The amazing thing is not that people err and sin, for they always have. The amazing thing is the amount of goodness that slips through in spite of that fact- and THAT is where the divine intervention comes in. Prayer hurts no one and gives many peace . At the most, it is calling upon heaven, at the least it's the voicing of heartfelt emotion and concern. This is what I live by and perhaps more should, because it meets everyone's criteria- "Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everthing depended on you."