|
But people of all sorts of faiths make the same claim, that their prayers are often answered and that their God helps them in their lives. Some religious people, for instance, claim that their God gives them the power to stick ice picks and knives through their cheeks, arms, and so on, and that this proves their God is helping them. Do you think all these people are worshipping the same God? I can assure you that the many Gods throughout man's history who have performed miracles and answered prayers were VERY different from the God you worship. There is no reason to suppose they are the same.
However, there are many things you are leaving out. Not EVERY prayer is answered. Religious people will say "It wasn't God's will" when this happens. Surely no loved one would ever die if every prayer was answered. Yet people do die, and bad things happen to people, even people who have prayed for good things. The fact is that there is no reason to believe prayer causes these good things. When something good happens, people look upon it as evidence that the prayer worked. When something bad happens, they look upon that as evidence that God didn't desire to answer the prayer. Notice how, no matter what happens, the prayer is believed to have been heard by God. This is ridiculous. If the prayer doesn't work, you should assume it didn't work.
Pray for a mountain to move, and see what happens. If the mountain doesn't move, see if your faith has been harmed. I bet it wouldn't have budged. This is because you don't look at the results of your prayer nor care. You only pay attention to the results that meet your expectations.
At any rate, remember the people who claim that God allows them to injure themselves without harm? There are people who are NOT religious who can do the same things. You know how people who pray say God often helps them and has good things happen to them? Well, good things happen to atheists and skeptics, too! The effects of prayer are not an adequate reason for belief. In fact, scientists recently did a study on the effects of prayer on people with diseases in hospitals, and the people who were prayed for had the same chances of recovery as the people who weren't prayed for.
[ ]
Want to answer more questions in the Miscellaneous category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Spirituality?
Well you are right about how some good things you pray for don't always come true but even though I still have faith.Do you get bad luck after you be mean to someone who cares about you?If so like let's say you hit your self someone where or lose something people say god is the one who is punishing you.But in some cases it is not god who all people pray if they are not religious,good stuff happen to them anyways because it is just a matter of luck.What I do assume when my prayer does not work is that maybe I did something wrong that god won't hear my prayer but if I didn't do anything wrong then I would think that it is very strange and I would get upset.For those people who worship more than one god is because they have different beliefs like all people have different opinions.As for you what do you believe in?Do you believe in heaven or hell?I will always believe in god not because others do but because of what I believe in myself and also since I was little I always went to church with my grandma.
]
More Questions: |