this post was submitted on 29 May 2024
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AskBeehaw
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I'm an atheist, but I also pray to a vague "higher power" every morning. My sense is that the prayer helps whether I believe or not.
Fascinating. I do too, in a way - I find it helps to think about what help I need, in a way that is quite prayer-like (I believe ). For me, it's a way of reminding myself that I don't have to fix everything myself, not even in my own life. Sometimes good things happen for no reason.
The interesting (to me) thing is that as soon as I've read this, my mind said "duck programming".
(For the blissfully uninitiated, duck programming is when a software developer explains a problem to a rubber duck. The solution will often present itself during the explanation after having been hiding in plain sight for hours up to this point.)
Do.you think atheistic prayers work in a similar way?
The human mind sure is a fascinating thing.
Yes, I believe that's a part of it. Just the act of formulating "this is a problem that I don't know how to solve, please help" sometimes starts some kind of problem solving of my own.
But another thing that "atheistic prayer" does for me is that if/when that thing happens, I'm more likely to notice it. And a problem dissolving by itself, or due to someone helping me, is something I really want to notice.