The title of this thread and its founding post have clearly set a Christian context relating to prayer, and I have replied within that context. I don't think I've used the word "church", much less advertised my own denomination.
The assertion that "people use the word pray in bad times when they mean wish or hope" is I suggest mistaken. For proof, consider your own statement under duress: "Whoever your God is, please pray for the boys." Who could interpret that as a request for mere hopes or wishes? People in extreme fear for themselves or others seek God, and it's been often said that there are no atheists in foxholes. Are these people cowards in search of a placebo - or has their situation given them a glimpse of the real precariousness and doomedness of life without divine support? In the context of this thread, which I did not start, the divine support at issue is specifically that of Jesus Christ.
