Michael Novak writes about prayer. His example of Sartre is just more evidence for my thesis, I think. If I've ever prayed in my life, it was only as a very young (pre-school) child, and then only because I was told I was supposed to. I don't ever recall any sense that there was anyone home when I did so, and I haven't done so since the age of five or so.

As Jean-Paul Sartre wrote, he tried hard all his life to be a serious atheist, but even he felt himself breaking out in thanksgiving to God for certain beautiful days, certain stunning events. Of course, he then withdrew these "prayers," but he quite recognized the naturalness of the impulse in himself. He wrote that being atheist is in practice much harder than many let on. One needs to stay on watch at every moment against little surrenders. The world so often seems "as if" there is a God.

Despite the fact that he reasoned himself into atheism, he was a natural-born believer. I've never felt an impulse such as that he describes, and the world has never seemed "as if" there is a God to me.

[Update a few minutes later]

Oh, and just to make clear, nothing in either of these two posts should be construed as an argument either for, or against, the existence of God. If God exists, He does so entirely independently of my, or anyone else's beliefs about Him.

Errrr...unless, of course, you think that God exists for those who believe, and doesn't for those who don't. Which may actually be the closest thing to the truth.

The problem with religious people is their obsession with trying to rope everyone else into their belief system. They simply cannot accept the notion that religion works for people who are attracted to it and may not work for those who aren't. Why they cannot accept this notion is completely incomprehensible to me and is quite irrational and counterproductive for them.

For example, most libertarians and non-religious conservatives support 80% of what christians want politically (school choice, crime-free neighborhoods for their kids, less interference from federal government, etc.). Even though I am atheist, I have no problem with religious displays at christmas (after all, christmas IS a christian holiday) and other public displays of christian belief. The only issues I part company with the christian right are that of abortion and any possible government restrictions on the development and availability of radical life extension.

The christians need to get down off their high horse and recognize that it is specifically their insistance that everyone join up in their religion that is the cause of much of what they perceive as hostility towards their religion. Things would be a lot smoother for them if they just accept that some of us simply have no need for religion and accept us a possible allies, rather than making enemies out of anyone who refuses to join their religion.

The fiercely anti-islamic Italian writer women who just died of cancer is a perfect example. She is certainly no christian, but is willing to speak out and defend the religion of christianity (against islam). If the christian right backs off some, I think they will find that there are many of us who sympathize and supports many points of their positions, providing they stop trying to push their religion and the tenents there of on to us.

Amen, Rand.;-)

"The problem with religious people is their obsession with trying to rope everyone else into their belief system..."

I have never seen or experienced what you are describing. However I have seen, the non-religious assume that Christians that are trying to either share thier gift of God, or encouraging others to uphold Christian beliefs, equals having religion pushed on them.

I don't think ANY Christian wishes for any non-Christian to "convert" before God truly reveals Himself to them.

The OP mentions not being born with a predisposition to religion. As a Christian I have absolutely no problem with this, I don't feel the OP is trying to push atheism on me. I do however wonder how his life will change when God reveals Himself to the OP.

I will admit, Christians are somewhat blinded by the fact that God speaks to them daily. With such unarguable evidence as direct communication, it seems odd to Christians that the non-religious wouldn't want to receive that gift. Some Christians get a little "overzealous" in thier "sharing" because of this.

I agree with you that more Christians should be more tactful with thier sharing. I also think the non-religious should understand Christians just want to share thier gift, that there isn't some evil conspiracy to "convert" them.

Kurt,
I hope you meant some religious people have the obsession with conversion. You later specifically mention Christians. I am Catholic and have been so all my life. I have not witnessed anyone of my faith actively trying to convert someone. I know there are certain portions of Christianity that actively attempt to convert 'non-believers', but there are active people of Jewish, Muslim, Bhuddist, and athiests who attempt to do the same.

I could easily take your argument and substitute 'liberal intellectuals' for 'Christian right', with the rest unchanged. In my opinion, people are all welcome to what they believe and should not force others to conform to them.

They may exist, but I've never personally encountered a proselytizing Jew. I think they're rare.

I do not believe proselytizing Jews exist. Judaism actively discourages conversions -- or, to be more precise, makes them as difficult as possible in order to ensure converts really meant it. Consequently, any Jew serious enough about his religion to want converts is also serious enough not to encourage them.

If a Gentile is married to a Jew, then his (or her) spouse and other Jews often encourage him to convert, but I would not count that as "proselytizing". To me, word "proselytize" implies going out of one's way to convert large numbers.

Proselytizing Jews do exist. However, they mostly live in Israel and focus on other Jews whose faith they feel is insufficiently strong. Jews haven't got much interest in nonbelievers, but they're quite concerned about making sure that their fellows are holding their end up.

Tom W.:

My major beef with religion, in general, and especially christianity in this country is its ambivalent stance on radical life extension and transhumanism. More specifically the issue of morphological freedom.

I am a long time advocate of radical life extension, transhumanism, and space colonization. I believe that the individual has an unalienable right to modify his or her self (mind and body) as long as they do not make themselves into a "burden" on others (i.e. drug abuse). Specifically, I believe individuals have the right to develop the technologies to eliminate the aging process and to increase their cognitive abilities as they see fit. As long as christian people respect my right to do this, I have no problem with them or their religion. To their credit, the christian people I know personally have no problem with any of this things, even though they do not identify with them themselves.

However, there seems to be a vocal contingent on the internet and elsewhere (start with bioethics.com) who question this right on so-called christian religious grounds. There have been other "christian" people (including the pope) who have openly questioned or even denouced the right of individuals to pursue radical life extension technology. And, no, I'm not just talking about the use of embryos in research. I'm talking about the right of an adult human being to modify his or her own body for radical life extension and increased IQ.

If these christians were to say that they don't believe that christians should do this stuff, but that they have no problems with non-christians pursuing transhumanist changes, then I would have no problem with christianity.

"I will admit, Christians are somewhat blinded by the fact that God speaks to them daily."

I believe psychiatrists have a name for that.

I think prayer is a good think and often times necessary to elevate ourselves to a higher level of communication. Whether its a congregation gathered about listening to a preacher or a conference room full of rocketeers huddled over a PPT presentation in silent concentration. Prayer resembles an effort to program a group of people on a common task and attitude. Whether its a cleric wishing to instill the daily affirmations of or Donald Trump eulogizing on the benefits of "visualizing success". Prayer is a powerful medium in which we are able to sync up our minds with one another and achieve the same frequency in thought pattern.

The power of prayer is a tool in manipulating our perception on reality and even out own bodies. Prayer has a marked effect on the perception of pain in patients undergoing some type of traumatic experience. Pain is by and large a mental component and praying for and with someone who is hurt can greatly help that persons mind work past the pain and wrap their thoughts and feeling on another subject.

I'll even go so far as to say that prayer has a higher level of interaction then just the obvious psycho babel. You see there was a time that someone bet me $5 that I couldn't find the ace of hearts in a deck of cards. We laid all 52 cards face down and I spent the better part of 10 minutes holding my hand over each card concentrating on it as hard as I could. Suddenly, a flash of light seemed to originate from directly over one of the cards, out off the corner of my eye. I instantly without hesitation went all the way over from where my hand was then currently hovering and flipped over the card that flashed at me. Sure enough it was the Ace of Hearts. I told everyone that this card showed me it was the one, I knew it was it from its fairy fire (no drugs involved). Many of the people in the room later admitted that they really felt like I was going to find it, "it just felt right", and that they knew it would happen. I understand the odds weren't astronomical but it got me thinking about the possibility that there is an energy medium that pervades us. Perhaps everyone in the room collectivity added their optimism together to the point where we began to defy reality and some form of quantum visualization took hold. That perhaps there is a level of consciousness that we do not totally notice or are aware of at most moments of our waking lives.