A few readers can relate to the embattled atheist Sigfriend Gold:
OMG, I thought it was just me! I pray to God all the time. I don’t really think He’s real, though. Am I hedging my bets? Am I hypocritical? Am I not really an atheist? No to all of the those. Praying and talking to God helps me. Period. I wish I did believe. I wish I had not “fallen” from my religion and I wish I could get that feeling back that I once had when I walked into church – of awe, of connection. When I first started talking to God again, after resisting the behavior for many years, I thought perhaps I was regaining my Faith. I contemplated going to Church again. That became too complicated a thought. For now, I am comforted by God. Even if it’s only just me talking to the walls.
The other reader:
I, too, often pray, without believing there is some supernatural persona listening to me. If the only prayer you’ve ever engaged in is asking for petty favors, it’s easy to mock when you don’t believe it works anymore. But look, I can tell you simply why I still pray. It is by hearing the words come out of my mouth “to God” that I know what’s important to me. I suppose that can be mocked too. Maybe I am childish for not finding some more advanced way to understand and prioritize what is going on in my life. But it works, it’s comfortable to me, and I like it. So I will carry on.
The Dish 