In Reply to: Re: my skeptical opinion posted by Miguel on August 17, 2004 at 00:04:51:
IMO, it is the ultimate act of faith to believe in God even when God is silent. Such faith is not irrational. I choose faith one day at a time because it gives me hope that I am not alone and that existence is not meaningless, despite what my senses and reason suggest.
To me, the key to whether prayer works is how a person conceptualizes God, the object of one's prayers. My higher power is not like a big Santa Claus in the sky handing out toys and lumps of coal or coming up with an empty bag whenever it suits his purpose. Actually, my higher power isn't even remotely human in appearance or behavior. What I honor is Being...but more like process than an object.