Prayer is bad for your health?
605510
You left out several of the points also made in this report.\nA big one was that recovery is greatly affected by the patient's mental attitudes.  Therefore, it is possible that being told "a large group of people will be praying for you" might actually cause the patient to worry more than he normally would because he thinks "It must be worse than I thought if all those people feel the need to pray for me..."   So it isn't the prayer, but the worry that is the issue.
417030
Prayer is many things, but most importantly, it is communication with the Almighty. This means it is conversation, not a monologue. When I pray, I try to spend more time listening than talking ... I figure God knows more than I do, so He should have the bulk of the time to do the talking :)\n\nFor my part, there are the short "HELP! ! ! " kind of prayers when I'm in a bind; the pouring out my heart to God, kind of prayers; the lifting up a brother or sister who is in a bind kind; the deep and travailing intercession for others; prayers of blessing for my friends (and enemies); praying for protection, wisdom, direction, etc.\nIn short, even though the form of the prayer changes with the circumstance, the Object of the prayer (God) remains a constant, so any prayer that is prayed in veiw of God's glory being manifested in the greatest possible way, is assured of a positive answer.\nI do try to pray for things VERY specifically (God, please bless Tom by giving him a job that will let him spend more time with his kids, and still pay the bills), as opposed to general prayers like "God, please bless Tom." In this way, I can know with greater certainty that God has answered the prayer (He may very well answer both, but If I have only prayed a general prayer, I won't know if it's really God answering or just 'the way things turned out').\n\nIn my experience the best prayers start with listening to God, finding out what is on God's heart, and then praying for that to happen.\n\nEdit: I wanted to add that prayer does not have to be done in any set or formal way (although formal prayers are not wrong), or use a bunch of high-sounding words that lack personal meaning but sound 'religious'.\n\nAlso, I think God likes us to be 'dirt honest' with Him (It's not like we are really hiding anything from Him anyway). Sometimes my prayers are more like yelling at God, and sometimes I get downright demanding (like a child who still has some 'growing up' to do), but I know that God is big enough not to be threatened by my anger, frustration, disillusionment, disapointment, etc, and even when these emotion are directed at Him, he is patient with me, and (I think) is actually just as pleased in those times as much as the ones we usually refer to as a "good prayer time".
419977
Why only Christians???---Eating too much is harmful for Everyone\n\nWe in India also think that eating too much hinders spiritual progress. I wouldn't use the word 'sin' though\n\nIf you are exercising and feel energetic, that should be okay then, but at the same time do think about the long term after effects of 'over eating'
799318
You'd be better off asking for donations.  Prayer will get you absolutely nothing.
1018646
Never! Prayer is what connects us to the goodness of this world and its people, is what makes children think of something greater than mommy or daddy, since evolution is a theory, is not proven that WE descended from the monkeys, we have all been created ,everything that is and was and will be has all been created ,is been here we just accomodate these things for our use and we are so conceited that we dare to deny prayers ,good words, good thoughts ,to our very in danger children and we have seen the consequences , I say let them say PRAYERS for all of us, what harm can this do? I have had personal experiences with answered prayers, and Iam sure other people also ,then let us THINK even the most primitive tribes still found in the Amazon , New guinea, believe in a supreme Being ,creator of this world!, who are we modern bolonies to question WHAT has worked for us for thousands of years?
216760
Your question is genuine and an excellent one...but with all honesty....its like asking "how do i breath air". Prayer is more than words and language. Its communicating with the divine energy, which we all call with different names. Its finding the inner peace. I am not pointing to any particular religion since i respect all. Prayer is nothing but realizing your inner peace, and realizing the manifestation of divinity. \nOfcourse when you are that close to your inner self or divine energy, no wonder why they say that if you pray for good thing with true heart, it will come true. \nSome people find peace in praying in church, others in mosques, other in Synagogue, others in temples. Whatever it is, it all boils down to your self-satisfaction. Prayer is your communication with the divine energy, which we call with different names. There is no standard set of rules in prayer. You can pray however you want. If you think its easy then it will be as easy as breathing air and if you think prayer is hard, then it will be hard. If you ask me, i think prayer is personal and not so difficult. Whether i can always have 100% clear mind while praying...well that i can't say. Hey..I am a human being myself. Thoughts keep coming into our minds. We cant stop them. But we can certainly control them like traffic lights. There are people who dont care about any particular religion but who pray for the entire humanity. So you can be assured that somewhere someone is praying for humanity, which includes you too. World peace.
494463
Either they think that you're sick (physically or mentally), you're in a bad situation and they want it to get better for you, or you're in a religion they don't approve of and they're praying you'll "see the light" if they pray long and hard enough.  I always say don't sweat it, if they want to waste their breath and their minutes, which get more precious by the day it seems, let them.  It's not me they're affecting, and maybe one day they'll realize it.
275065
I, for one, shall pray - that the Good Lord shed His Light on the US President's path, for Bush is the United States' President, and our duly elected Leader, at least for now.\n...What is the harm in praying for our fellow human beings : especially, when they are themselves feeling down and out ?\nEven Jesus would have approved of it !
817399
Personally, I feel that organized religion is dangerous. As well-meaning as people can be, any church organization becomes a bit cult-ish at one point or another. It's very easy to become the victim of blind faith, and even easier to lose yourself. My beliefs lie within the universe and nothing else. I pray, but I don't need any church or pastor/minister whathaveyou to direct my life in an uncomfortable way. Some people may need the structure, but it can also be very damaging. It all depends on who you are.
912152
Smoking is bad for your health - period.
1162980
Yes I do believe in God. It is not enough to just believe even the devil and his demons believe there is a God. A person must accept Christ as their personal savior and invite God to come into there heart. There are many many reasons why people get sick. I will name a few for you so you can get a better understanding. One is being disobedient to to the word of God. Dishonoring God's word can cause sickness to come upon you.  Some illnesses come simply come from unhealthly eating habits and bad processing of food by manufacturers today. Many many unhealty chemicals are added to food today that cause numerous illnesses. Organic foods are the best foods to eat. I could  go further in depth about the first reason I stated in you are interested in further dialogue e-mail me.
680867
Yes, many times.  One instance, my grandmother, a devout Christian prayed for a man that was scheduled to get his leg removed in just a few days.  When he went back to get it done, it was no sign of the disease.  She also was diagnosed with diabetes and took medication for a while, she prayed and said she was healed.  It is the first time I had ever known my Pop to question her, but my aunt and Pop insisted she go to the dr. for tests.  There was no diabetes.  Our church regularly had "healing meetings".  Everyone laid hands on the sick one.  Lots of people were healed, this was not publicised, nor exhorted to everyone. It was taken for granted that He could and would.  God was continually praised for our blessings.  Faith healings do work.  I have witnessed so many miracles, simply from being with faithful, humble people that knew God is the ultimate healer. His miracles are still everywhere today.  Ask in faith and you shall receive.  The meek and humble will inherit the Kingdom of God.
470982
depression is a mental disease, so no. if you have diabetes or cancer is it a sin? it is time for society to see depression as a real disease and not something people just decide to have.
618576
Stress is bad because it not only effects your emotional health, but your physical health as well. unchecked stress can lead to depression. It can also lead to high blood pressure, strokes, heart problems,ect. While it is impossible to completly eliminate stress altogether, there are ways to alleviate it. Prayer and meditation are great ways to manage stress. It's also helpful to talk things out with a close friend. Take walks in nature, exercize, do a hobby you enjoy, take a long hot bubble bath and listen to soothing music. Take deep breaths. There are lots of things you can do, but the most important thing to remember is this.... God grant me the courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference.   Godspeed and prayers
1039347
too much of ANYthing is bad for you
978576
Prayer is not just for when u have problems... prayer is meant to be a time for communication with God. Prayer is to be constant.
846765
It's a proven fact that smoking is bad for your health.  If it's bad for your body, then it's one of satans ploys to keep you from doing whats best. We're supposed to take good care of our bodies.\n Romans 12:1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." We know this verse is true and we ought to present our bodies a living sacrifice to a most holy God. With this in mind, let me ask you, did your first use of tobacco come at the suggestion of God? Were you in church services when the pastor convinced you, from the Word of God, that you ought to use tobacco? Or did someone other than a faithful servant of God introduce you to tobacco?\nDo you use tobacco in the name (by the authority) of the Lord Jesus? Does the Spirit of God lead you in the use of tobacco? Romans 8:5, "So they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit."\nI Corinthians 10:31, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God:". When you use tobacco, can you give God the glory for using it? Or do you wish you had never started using tobacco? Can you thank God that you use tobacco?\n\nWould Christ have used tobacco? That's very doubtful, isn't it? If you use tobacco, are you being like Christ?\n\n I Corinthians 6:19, "What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" When we are saved, our body becomes the temple of the Holy Ghost, and we shouldn't defile the dwelling place of the Holy Ghost with ungodly tobacco usage.