13 Apr '06 23:18>
Originally posted by lucifershammerBut its a shame God wont give us a raise.
Does your boss always give you a raise when you ask for it? Do you always have to ask to receive a raise?
Originally posted by sonhouseWithout science we would not know god.
I suppose the recent evidence for the failure of prayer to help someone sick would be completely ignored by the religious community. After all its just science and what is science when up against the infinitude of a god.
Originally posted by sonhouseIt proves God is not Santa Claus. A very illuminating study, both for theists and non-theists.
Recent large scale study of the effects of prayer on heart bypass patients shows no help and if the patients know, the complications go up slightly. here is the link:
http://www.livescience.com/othernews/ap_060330_prayer.html
Originally posted by ivanhoeOr alternatively, it says maybe there is no god, and all you theists are sadly deluded. The thing is, theism makes you feel better about your life which is the one positive about the concept. The fact that it makes you feel good and gives you that warm fuzzy feeling of certainty, does not, in itself, force it to be real. You stand a very great chance of simply being deluded.
It proves God is not Santa Claus. A very illuminating study, both for theists and non-theists.
Originally posted by sonhouseTaking up one's cross doesn't give one a warm fuzzy feeling and that is exactly what God asks us to do .... Santa Claus however does not ask such a thing .....
Or alternatively, it says maybe there is no god, and all you theists are sadly deluded. The thing is, theism makes you feel better about your life which is the one positive about the concept. The fact that it makes you feel good and gives you that warm fuzzy feeling of certainty, does not, in itself, force it to be real. You stand a very great chance of simply being deluded.
Originally posted by Conrau KYou too. 🙂
Considering that Sonhouse's link demonstrates that prayer has absolutely no efficacy, how can you assert that God "gives raises"?
Happy Easter. 🙂
Originally posted by lucifershammerI don't think your analogy works, or at least it doesn't work the way you want. People ask for a raise because there is a reasonable chance that the raise will be granted. If you would do a study with two groups, one where people would ask for a raise from time to time and one where people would never ask for a raise, I would expect that it would show that on average, people in group 1 would get more raises. If I knew that this were not the case, and there were no difference between group 1 and 2, I would probably stop asking. And if I knew that it was actually group 2 which had more raises, I would definitely stop asking. It doesn't have to work every time to be a good strategy, but it has to raise the chance of success. That was not the case in the study sonhouse linked to.
Btw, where did I assert that God "gives raises"? I'm sure both of you got the point of my analogy, so I'll have to assume you're just trying to wind me up.
Originally posted by NordlysPeople have been asking for raises long before psychologists studied the statistical efficacy of asking for one; and will no doubt continue to do so even if the statistics show otherwise (unless there is a massive negative correlation).
I don't think your analogy works, or at least it doesn't work the way you want. People ask for a raise because there is a reasonable chance that the raise will be granted. If you would do a study with two groups, one where people would ask for a raise from time to time and one where people would never ask for a raise, I would expect that it would show that o it has to raise the chance of success. That was not the case in the study sonhouse linked to.