Even if you’re an atheist, prayer is a proven way to tap into the power of human hope.
Prayer doesn’t have to be ritualised; find a way of connecting with something greater than you and you’ll feel a great sense of comfort.
I have a prayer list. This is a list of people I pray for each night in order to get them happiness, health and a general sense of well-being. This would be surprising to a lot of my friends if they knew about it as I’m the least likely person to have a prayer recipient list. In fact I’ve often vocalised my irritation at people who insist upon praying for others when they haven’t actually asked for it. I find it intrusive, presumptuous and frankly a little weird. I don’t want spiritual interlopers between me and my deities of choice.
However, the difference between me and the prayer fascists is that I don’t tell the person I’m praying for that I’m doing — at least not unless they specifically and unbidden by me ask me to. I just do it because I know it works and the person recovering due to a bout of prayer doesn’t need to know where their recovery comes from.
There have been a number of scientific studies into the power of prayer. One of the most famous was a double blind study that was conducted at the San Francisco General Hospital’s Coronary Care Unit in the 1980s. Patients were selected at random by a computer to receive prayer from a group of individualsas well as additional prayer from folks not connected to the study. The patients, doctors and even the scientist conducting the study were not told which had been selected. They found that the group selected for prayer, in comparison to the control group, had much better health, needed less medication or resuscitation and suffered far fewer deaths. This was true whether or not the recipient believed in God or not.
Some scientists believe that it is the sense of being in a community that cares about you that causes prayer to be so healing. Indeed in the shamanic tradition, there is a group healing that is sometimes done when one person really needs a massive amount of healing for something serious. A group of shamans will ‘journey’ to bring back healing for the person in question. I have had such a healing and, while you don’t need to do anything, you feel a tremendous sense of love and care emanating towards you and that’s really very powerful. It makes you feel held and comforted and is a real lift to the spirit. However, this doesn’t explain why prayer also works when the person being prayed for has no idea this is being done for them.
An atheist researcher was of the opinion that prayer works like a placebo on people but the problem with that is that the patients did not know that they were being prayed for and some studies have even been done on fungi in Petri dishes that definitely couldn’t believe in the placebo effect. Yet the fungi that were prayed for flourished far more than control group fungi. It has worked for seeds and microorganisms as well so there’s definitely something there.
Why don’t you make a list of people in your circle or community that may need the boost a spot of being prayed for could give them? Having produced this list, pray for the people on it in any way that makes you feel comfortable. This may be within a certain religious tradition or it could just be lighting a candle and meditating in front of it while thinking of the outcomes you’d like to achieve for the folks on your prayer list. Give it a go, you can’t really do any harm and you may end up doing a world of good.
Here’s an idea for you…
Each day put a few coppers in a jar, maybe some silver on days you’re feeling flush. When the jar is full, take it all down to your favourite charity and donate it. Then start again. This daily practice gives you a sense of grace as, when you donate it, you’ll be answering someone else’s prayers somewhere.
Defining idea…
‘Prayer must never be answered; if it is, it ceases to be prayer and becomes correspondence.’
OSCAR WILDE
How did it go?
Q I am an atheist and this idea doesn’t sit well with me. Who exactly am I praying to?
A You don’t have to believe in God to believe in transcendental states. A really fabulous meal or a beautiful piece of music can transport you to a higher state and those don’t have much to do with any deity. Experiment, take what you enjoy and leave what you can’t stomach. You’re not required to believe in any God in order to show concern for your fellow man and send him some healing thoughts.
Q I feel like my prayers are never answered — what am I doing wrong?
A Prayers are a way of spreading blessings around, they don’t work in the same way as a shopping list. You can’t ask for certain outcomes, give a deadline and then wonder why you haven’t had the result you asked for. You have to trust that, having said your peace, your prayer is not in vain. That’s the faith part of the equation.
Q My sister says that I should pray in the manner of our own faith but I feel happier just lighting a candle and saying my prayer without any ritual. How can I get her off my back?
A Avoid the conversation. You don’t need to rub her nose in your beliefs and you shouldn’t let her rub yours in hers. Just relax and offer to make her a cup of tea if she starts up on the subject. You can easily keep changing the subject till she gets the message. And if she doesn’t, explicitly tell her to butt out of your personal spiritual life as it’s nothing to do with her. Sometimes you have to be blunt.