I Tried 30 Days of Prayer as an Atheist

Summary

The speaker shares a personal journey of grappling with the intellectual and emotional challenges of atheism, influenced by role models like Andrew Huberman, Jordan Peterson, and others who have moved towards faith. Despite once being inspired by atheistic thinkers, the speaker finds that atheism has left them feeling unfulfilled and cynical. Through prayer, they discover a sense of relaxation and gratitude, prompting a reflection on the role of faith in overcoming life's hardships. While not fully convinced of God's existence, the speaker is drawn to the sense of purpose faith can provide.

Takeaways

• 🤔 Many intellectual thinkers such as Andrew Huberman, Jordan Peterson, and Neil deGrasse Tyson have shifted towards faith, leaving the speaker confused about the role of logic and faith in life.
• 😕 The speaker grew up admiring atheists like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins but now finds atheism to be more detrimental than beneficial to their personal life.
• 😔 Atheism, while logical, has left the speaker feeling lonely, purposeless, and scared of death, without anything to look forward to in the afterlife.
• 🤷 The speaker acknowledges the appeal of faith and how believers find meaning and strength in hardship through the concept of God's will, while atheism lacks this sense of purpose.
• 🧠 The speaker sees faith as a psychological tool born out of an evolutionary need to cope with life's challenges and sees the placebo effect as a potential analogy for faith.
• 📚 Influential books like 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor Frankl suggest that people turn to faith in the face of extreme hardship, further influencing the speaker's views.
• 🧘 The speaker experimented with prayer, finding it to be relaxing and different from meditation, even though the effects diminished over time as they adapted to it.
• 🙏 The speaker decided to focus on gratitude during prayer, realizing how fortunate they are in life and feeling a sense of guilt that others in worse circumstances may have more faith but less material success.
• 😶 Despite their logical atheist background, the speaker admits that atheism has led to cynicism and a lack of fulfillment, and they are contemplating moving towards faith for a more fulfilling life.
• 😓 The speaker doesn't fully believe in God but feels jealous of those who do, recognizing that they want to follow the transition towards faith made by intellectual role models for personal fulfillment.

Q & A

Why does the speaker feel confused by intellectuals turning towards faith?

The speaker is puzzled because their role models in intellectual thinking, such as Andrew Huberman, Jordan Peterson, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, have moved toward faith in God. This shift confuses the speaker as they previously associated these thinkers with logic and reason, not faith, which they viewed as less logical.

What has the speaker traditionally admired about atheist thinkers?

The speaker admired atheist thinkers like Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens for their logical arguments against the existence of God and their ability to debate the irrationality of faith. These thinkers provided strong, witty rebuttals to religious ideas, which the speaker found compelling.

How does the speaker feel about atheism’s impact on their life?

The speaker feels that atheism has brought them more detriments than benefits. Despite enjoying the intellectual debates around atheism, it has left them feeling lonely, cynical, and without a sense of purpose, leading to an overall sense of dissatisfaction.

What role does the placebo effect play in the speaker's thinking about faith?

The speaker sees faith as potentially functioning like a placebo effect, providing tangible benefits even if it isn’t 'real' in the traditional sense. They question the logic of disregarding something like faith if it can bring positive, life-improving results.

Why did the speaker decide to experiment with prayer?

The speaker decided to try prayer as a way to explore its potential benefits, after observing that people who pray appear relaxed, calm, and more capable of enduring hardship. They wanted to see if prayer could provide similar relief and contentment for themselves.

How did the speaker feel after praying for the first time?

The speaker felt deeply relaxed and content after their first prayer session. Despite already practicing meditation, they found that prayer brought a different, more profound sense of calm that they couldn’t fully explain logically.

How does the speaker's view on gratitude connect with their experience of prayer?

The speaker began incorporating thoughts of gratitude into their prayers, focusing on the abundance in their life, such as supportive parents, a great partner, and good health. This practice led them to feel more appreciative and content, reinforcing the positive effects of prayer.

What inner conflict does the speaker experience about faith and atheism?

The speaker feels torn between their atheistic logic and a growing desire for the comfort and fulfillment that faith seems to offer. While they still don't fully believe in God, they envy those who do and are contemplating a similar transition to improve their sense of fulfillment.

What realization does the speaker have about the evolutionary role of faith?

The speaker comes to see faith as an evolutionary necessity, a psychological tool developed to help humans cope with life's hardships. They recognize that many people throughout history have relied on faith to endure suffering and uncertainty.

What is the speaker’s goal in experimenting with prayer for 30 days?

The speaker's goal is to explore whether prayer can bring more fulfillment into their life. By trying it for 30 days, they hope to experience the positive effects they have observed in others, such as greater relaxation, perseverance, and a deeper sense of meaning.