Indicator sentences: Are you implying atheists are stronger than religious people?
Indicator sentences: i have no idea where you are getting that from, please elaborate.
Trigger words: Magical thinking
Indicator sentences: that's definition i think is too specific for what i would call "magical thinking".
Negotiation parts: Silent prayer would fall under that definition, i think. I think magical thinking is anything that involves the use of what could be called "magical" - santa clause, the afterlife, the belief a creature can be born with the power to create a universe. I don't hear this explanation often, but all may be possible with technologies that would seem like magic to us now - robotics, an advance computer simulation that downloads human consciousness', and some other technology. The reason magical thought is widely seen as wrong is because it causes problems. If you rub crocodile teeth on bananas they won't actually grow faster. Requesting things of god doesn't really fit into that, or meditating on god. Making some sort of bargain with god or a spirit or gods or whatever, and religious often comment that you shouldn't pressure god into doing things for you. nsfw http://oglaf.com/leverage/ This is not appropriate behaviour to a god in most religions for example. You can expand the definition, but then I'm not going to see it as harmful, because they're not expecting the universe to behave differently because of their thoughts. I know you think of any sort of supernatural belief as magical thinking, but that's not the common definition and it includes things which aren't harmful so why should I care? Live and let live. "http://oglaf.com/leverage/ This is not appropriate behavior to a god in most religions for example" While that is hilarious, i haven't found that to be true about most religious people. Most go on to believe many things i would call "magical". Psychics, palm readers, horoscopes, and astrology. Stuff like that. Although not necessarily the things i mentioned. These are things i would consider "magical". They are magical.