God Beyond Religion: Is Prayer Effective?

I continually am asked the question, well if you no longer believe in the evangelical and orthodox dogma and doctrine, what about prayer? This is a great question and here is my best attempt at an answer. If the creative source is a field of divine creative consciousness; if we are conscious agents and points of consciousness within the collective consciousness, then I recommend the following points: 1) Engage in focused intention. 2) Move on to focused attention. 3) Thent move to focused action. 4) Finally release it to the collective conscious field.

Focused Intention:

Intention is to aim at or plan something. This makes it the first step in effective prayer. One should focus on what they desire to be accomplished by the unified field of divine consciousness.

Focused Attention:

The way to focus intention is to focus attention to the intention. It could be by writing it down on a piece of paper to make it a tangible expression of the Logos/Word within you. Another form of expression would be to speak it out loud. While I am sure that one could actually just think it, my sense is writing or speaking it aloud would be more effective for most and writing it down is what resonates the most with me. However, it may be more emergent, and it is not practical to write it. Speaking it or thinking it would be the next alternative with speaking it out loud being my preference.

Focused Action:

Focused action can be material or mental depending on how you can act. For example, if the focused intention is getting a job then applying and preparing would be an important part of focused action. If it is something out of your material control such as healing or a positive outcome, then focusing positive thoughts toward it is all the action that is necessary.

Release It:

Finally, and this may be the most difficult thing to do with respect to self-discipline. Release it to the collective consciousness as though it is accomplished and do not pick it up again.

It is my belief that when one has had answered prayer, even within the framework of organized religion these steps were done whether consciously or subconsciously.