"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . .'" (Genesis 1:26).
There was a bold headline in the October 4th Sioux City Journal that said, "Praying to whom? Study shows majority of American 'atheists' pray." The article that followed cited studies by Baylor University and by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. These studies revealed that the majority of atheists in America are inclined to pray, and one third of them pray often.
Whatever one thinks of the validity of these studies, I do know that when life comes crashing down on atheists, they are willing to pray. I had an interesting marital counseling situation in which one of the spouses was a Christian and the other an atheist. During A counseling session it is always my policy to ask permission to pray together. When I asked permission for prayer with this couple, I expected a rejection. To my surprise, the permission was granted whole-heartedly. When life seems to be coming apart, even an atheist is willing to reach out to God.
Augustine said that 'God has made us for Himself and our souls cannot rest until they rest in Him.' I think these studies and my experience support the validity of Augustine's observation.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
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