Prayer

Can one prove a negative hypothesis? It's usually very difficult to prove a negative hypothesis, but when a claim of attributes of a deity are made, and those claims have evidence that they do not exist, then it is partial proof of the non-existence of said deity. The claim: The God of the Bible hears prayers and answers them in the affirmative. "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. " (Matthew 21:22) "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

In some respects, it had been a normal day, with the normal interruptions of neighbors stopping by and staff popping in with questions. What stood out to me about the day was that each interruption, the answer to each question asked, the solution to each problem, was blocked by our broken immigration system. It felt like we couldn't get anything done without fixing immigration first. Ricardo came by to type up a letter for the school district to prove his income so his kids could get bus passes.

Cheta Ozougwu said he spent a lot of time praying during the 2011 NFL Draft. A devout Christian, the 22-year-old said he believed God's will would be done. Ozougwu, a 6-foot-2, 247-pound defensive end out of Rice University, believed he would be picked. If anyone tries to tease him now, he can use a bible verse for where he was taken as the Houston Texans made him the 254th and dead last pick in the draft. A part of Mark 10:31 reads, "The last will be first. " "I like that," Ozougwu said with a laugh.

COSTA MESA — With heads bowed and the rain pouring over them, local church leaders and hundreds of congregants encircled Costa Mesa City Hall in prayer Monday. Representing numerous faiths, they prayed in a show of support as the city recovers from the suicide of one of its employees and others who face layoffs six months from now. "Today we're simply here to show support and love for our city in light of everything that's been happening," said Becks Heyhoe, an organizer for One Church for Our City, a coalition of Costa Mesa churches.

Dear God, we pray that you might receive in love the souls of those dear innocent people whom fate and fury took from their families and from our grieving country in Tucson, Ariz. We pray for Gabe Zimmerman, Phyllis Schneck, Christina Green, Dorothy Morris, Dorwin Stoddard and John Roll. We do not pray for "six people. " We pray for one person at a time. In your mercy. O Lord, shelter their souls in the world to come and take them close to you forever in heavenly peace. May their memories be for a blessing.

Monday was "Everybody Pray for Hitchens Day," when believers prayed for Christopher Hitchens, 61, the writer and author of books, including "God is Not Great. " Hitchens was diagnosed recently with cancer of the esophagus. However, in his cancer-stricken state, Hitchens, an unapologetic atheist, appears to be holding firmly to his godlessness. He declined an invitation to participate in the day of prayer for himself. "I don't mean to be churlish about any kind intentions, but when September 20 comes, please do not trouble deaf heaven with your bootless cries," Hitchens wrote in Vanity Fair.

COSTA MESA — Newport-Mesa Muslims on Friday will join worldwide celebrations of what is known as Eid al-Fitr , which marks the end of Ramadan, Islam's holy month. The celebration began Thursday night after the last prayer with a chant embracing and thanking God, and will continue Friday morning with prayers, gift exchanges and visitations with friends and family. For Muslims, celebrating Eid is about thanking God for allowing them another chance to exercise discipline, test their self-restraint and generosity . "Eid is the celebration of God's forgiveness," said Imam Sayed Moustafa Al-Qazwini of the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County in Costa Mesa.

According to a news report this week on National Public Radio, many inhabitants of the world's second most populous country, India, who are afflicted with depression, psychosis and other mental health problems rely on faith healers and doctors at their local temples, instead of traditional medicine, to treat their problems. NPR reported that only 37 mental health institutions operate in that country of 1.2 billion people, where there is only one psychiatrist per 400,000 people. In your view, can religion be a substitute for medicine in the treatment of mental health problems, or would you advocate medicine over religion, or a combination of the two?