Would an Atheist Pray in a Life and Death Situation?

[astroboy]

If someone who claims to be an atheist is put in a life and death situation, would they not pray for their life to be saved, when all other options that they can control have been exhausted? If prayer comes so naturally to us, if emotion precedes thought, and prayer is rooted in emotion, then how can life grow denying this? How can a person deny themselves the belief in themselves and see themselves isolated from the universe? If atheism is considered a lack of faith, I am not convinced, it seems to be a delay in belief.



Members who consider themselves atheists, could you share your views?:clock:

[yes]

Atheism is a lack of belief in God or gods. If prayer occurs in a moment such as you describe, it does not necessarily follow that the prayer is to God, or a god, or the gods.

[supernova]

If someone who claims to be an atheist is put in a life and death situation, would they not pray for their life to be saved, when all other options that they can control have been exhausted? If prayer comes so naturally to us, if emotion precedes thought, and prayer is rooted in emotion, then how can life grow denying this? How can a person deny themselves the belief in themselves and see themselves isolated from the universe? If atheism is considered a lack of faith, I am not convinced, it seems to be a delay in belief.



Members who consider themselves atheists, could you share your views?:clock:

We remain hemmed in a predicament when we are torn between theism and atheism. This is meaningless. We all are ignorant lots and trying to grope for truth we at times side with theism and sometimes with atheism. Our cacophonous mindsets ruffle our path. Let us feel unified if you want to know the truth of your existence and your relationship with the universe. Your age-old battle with theism and atheism shuttles you to a word of hatred, misunderstanding and fanaticism. Hitler was a great faith holder. I do not think by being a theist you will be the one to have realized God. You are deluded only.

[psychoslice]

I think pray can be most times nothing but wishful thinking, you have no other hope but to ask for whoever comes to mind, if your a Christian you would be screaming out to God or Jesus to help you, if your a Hindu you probably be screaming out to Krishna or whoever, if your an Atheist,you might scream out for whoever comes to mind at the time, yes it could well be god, but doesn't most people yell out to god in orgasm, it really means nothing.

[supernova]

I think pray can be most times nothing but wishful thinking, you have no other hope but to ask for whoever comes to mind, if your a Christian you would be screaming out to God or Jesus to help you, if your a Hindu you probably be screaming out to Krishna or whoever, if your an Atheist,you might scream out for whoever comes to mind at the time, yes it could well be god, but doesn't most people yell out to god in orgasm, it really means nothing.


I have never heard words of wisdom louder than here. Truth is better pronounced in your statement. I second your ideas. It seems what you speak come out of deep meditation. Meditation on what? Not on any abstract and unproved notion of God, heaven and the like.

Yes, Slice. We have slices of God and bottled up in bottles of different color, shape and size. Of course we pray God in a state of euphoria, in a state of suffering and oddly enough in a state of orgasm. Few can find themselves in sync with this contrastive situation. Save someone who could see the beauty of it like Slice.

[astroboy]

but doesn't most people yell out to god in orgasm, it really means nothing. Good one! Eye opener. My third eye can see - closed encounters of the third kind.

[Prokopton]

If someone who claims to be an atheist is put in a life and death situation, would they not pray for their life to be saved

Check out the movie Touching the Void (http://www.amazon.com/Touching-Void-Brendan-Mackey/dp/B00020X94W/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1307020404&sr=1-1) if you've never seen it, or the book is equally good. A true story about a pair of mountaineers, one of whom was in a situation where he was seriously stuffed. He realized later that, despite having been brought up a Christian, he had never once thought of praying throughout his whole ordeal -- which was gruelling beyond belief. He really was simply an atheist, through and through, and it never occurred to him that prayer would do any good.

So that's one example...

[AngelBreeze]

Atheism is a lack of belief in God or gods. If prayer occurs in a moment such as you describe, it does not necessarily follow that the prayer is to God, or a god, or the gods.

I see. Then from that we may reasonably conclude that they pray to a tree, a rock, or the ocean, etc. So, they basically believe that any one of those things could help them out in their dire situation instead of God who created them? Simply incredible and hard to believe but that may well be so despite it all!

Deus tecum, (\o/) AngelBreeze (\o/)

"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an anti-Christ." -- II JOHN 1:7 (KJV)

"Jesus saith unto him, I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." -- JOHN 14:6 (KJV)

[astroboy]

Check out the movie Touching the Void (http://www.amazon.com/Touching-Void-Brendan-Mackey/dp/B00020X94W/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1307020404&sr=1-1) if you've never seen it, or the book is equally good. A true story about a pair of mountaineers, one of whom was in a situation where he was seriously stuffed. He realized later that, despite having been brought up a Christian, he had never once thought of praying throughout his whole ordeal -- which was gruelling beyond belief. He really was simply an atheist, through and through, and it never occurred to him that prayer would do any good.

So that's one example...
Gee! Thanks for the info, Prokopton.

[Silver]

I think pray can be most times nothing but wishful thinking, you have no other hope but to ask for whoever comes to mind, if your a Christian you would be screaming out to God or Jesus to help you, if your a Hindu you probably be screaming out to Krishna or whoever, if your an Atheist,you might scream out for whoever comes to mind at the time...


Totally agree, slice.

I've occasionally found myself in a quandry of sorts...as an adult...and found myself whispering desperately for answers and comfort, "...mommy..."

[Greenslade]

If atheism is considered a lack of faith

"If atheism is considered a lack of faith". And therein may well lie the rub. This particular atheist has faith, just not in God. It makes me wonder how many people would have saved themselves if they'd got their tails into gear and actually done something rather than sit around waiting for God to save them. And those whom God didn't save, what would they think when they got to the AfterLife/Heaven when God hadn't saved them?

Not all atheists have a lack of faith. This particular one believes that in a Life and death situation things will work out they way they are meant to work out, so if I die in that situation then it was time for me to shuffle off this mortal coil. If I survive then there are still things left undone and it was not my time. And yes, I have been in that situation. The clarity is something that cannot be described, there is nothing but that moment and all fear and expectation had gone. There was no praying, just the knowing that I had to do this and get on with it whatever the outcome.

[ete233]

I don't think prayer would even help. Maybe with peace of mind. I don't know.

[Student4Life1975]

i'm 9/10th atheist, maybe agnostic i guess. i hate labels but generally, i believe in the possibility of god, but have yet to see anything that convinces me of gods existence. yet, i have prayed quite a bit in the past, but only when someone is suffering somewhere and i happen to know about it from the news etc. i never pray about materialistic posessions, money or other arbitrary things. atheists who dont pray are in my opinion taking quite a chance, because if god does exist, even though they dont think he or she does, what if theyre wrong? personally, my arrogant presumption wont allow me to assume i'm automatically correct just because its my own belief. so in answer to your question, yes (if i had time) i most certainly would pray in a life and death situation. if god did exist, at least i would have a chance of recruiting his assistance; however, i would surely be screwed if he only listened to a prayer from someone who truly believed in him...

and to say "so called atheists" immediately implies that you think it would only take a certain situation that would make them completely abandon their belief system, and maybe there are times where that could occur, but no more than a religious person denouncing theirs at the result of a family member dying a horrible death. trust me, there are atheists that will never pray to anything, and to imply that they are delaying their beliefs is completely presumptious and unfair. one of the greatest mistakes we can make is to speak for other people, even if what you say gives you moral confort, its likely just not true.

i'm confident enough in my beliefs to maintain that if a religious person and i were sitting at a table both looking down at an object, say a pen, the religious person could pray and pray and pray for the pen to roll off the table before we leave the room in say 5 minute.. and i'd bet my house that it wouldnt. now in this simple example, do you think the religious person would bet his house on the hopes that the pen WILL roll off the table? likely not, because i dont think he'd be THAT confident in his belief in the power of prayer. point is, its not difficult to make people doubt their beliefs, not abandon, but doubt. but thats the point i want to make.

i guess the only guarantee in life is that there are no guarantees.

[jojo50]

[ Hitler was a great faith holder.

sadly though,none in Heaven,Jesus, NOR his Father,acknowledged him. there were many true servants of Jehovah God, true followers of Jesus. that were murder by his power. IF this man were a true servant,there would have been no holocaust. i don't like when many target atheist concerning spiritual things, such as the question asked. he,(the poster) might no meant any harm. but i've seen many who claim to be believers, going on the attack of the unbelievers. not realizing this, MANY believers don't even THINK... about God, UNTIL they hit death's bed! so to point the finger only at one group,is very unfair. and most definately NOT God-like. peace :smile:

[A. Consumer]

They wouldn't pray...but they might cross their fingers.

[Native spirit]

:smile:I Agree with psychoslice for the most part, one of my friends claim to be an atheist but im not so sure. she wears a cross why wear it itf it means nothing :confused5:


Namaste

[moksh]

being a atheist is denying ones core. for an atheist water is formed when 2 molecules of hydrogen combines wid a molecule of oxygen but what makes them combine. what makes them bound in a law. these are the thing they dont habe an answer upon. the lord is in eberyones heart and that includes atheist as well. well all know the unibersal power of mind and when atheist are in this situation they might pray or not pray, they might feel or not feel but there mind will be working towards to help them so they think they are the doer and one should habe a faith in oneself but mind is the cause for all bondage and rebirth so until one doesnt go beyond mind then all are atheist in some ways

[Roselove]

i did when i was one, **** figured might as well give it a shot

[hawkmoth65]

Totally agree, slice.

I've occasionally found myself in a quandry of sorts...as an adult...and found myself whispering desperately for answers and comfort, "...mommy..."A good point Silvergirl,the vast majority of soldiers wounded or dying on the battlefield call for their mothers.However,never having been in that situation,I've no idea who I would call for,my Mum died 13 years ago...so perhaps I might call for God? :confused:

[psychoslice]

I think an atheist would think of the best way to get out of a life and death situation, if nothing can be done then they would just except what is going to happen with fear of what is going to happen, just like all animals do, and that's it, that's life.

[blackraven]

I have to agree with slice and add that perhaps an atheist doesn't really care what happens to him or her after death so they have no fear. I've heard some atheists say that when they are dead, they are dead and that's it. So if that's their belief, why would they care about what's going to happen after death? There is nothing after death but no existence (you're done).

Blackraven