Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Prac

[Douglass]

Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability.

www.heritage.org/Research/Religion/BG1064.cfm


By extolling freedom of religion in the schools, President Bill Clinton has raised the level of debate on the importance of religion to American life.3 The time is ripe for a deeper dialogue on the contribution of religion to the welfare of the nation.

America has always been a religious country. "Its first Christian inhabitants were only too anxious to explain what they were doing and why," explains historian Paul Johnson. "In a way the first American settlers were like the ancient Israelites. They saw themselves as active agents of divine providence."4 Today, he adds, "it is generally accepted that more than half the American people still attend a place of worship over a weekend, an index of religious practice unequaled anywhere in the world, certainly in a great and populous nation."5

At the heart of religious practice is prayer: Americans pray even more than they go to church. According to a composite of surveys, 94 percent of blacks, 91 percent of women, 87 percent of whites, and 85 percent of men regard themselves as people who pray regularly. Some 78 percent pray at least once per week, and 57 percent pray daily. Even among the 13 percent of the population who call themselves agnostics or atheists, some 20 percent pray daily.6

Click the link above to read the rest of the article


Older article that still applies today.

[joeyd]

I pray at least twice a week, whe the Powerball numbers come out. Does this count?

Joey Heathen

[msguide]

May 18, 2009 7:14:59 GMT -8 joeyd said:

I pray at least twice a week, whe the Powerball numbers come out. Does this count?

Joey Heathen

If you think you are being heard, then yes, it counts.

[joeyd]

May 18, 2009 7:19:03 GMT -8 msguide said:

May 18, 2009 7:14:59 GMT -8 joeyd said:

I pray at least twice a week, whe the Powerball numbers come out. Does this count?

Joey Heathen

If you think you are being heard, then yes, it counts.

Apparently not, if I had won the big dough by now, I would have bought WG from hank and closed it down.

Joe

[msguide]

I was being a little bit snarky, but prayer is about relationship. If you don't have relationship with the one to whom you pray, then what's the point?

Please do not shut down anything until I get a hit in North Dakota.

[richard]

Problem is, there's too much religion and not enough spirituality.
People tend to think all they have to do is go to church and pray a few times, and everything will be hunky-dory. If it isn't, then they blame God for not giving them what they want. It just doesn't work that way.
Msguide is right...it's about relationships.
Prayer works, but it must be sincere and from the heart, and not selfish or fleeting.

[joeyd]

May 18, 2009 9:09:05 GMT -8 richard said:

Problem is, there's too much religion and not enough spirituality.
People tend to think all they have to do is go to church and pray a few times, and everything will be hunky-dory. If it isn't, then they blame God for not giving them what they want. It just doesn't work that way.
Msguide is right...it's about relationships.
Prayer works, but it must be sincere and from the heart, and not selfish or fleeting.

What?? Praying twice a week to hit the powerball is selfish? ;D

Joe

[googoodan]

I agree Richard. "Religion" in my opinion is man-made regulations and doctrines. Sprituality is one's personal relationship with God. Though God gives us commands and tells us how he wants us to live, I find that "religious" people want to pick and choose which ones to obey.

[richard]

May 18, 2009 12:10:58 GMT -8 joeyd said:

May 18, 2009 9:09:05 GMT -8 richard said:

Problem is, there's too much religion and not enough spirituality.
People tend to think all they have to do is go to church and pray a few times, and everything will be hunky-dory. If it isn't, then they blame God for not giving them what they want. It just doesn't work that way.
Msguide is right...it's about relationships.
Prayer works, but it must be sincere and from the heart, and not selfish or fleeting.

What?? Praying twice a week to hit the powerball is selfish? ;D

Joe

Twice a week? You're a glutton for punishment, aren't you?

2 questions: Why would you pray to someone/something you don't think exists?
If you did win the Powerball, would you believe in God then?

[joeyd]

May 19, 2009 3:07:26 GMT -8 richard said:

May 18, 2009 12:10:58 GMT -8 joeyd said:

What?? Praying twice a week to hit the powerball is selfish? ;D

Joe

Twice a week? You're a glutton for punishment, aren't you?

2 questions: Why would you pray to someone/something you don't think exists?
If you did win the Powerball, would you believe in God then?

I don't pray to God about winning Powerball, I pray to Statistics.

If I won powerball, my already strong belief in Statistics would be even more re-affirmed.

Joe

[Dave]

May 18, 2009 12:10:58 GMT -8 joeyd said:

May 18, 2009 9:09:05 GMT -8 richard said:

Problem is, there's too much religion and not enough spirituality.
People tend to think all they have to do is go to church and pray a few times, and everything will be hunky-dory. If it isn't, then they blame God for not giving them what they want. It just doesn't work that way.
Msguide is right...it's about relationships.
Prayer works, but it must be sincere and from the heart, and not selfish or fleeting.

Be careful what you pray for.

You just might get it. ;D

What?? Praying twice a week to hit the powerball is selfish? ;D

Joe

[richard]

May 19, 2009 10:13:05 GMT -8 joeyd said:

May 19, 2009 3:07:26 GMT -8 richard said:

Twice a week? You're a glutton for punishment, aren't you?

2 questions: Why would you pray to someone/something you don't think exists?
If you did win the Powerball, would you believe in God then?

I don't pray to God about winning Powerball, I pray to Statistics.

If I won powerball, my already strong belief in Statistics would be even more re-affirmed.

Joe

Statistics say you have a better chance of getting run over by a wild bull elephant in the middle of Fargo than you would hitting Powerball.

My belief in statistics are re-affirmed every time you don't hit it.

[msguide]

Praying to statistics? Really? Why pray to something that only exists on paper and where the odds are against you?

[Maxf1ex]

Calculate Your Chance of Winning the Lottery

Lottery Math

Probability Of Winning The Lottery - Don't Waste Your Money

As for winning, once I won 500 on the mega millions, it was one ticket with five easy picks. However, it was divide between 2 numbers. The power ball was the same, and the others were random. I think only two of the numbers match in the group of five.

But, I was a "winner"

Then there is winning in life. Good job, good wife, halfway good kids. Which makes me more of a winner then many people I have met in life.

[joeyd]

May 19, 2009 13:53:35 GMT -8 Maxf1ex said:

Calculate Your Chance of Winning the Lottery

Lottery Math

Probability Of Winning The Lottery - Don't Waste Your Money

As for winning, once I won 500 on the mega millions, it was one ticket with five easy picks. However, it was divide between 2 numbers. The power ball was the same, and the others were random. I think only two of the numbers match in the group of five.

But, I was a "winner"

Then there is winning in life. Good job, good wife, halfway good kids. Which makes me more of a winner then many people I have met in life.

I realize the odds are millions to one. But some goofy bastard gets up on the podium and takes the big cardboad check every month or so, why not me?

Joe