Prayer is not unscientific. There are situations where one feels quite helpless and friendless. At such juncture, prayer can help to get courage to keep fighting. The other kind of reason to pray - as a sort of quid pro quo for something good happened seems irrational.
But my question - should one discourage a near one from praying because it is irrational ?
Prayer should be discouraged as it is irrational.
Talking to oneself and working out problems is perfectly fine. Talking with others and seeking help is even better.
But talking to the air and hoping that something changes just wastes precious time and oxygen.
Prayer is totally unscientific.
Prayer, meditation, breathing exercises, writing in a journal, psychoanalysis, energy healing/ reiki, etc...
People can do what they want, as long as it doesnt cross into the public sphere.
Yes, I was curious about meditation. Normally, in meditation one has a word but I found another type where one can say things like 'increase my happiness' or health or other such self-reflective words. It is thought of as a way of helping one gain and maybe establish a deeper sense of what is important to oneself.
There are many studies, some (few) of them are scientific :
The premise is flawed (to us non-believers) -- that someone/something is hearing your prayer(s) and could affect outcomes.