Let me start this comment off by saying that I'm an atheist, and why I ended up reading this article is a mystery to me. But what caught my eye in the first place was the title "Praying to the Ceiling."

What this instantly reminded me of was going to church with my family. My family was always pretty religious, especially when I was younger. We would go to church often, and before I understood my skepticism with God, I would always try to "pray" because that's what everyone told me to do. My church has these very large, cloudy windows that let light into the sanctuary on the ceiling. When everyone stood and prayed, I would focus on those big windows. I did this so many times I can still remember them being 5x7 - and I haven't been to church in over a year.

The point I'm trying to make is this - there was never an option for me to pray. The adults did it and I was expected to follow suit. I think that communal prayer often suppresses free will and doesn't allow any room for free thought - especially with children. Believing in God and prayer should be something that people freely choose to do for a purpose that has a specific meaning to them. So in a weird way, I kind of agree with this article. Prayer should be something that people do to connect themselves to their higher being, rather than doing it for an external influence.

Anyway, this article just made me wonder how many other children are standing out there, mindlessly staring at their church's ceiling, counting the window panels, because they aren't being given the information or ability to make their own decisions regarding their faith.