There’s no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole.
An old saying
Nowhere is our worldview more apparent than in the way we pray! How we seek spiritual connection reveals our worldview about the nature of Spirit and about ourselves.
Almighty God.
forgive me for my agnosticism,
For I shall try to keep it gentle, not cynical,
Not a bad influence!
And O!
If thou are truly in the heavens, accept my gratitude for all Thy gifts and I shall try to fight the good fight. Amen
This prayer was written by an atheist – a brilliant teen scientist with a brain tumor – facing an unknown future. It was recorded in his father’s memoir about his son’s journey from diagnosis to death. The teen wrote it after reading Aldous Huxley’s book, The Perennial Philosophy (which led me to buy the book).
When I was first exploring the practice of prayer /praying, I relied on Larry Dossey’s research and writings, from his early book, Healing Words (1993), to his current books on the concept of oneness. Having attended a 5 day Mexico conference of his, I knew him to be genuine and authentic, deliberate and detailed, and passionate about providing truth about consciousness.
I expanded my studies into prayer in different traditions. Basically, I separate them into God centered and Spirit centered. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim prayers are God centered. Buddhist, Hindu, Shamanic and Huna prayers are Spirit Centered. The latter are often more chanting and meditation than verbal messaging. Some traditions aim for spiritual connection through movement like Sufi twirling and African Orishi and Native American dancing.
Some traditions aim for spiritual self-connection through renunciation and isolation, like Indian “saints”.
REFLECT:
Do you believe prayer works?
If so, how?
If not, why not?
In the Christian tradition, there are different types of prayer:
* Praise & Adoration
* Gratitude
* Petition – asking for an outcome for self and / or others
* Confession & Repentance
APPLY:
Identity the types of prayer in the Lord’s Prayer, which is the most known and researched prayer in the Christian tradition.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and glory,
Amen
REFLECT:
What is your spiritual tradition around prayer?
How did you learn to pray?
If you pray, which type do you use the most?
What does all of this reveal about your worldview?
Prayer can be highly structured, as in the Catholic tradition “saying the Rosary”, or spontaneous and personal, as in other traditions. Some traditions give praise publicly – “Praise His Name” – while others consider public declarations a lack of spiritual humility. For instance, the 2025 Southern California Pacific Palisades fire burned 23,448 acres and 6,837 structures. Surrounded by fire on all sides, the Self Realization Fellowship (SRF) grounds
and buildings were mostly unaffected. The SRF President asked the SRF followers not to discuss the details, as it could appear as spiritual pride, especially since so many churches in the area had burned. In the same
manner, Tenzin Palmo never spoke about her “enlightenment”. A Tibetan Buddhist nun, she spent 12 years alone in a Himalayan cave 13,200 feet high, facing hardships and near death. Yet Tenzin Palmo responded to questions about her transcendent spiritual experiences with, “It was never boring”.
APPLY:
Decide how you want to establish / maintain spiritual connection.
Create a plan / practice to do it.
Healing Words, The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine, Larry Dossey, MD, Harper, 1993.
Death Be Not Proud, A Memoir, John Gunther, Harper Perennial, 1949.
Cave in the Snow, Vicki Mackenzie, Bloomsbury, 1998,
