Concerning prayer, I just
have to point out, that the belief in things like prayer just come naturally from human nature. I may first noticed this phenomenon in HS when we studied the play "Julius Caesar" in my Sophomore Year.
In the speech, when Antony makes his impassioned plea for his friend Caesar, he tells the Roman masses that he tells them nothing they don't only already know. He only speaks right on, and tells them nothing new.
You know, I do still believe in God (although I don't believe in an afterlife, etc.). But I do question the need for prayer though, because even Christians believe God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and transcends space and time. So why would you need to tell him something that he already knows? But that friends, comes down to pure psychology, I think.
BTW, the eulogy is ironic. Because in it, Marc Antony uses the phrase "right on". Our teacher, Mrs. Thompson, pointed out that that phrase is usually associated with African Americans now. But back then, people like Shakespeare used it. Go figure.