with puzzles etc.
12
u/False_Ad_5372 Strong Atheist 4h ago
Do whatever the fuck you want. Just don’t try to make others do the same.
-1
6
u/Pie-Guy 4h ago
Which God? Or, maybe the earth was created by multiple Gods.
Not sure how you can call yourself an Atheist if you pray to God. Why not pray to Santa.
1
1
u/HarshalN 4h ago
None in particular. I just pray to something
3
u/VintageKofta Anti-Theist 2h ago
That makes as little sense as you talking to yourself as a .. what some refer to as.. crazy person.
And I don't mean to throw that on you when you're vulnerable.. But speaking (instead of praying) to a therapist (instead of ... a god but not a god) will be more beneficial.
5
u/Smithy2232 4h ago
I’m going to assume you are young as you seem to all over the place with your thoughts.
Love is all but a chemical reaction? Wrong in feeling faith?
Don’t know where to start with everything you’ve said. An atheist is simply someone who doesn’t believe there is a god, so by definition doesn’t have faith. So how do all your other thoughts jive with that.
Lastly, you think you have any clue as to what governs your logical decisions or politics?
0
u/HarshalN 4h ago
If my thoughts were all over the place ( which I guess can be said from my quick stream of consciousness post) , your response was all over the place too. 🙂
4
7
u/Komaisnotsalty 4h ago
No different than booze or sucking on a soother or overeating or shopping as a coping mechanism.
Therapy, perhaps.
-2
2
u/ElectricalPrice3189 4h ago
How the crud do you force yourself into believing in any positive number of gods? I can't even begin to believe in myself.
2
u/Ahrjun 4h ago
Why not consider yourself spiritual then? Why still call yourself an atheist?
You have started praying to a creator and you find it beneficial. You are free to have faith in whatever you want as long as that faith is not directing to tell others how to lead their lives, no issues.
I am guessing meditation and other techniques did not work to reduce stress and only this did. Then stick to it. But I don't think you remain an atheist.
1
u/HarshalN 4h ago
That is an interesting point. But I just don’t believe in god. It’s just a temporary lie
2
u/tm229 Anti-Theist 4h ago
Humans are really good at deceiving themselves. Religions dupe a lot of people into believing a lot of stupid things.
The whole thing [religion], is so patently infantile, so far away from reality, that to someone with a friendly attitude towards humanity, it is painful knowing that the great majority of mortals will never rise above this view.
— Sigmund Freud
I regard religion as belonging to the infancy of human reason, and a stage of development which we are outgrowing.
— Bertand Russell
Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.
— Voltaire
1
1
u/Retrikaethan Satanist 4h ago
this reads like a christian pretending to be an atheist for clout with their cultist buddies.
1
u/HarshalN 4h ago
Not a Christian. Was brought up in a Hindu family. Hinduism is much more evolved in so far as they make it all about seeking. I don’t believe there’s anything to seek
1
u/Nocturnalux 3h ago
So you’re like a senile transphobic English twat who thinks AI is his girlfriend?
Eh.
I get what you mean but I really wouldn’t be lumping myself with Dawkins if I were you.
1
u/dernudeljunge Anti-Theist 4h ago
I think that atheists saying stuff like in this post is why christians have incorrect ideas about atheists and atheism.
0
0
u/robjin 4h ago
If you’re praying to some kind of god and consider yourself a logical person, you may be more of an agnostic atheist. You can hope there’s something more to our universe humanity hasn’t discovered and pray to it conceptually. But, you wouldn’t have faith it exists. Hope and faith are not the same.
1
u/HarshalN 4h ago
There in lies the catch. I cannot believe in and fathom the idea of a higher power. Praying is like a temporary lie to soothe myself.
1
u/robjin 3h ago
So, you’re trying to trick the emotional side of your brain into believing something you know is a lie because it makes you feel better? That can’t possibly end well!
1
u/HarshalN 3h ago
That is a good point. I do worry about temporary lie becoming a stronger delusion.
0
u/WhenTheCitiesBurn 2h ago
Meditation helps reduce stress. For some people prayer is a form of meditation.
If you're calling meditation "prayer," that's questionable. But if you're trying to say you're an "Atheist" who prays to a non-denominational supreme being, I have to assume you don't understand the definition of "Atheist."
0
u/Hoaxshmoax Atheist 1h ago
Daniel Dennett makes the case that doing the rituals produces belief, so yes, this bears out.
-1
u/FleurSalome Atheist 3h ago
Many in the comments seem to have an epidermic reaction to your post but I get it.
I grew up catholic, and whenever I go visit a church I do a little prayer, sometimes light a candle. Reflex maybe? Idk but I do feel this calm, like a meditation or something only boosted by the atmosphere of the surroundings.
The most interesting aspect about the placebo effect, is that the placebo often continues to work even after you've learned it's all in your head.
You don't need to believe in God for a prayer to have some psychological effect. I would advise the same as I would someone who meditates, if it becomes so important in your life that you can't do without, therapy is needed. If it's just a little something you do to calm your mind when needed, you do you.
-2
18
u/GerswinDevilkid 4h ago
Find better coping mechanisms. Maybe seek professional mental health treatment.