I don't pray at all but, if I did, I'd pray to Odin. He promised to keep the Ice Giants away and I don't think anyone has seen one of those around.

Welcome to the asylum. Enjoy your stay.

Nope, don't pray. Never believed there were any gods to hear them.

I get all the community I desire right here.
I don't miss all the hypocrisy of religious communities. Most of the people in them are pretty vile, and only care about appearing more pious and better than everyone else.
As you can see, I clearly have a very low opinion of the religious. Always have, always will.

All gods are myths, all religion- a scam.

Fuck, no. Why would I be on this site if I did? Why is it that the atheists/agnostics don't for the most part need to shove our lack of belief into the face of the religious and yet we are constantly bombarded with the misguided religious people? People in most of the world are free to have whatever delusions they like, leave us out of it.

I do miss a sense of community.

But religion, spirituality, astrology, crystals, vibrations, aliens or other forms of woo woo .... Nope, nope, nopity nope nope!!!

I do not pray.

I would be happy to join any whisky club.

Nope!

Hello and welcome. No, I do not yearn for any of those things, I have a good community, its called a village. I share ideas with other conservationists and humanists, though I am not strictly really one of the later. I believe the world is beautiful and that improving my appreciation of the world, is the nearest thing to praying you can get, and that belief in spirits and karma block that route to self improvement.

A simple no is all I have.

Welcome to AgnosticDotCom. Yes, a sense of community based on ideals or spirituality would certainly be nice, but like so much of the internet, this site is not such a community. There is a high percentage of people here who have been injured or disappointed by religious fanaticism, and are quite bitter and reactive against anyone who speaks favorably or even tolerably about any aspect of religion. There is a vocal minority who will unmercifully harass any member who acknowledges any positive sentiment for religion... but otherwise it's a great place! Best wishes.

Not really. I curse at the universe sometimes for the cruelty and unfairness of life, but I know I'm not cursing anything and nothing is listening; I'm just letting off steam. The closest I might get to praying is praying for the end of religion in this world, but again that more cursing.

No. Why? Like the old saying: shit in one hand and pray/wish into the other and see which fills up first.

Wrong site

I meditate and believe that each of us are our own god. Meditation makes the Woody Allen joke true: I know that I am god because, when I pray, I find that I’m talking to myself.

NO!

Once in a while I play the National Lottery because no matter how low the probability of winning, it is within the realm of reality. I see no point in painting a wall yellow and hoping that by the time the paint dries it has changed to a blue colour.

No, I don't pray. What do you pray to? What evidence do you have anything is spiritual or god like?

To those that shared genuine interest in my questions, and even those who disagree with me but are open-minded and kind enough to have a thoughtful and respectful discourse, thank you . You are exactly the people I was looking to meet when I joined this morning! Please friend me or send me a message, if you'd like.

I'm not a troll and I'm not here to provoke anyone. I don't believe in crystals or that "woo-woo" stuff as someone put it (no hard feelings, thanks for the question so I can clarify). Also, there was a recurring assumption in the comments that I meant praying "for something". To clarify that, I more meant intentionally using gratitude, or "meditating" if you like, on a problem you're trying to solve yourself. As someone else commented, I think many people here have been so burned by religion that they instinctively react to words like "prayer". As I mentioned, I was raised Catholic - if it wasn't clear, I'm not Catholic anymore. In fact, I had the sentence, "I don't believe in god's or spirits" in the original draft of my question. I removed it to be more inclusive.

Some people thought I might be in the wrong place, and I appreciate some of your kind warnings about the political climate here. To be honest, I was expecting it. This app is technically a "community of people who are naturally good without any gods. While [its] name is agnostic.com, [...] members have a wide range of views - be they atheists, skeptics, secularists, humanists, freethinkers, agnostics and others". I'm hoping the app has attracted at least some people who enjoy free thinking and the true meaning of skepticism. From the comments (in between the unkind ones) I think there are some of you in there! I look forward to hopefully talking with you . I actually joined because I know a very intelligent and kind man who has been a humanist for decades, and he is delightful. I'm sure a few of you are too.

Edit: Sorry, someone also asked about the term, "different ways of knowing". I'm a part-time anthropology student, and that phrase is used fairly frequently in sociological anthropology. Essentially, it means that across the world and across cultures, people perceive the world differently. I find the best example of this is the idea is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, or the idea that the language(s) we speak impact the way we perceive or categorize reality. These kinds of concepts belong here, in my opinion, since this is a philosophy chat and one branch of philosophy is epistemology .

To those of you who bothered to read this response that were unkind (I'm sure there are few of you, if any) - you may be tempted to write another unkind response to this. If that's the case, you'll likely ignore this and write it anyway, but just know, I am quite good at skimming, and I moved on as soon as I saw that your comment was unkind . If you write another, I will do the same. Enjoy the sound of your own words echoing into nothingness and potential alternate realities.

It looks like hospitalized Clarence "Uncle" Thomas is going to recover. More proof that prayer DOESN'T WORK.

Let me also pose to you this question please.
WHAT does "spirituality offer that Reality, Truth, Facts, Sciences, Knowledge, etc, etc, can not?

WHY??

No. No. No. No. And no. I fantasize about things that are impossible but I know they are impossible. .

I think everyone longs for some sort of community. After all humans evolved as animals that instinctually gather in groups for safety. Most humans are still instinctually drawn to belong to groups for a sense of community, which is our animal instincts at work, telling us to gather for a sense of safety and well being.

A community does not have to have a spiritual basis.

Everyone has hopes and desires - for themselves, loved ones, and others. However they may express them, I doubt many would describe them as prayer. We may talk with ourselves, perhaps pondering some event or something that was newly learned or realized. Again, I doubt it was be called a prayer. I also doubt that anyone here expects a magical result from any of these ponderings. It may help clear one's head or may help access whatever subconscience workings that help solve a problem. But prayer? I rather doubt it.

Firstly, what is prayer if not nothing but either mumbling in to your hands, to the ceiling or, IF a Muslim, rocking back and forth on ones bended legs and knees mumbling the same, and very often, similar mystic Arcane and Archaic incantations just in case the non-existent, never existed Magical, Mystical Supreme Entity HAPPENS to be listen with EARS that also never have existed.
Now, secondly, WHAT is a religion and a Religious Community?
Well, speaking here as a Psychologist and a person who has studies long and hard to EARN a ThD ( Doctorate in Theology and Comparative Modern Religions) for your enlightenment, Religion and this so-called Religious Community is nothing more than a FARCE, A Sham, etc, etc, created SOLELY to do 3 main objectives of the many and numerous others as well,

1. to keep the Common peoples, aka Sheeples, in line and obedient,
2. to provide employment, not hard graft type employment btw, but Pseudo-employment to those who realize full well they are by no means either suited, capable or have the real intellect needed to gain ACTUAL employment in the REAL world, hence they have the " Go To position" available of becoming Ministers, etc, of Religion, and, last but by no means least,
3. the Scam-artist waiting in wings, the one whose tongue is so glib and slick that he/she could see ice to Eskimos in a raging blizzard, they are ones who seize so quickly and readily upon the opportunities that religions and religious offer up and set about CREATING for themselves the new persona of an Evangelist Minister, etc, etc, and in doing so, take the Religious Art of Fleecing the Sheeple to a WHOLE new level.
   I could continue on from here until the cows come home, BUT, instead I shall leave it here, open and ready for your responses , etc, etc.