Fewer Thanks, More Pleas in Prayers.

There was a lot of talk about God and religion during the recent national political conventions and a lot of people were left feeling they needed to pray after watching what they had just seen! But not everybody prays because they want God to do something for them.  On the other hand, most people do!

 A study at Massachusetts' Brandeis University found that 28% of people who pray ask God for something specific and another 28% thank the Almighty, but also make requests. And prayer requests cover a wide variety of subjects. People plead for big things like health, jobs and good relationships, but also request little items like finding lost objects or getting parking spots.

  Interestingly, 90% of U.S. adults say they pray, with more than half praying at least once a day. Study head Wendy Cadge says it's important to know why people pray, especially if you believe prayer works …and It turns out only 22% of prayers are just thank you notes to God.