Selective non-belief

[Crusade]

What does it say about your moral strength/integrity if you pray, but argue against the existence of God in debates/discussions? I don't pray regularly, but using prayer as a last resort, when facing a crisis that is seemingly out of my range to handle on my own, seems not only cowardly, but it feels like I'm somehow exploiting this (seemingly) non-existent God. You could say that I'm not completely sold on disbelief, but I feel as if I'm failing in both areas by remaining agnostic-leaning. I feel like not being sold on either belief makes you weaker in all areas. I don't believe you can choose to believe something, but it seems like leaving it up in the air results in believing one or the other whenever it's convenient, which is beginning to bother me. Does anyone else do this? If so how do you deal with it? If not, how would you suggest I deal with it?

[Invincible Summer]

Realize that you're wasting your time and figure out how to use your own will and strength to overcome things.

Also, realize that praying to an invisible being that supposedly has powers to help you is similar to praying to leprachauns or Thor

[Jimmie Higgins]

I'm not religious but I find myself doing this too. I don't know if it's conditioning from being brought up this way and just surrounded by other people who do this; or if its just something people tend to do. It seems like a natural way our brains work - we give human characteristics to everything from cars to abstract concepts like luck or fate or whatever.

I sometimes do secular versions of praying too - not intentionally. Where my religious friends might say, "please god..." I often find myself saying in my head "Oh please I hope this happens". It's essentially the same thing - I'm irrationally (even though I know it's irrational and can't change anything) hoping reality bends to my wishes or needs. I think religious people are doing the same thing - except they might believe that god could potentially bend reality for them.

Edit: my advice is not to worry about it. Unless you think that god is going to come down and liberate people and bring justice, then saying: "Oh God, I hope we don't crash" if you're almost in an accident or whatever won't hurt your rebel credibility comrade.

[Crusade]

I sometimes do secular versions of praying too - not intentionally. Where my religious friends might say, "please god..." I often find myself saying in my head "Oh please I hope this happens". It's essentially the same thing - I'm irrationally (even though I know it's irrational and can't change anything) hoping reality bends to my wishes or needs.

This is a really good point to make. Whenever anyone says this, who exactly are they begging if not to a god? Life itself?

[Jimmie Higgins]

This is a really good point to make. Whenever anyone says this, who exactly are they begging if not to a god? Life itself?Yeah, life, the universe, a genie, leprechaun, ourselves. I don't know it's just sort of a reaction... "I wish this" or "I hope that" or "Please oh please". I know it's not going to do anything or really change anything, but I still do it. Maybe it's just part of being able to imagine different outcomes and realities - first we hope on instinct and then we try and figure out how really we can accomplish it - or if the hope is even realistic or possible.

[Lynx]

Introspection can take many forms.
Believing you are not alone, positive thinking, these can be therapeutic.

[Black Sheep]

Introspection can take many forms.
Believing you are not alone, positive thinking, these can be therapeutic.
But still delusional.

[mikelepore]

What does it say about your moral strength/integrity if you pray, but argue against the existence of God in debates/discussions?

I can understand that. When running your own life, you're allowed to go by any feelings or intuitions that seem right. However, in debates we know that the occasion gives us a responsibility to consider whether arguments are logical. The God may exist, but, even if it does, all the reasons that people cite in debates for believing in its existence are logically invalid.

[anticap]

I've not encountered many people who live absolutely according to their beliefs. I certainly don't. I violate my own principles on a daily basis, and I would snort in disbelief at anyone who claimed to do otherwise.

Still, like Mike said, there's a time for serious debate, and that's when you need to stick to your guns. (Ideally we'd do that all the time, but we live in a far from ideal world.)