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From this months Home Teaching message;

There are many ways to exhort someone to pray. For example, we can testify that God has commanded us to pray always, or we can describe examples from scripture and from our own experience of the blessings that come from prayers of gratitude, supplication, and inquiry. For instance, I can testify that I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers. I have received direction and comfort from words that have come into my mind, and I know by the Spirit that the words were from God.(Eyring)

Receiving direction and comfort seem to be the two key benefits being said prayer can deliver.

However, I know of far more people who have made correct decisions and been comforted without prayer being involved at all.

So is it necessary and has it been necessary in your life?

Drifting wrote:
Receiving direction and comfort seem to be the two key benefits being said prayer can deliver.

agreed

However, I know of far more people who have made correct decisions and been comforted without prayer being involved at all.

congratulations, but I too know of far more people who have made less incorrect decisions and been in need of comforting less often because of prayer.

So is it necessary and has it been necessary in your life?

yes and yes.

subgenius wrote:

Drifting wrote:
Receiving direction and comfort seem to be the two key benefits being said prayer can deliver.

agreed

However, I know of far more people who have made correct decisions and been comforted without prayer being involved at all.

congratulations, but I too know of far more people who have made less incorrect decisions and been in need of comforting less often because of prayer.

So is it necessary and has it been necessary in your life?

yes and yes.

So, if you count the people you know that made better (or less bad!) decisions due to prayer, and we compare the total with the number of people Drafting was talking about, the one with the larger number wins?

subgenius wrote:

Drifting wrote:So is it necessary and has it been necessary in your life?

yes and yes.

Care to share how?

I think prayer can be beneficial in the same way meditation type practices can be.

I think it can be helpful to stop and focus internally or focus on desires, goals, problems, etc. I think it probably has a calming effect on most people, just like meditation does.

Is it necessary? No, not like breathing and food and water. But it could be part of a happy, healthy lifestyle just as meditation can be.

I believe our heart answers our prayers anyway. So, I don't really see it as different than asking yourself what you desire or how you can solve problems. I also see the comforting as self-comfort. It can be very good and healthy.

The problem is when prayer is manipulated by outsiders telling you what to pray for and how to do it and how to interpret your answers. Well, or when people think god is telling them to kill people or whatever, but that is pretty extreme and clearly mentally ill...

subgenius wrote:congratulations, but I too know of far more people who have made less incorrect decisions and been in need of comforting less often because of prayer.

Did you do some sort of a study?

malkie wrote:So, if you count the people you know that made better (or less bad!) decisions due to prayer, and we compare the total with the number of people Drafting was talking about, the one with the larger number wins?

which is why i made the comment....Drifting often equates quantity with quality.
My counter-example simply points out how irrelevant how many of either group "we know" is to the actual truth of the matter.

but for the record, i know at least one more person than Drifting....so, i win!

Hades wrote:Did you do some sort of a study?

yes, the exact same one Drifting did to get his numbers.

Drifting wrote:So is it necessary and has it been necessary in your life?

Is always has been and will be necessary in my life. Due to the Fall, I need guidance. God says that guidance is obtained through prayer.

I like the way the brother of Jared put it:

"...and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires." (excerpted from Ether 3:2)

The brother of Jared acknowledges that due to the effects of the Fall - we are by nature, evil and unworthy. Which we are. But, the important part is not our evil nature or our unworthiness. It is the Lord's commandment that we pray anyway!!!

We cannot claim that our sins keep us from the Lord, or prevent us from praying, or that He is upset with us and we cannot pray because we feel unworthy. The Lord says "None of that matters. Pray to me anyway."

I find it kind of touching. His love for us is so strong. As it says in Romans in the New Testament, nothing can separate us from His love. If sin could accomplish that, then the Atonement would be for nothing.

Which fall are you talking about? Last September in Vermont?

My Orixa is always with me..... He does not leave when I walk into a bar. He likes cachaca. Your hg abandons you for the silliest reasons.