Does prayer contribute to social decay?

I've seen a lot of comments here lately about praying to god in times of need. It donned on me, that if not for the belief that prayer could help, the people praying would instead lean on friends and family. The very knowledge that they would need that...

help from time to time should contribute to stronger and more varied social bonds - as relationships need to be nurtured to ensure they are strong when needs arise.

Does prayer thus undermine social bonds, by removing some of the incentive to keep ties strong?

I think the idea of prayer gives hope to many people, but on the flip-side, it also robs a person of their independence and (as you said) social bonds.

When you rely on a higher authority to help you get through difficult times, you stop learning how to deal with it yourself.

I'm afraid not everything can be solved with prayer.

I dont think so because if you pray to god about something then you will almost probably go to friends and family aswell, I dont pray but I know that my grandma does and she also seeks help from friends :]

I don't think so...bonds with family and friends are there regardless if a person prays or not...

Prayer is personal...and can be as simple as saying Please in the morning...and Thankyou at night...with the believe that people are put into our lives to learn from, to help, and to be helped by...

I do think most things can be helped by prayer, even if it's not the outcome one would wish it would be...comfort goes a long way in hard times...and prayer brings comfort to people who do it.

p

Given that it exists in collectivist cultures (where there is heavy reliance on family and friends) as much as it does in individualistic ones, I'd say probably not? Also, going to a place of worship allows people to meet on a regular basis and connect. So in that way it actually is a pretty good buffer against isolation.

I agree with phrannie on this one.

prayer is personal. I don't pray, but I do think about things that bother me a lot...to me prayer is just that...but in a different form. It gives people a certain comfort.

Also people who pray...usually do it when they are alone in their own personal time and still discuss their issues with friends and families in general.

almost probably go to friends and family as well
almost, but not for certain

I think I might have to go with ty on this one
But then again,
going to church, you are around other people,
but most of the time there(other than listening to fricken advertisements) you're listening to a preacher praising the lord
So while there may be other people there, one really isn't socializing with them.

Some people with prayer, it's like a time to let out their problems issies may keep them locked up from other people.
Perhaps family prayer would be good social time?

I don't think that prayer leads to social decay unless it is backed by a one-sided, judgmental attitude.
One of the problems with prayer is that many well meaning people will tell others to pray about an issue instead of telling them to seek the appropriate earthly help.
If you are ill, pray.
If your father abuse you, pray.
If your spouse beats you, pray.

Prayer doesn't lead to social decay but it does, in some cases, lead to accountability and responsibility decay.
Not seeking medical treatment.
Not reporting an abuser to the police.
A spouse staying in an abusive relationship.

Prayer is what some make of it and some make it into an excuse for lack of personal responsibility.

I'd argue the reverse: The fact that (most) people who pray also try and do something about their problems indicates that even true believers don't really think praying will do much of anything. As a rule, people use prayer in addition to doing what they can, or in cases where there's nothing they _can_ do.

On the other hand, look at the sort of communities that form around a lot of the more moderate churches. There's nothing truly equivalent from a secular point of view, unfortunately, to the point that some agnostics and atheists even participate in church not for religious reasons, but because of the community.

No, I don't think it does. I do believe that when prayer is used in conjunction with one's friends it makes an even stronger bond rather than leaning on just one side or the other. By doing this it incorporates a dependence on God, through prayer, and a dependence on one's friends who are there in the physical sense. It comes around to proper balance. If we didn't allow our friends to help we'd become isolated and if we ignored God then who would we have to depend on? Ourselves? No thanks, I'll take God AND friends. The perfect combination.