Does God Really Answer Prayers, Or Is It Just Wishful Thinking???

(Yes, another God thread lol. I make this one because I've been in other God discussions at other boards. I asked two theists this question, and both have completely ignored the question.)

As you know, christians often say that when they pray, they're prayers are always answered. Maybe they aren't answered at the moment of prayer, but when God feels it is right he will fullfill a persons prayer.

So supposedly your prayers are answered, right??? Ok, so what makes you saying that your prayers were answered by the christian God, any different than a muslim saying his prayers were answered by Allah??? What makes you saying that your prayers were answered by the christian God, any different than the people of ancient civilizations saying that their prayers were anwered by any one of the millions of Gods that they worshipped??? People of all religions all claim to have their prayers answered by their respective Gods, so who's right??? You can't all be right, but you can all be wrong...

edit*

and how do you like my avatar??? Itachi Uchiha = The greatest anime character of all time


[edit on 7-9-2008 by AlexG141989]

[edit on 7-9-2008 by AlexG141989]

[edit on 7-9-2008 by AlexG141989]

First off, the greatest anime character of all time is Vampire Hunter D. Ok now that we covered that, we can talk God. (Whos name is Jeff by the way. Don't know if you knew that, just an interesting tidbit.)

If you're a true Christian then you know that you are right and everyone else is wrong. Thats what that means. If an Ancient, or a Muslim, or a Pagan, got his or her prayers answered it's because they were answered by the Christian God *Jeff* or, even worse, and probably more likely, they were decieved by the Christian Satan.

Prayers. Yes, prayers work. If you're a Christian, and you pray for something suspiciously abstract, or at the very least, you leave enough ambiguity for Jeff to be "mysterious" with his approach, then they are answered.

Here is an informational YouTube clip addressing your thread topic. Warning *is a product of Satan*

Why god won't heal amputees?


[edit on 063030p://7u12 by Lucid Lunacy]

Define a "true" christian please.

(hint--your answer had better be God himself)

"Whomever has no sin cast the first stone".

I think that disqualifies every single person on this planet.

Cheers!!!

[edit on 7-9-2008 by RFBurns]

^^was for fun, and the fact that I like poking Christians

My belief: I do believe in a God. I believe that if people pray for aid, and they are truly genuine in heart, and they seek God's help for the betterment of everyone and not just themselves, then God will help. I also believe God knows how to help a person better than that person knows how to help themselves, hence the prayer may be answered 'mysteriously'.

Hmm I sound like the people I just made fun of Oh well.

reply to post by RFBurns


A true Christian is a Christian who believes himself (his faith) to be True, and the people of other faiths to be False.

I infered this definition simply by talking to a monsterous amount of Christians, Mormons, Catholics, etc.. They all claimed the same thing!... they were the Right ones!

Thus, a 'true Christian' is one that believes they are exclusively correct. And if you argue that one of those groups isn't the right one, that's probably because you are a true Christian

[edit on 043030p://7u53 by Lucid Lunacy]

reply to post by AlexG141989



its all one's perspective.... a christian or a follower of any of the 5 major organized religions will see their (concept of ) 'God', answering their prayers, petitions, and unspoken longings.

Others, myself included, find that 'Lady Luck', or even the archaic 'Fates' have the same likely hood of happening in our lives, as those minor miracles believed to have been brought about by intentional prayer.


thanks,

First off the greatest anime character is syoaran or vash, not a Naruto character.. anyway, back on topic.

Right, now i must point out this is coming from my viewpoint, and i'm an atheist. I basically think that most, if not all religions involve prayer or asking for divine intervention on the recipients behalf. These range from the simple to the outlandish, with a greater frequency of simple, i.e asking for emotional strength.

The simpler the prayer request, the more likely that the desired outcome will occur through simple chance, or through the increased confidence that the religious person will have, through having prayed to their deity.

It happens, the prayer behaviour is reinforced (basically hey! it works! God listens! i should try this more often etc etc) and they believe that God answers their prayers.

Say a christian prayed for strength to get a promotion, as a result, they're more confident 'knowing' that god will help them, so they go into an interview with confidence and therefore they're seen to be outgoing and get that job.

Or that it won't rain tomorrow - it doesn't - in their eyes, god changed the weather, when in effect it was simple chance that it rained 30miles up the road instead.

Bah. Best anime character is by far Kenshin Himuro.
as for prayers. Maybe, God seems to have stopped with the obvsiouse stuff a couple ofthousand years ago. His perogative. So, it's more up to do you believe in coincidences.
If you pray for a pony for Christmas and get a pony, is it because of God, or because you bugged your rich parents all of two years straight.

Originally posted by AlexG141989
(Yes, another God thread lol. I make this one because I've been in other God discussions at other boards. I asked two theists this question, and both have completely ignored the questions

Hi alexG, first off yes most of your questions in your last thread were either completely ignored or answered by changing the subject or throwing the discussion off topic and down the road of secular reasoning.

Perhaps you could return to your last jesusgod discussion and try to find out why after quite few pages of posts the questions have nor been answered.

I have no doubt that this thread will be led a merry little dance of circular reasoning, escpecially since we are dealing with the completely unprovable.

This link -
www.youtube.com...

Is in my opinion a brilliant video asking christians some very important question, unfortuantely I've yet to meet a christian with enough courage of their convictions, to STUDY and THINK about it for more than a few seconds, before exclaiming childishly. "It's satan trying to tempt us ".


I look forward to the usual christian posters, turning this thread into a mess of bible verses which are completely meaningless unprovable, and completely banal never being able to back up their beliefs in the real world.


I 've said it before and I'll sat it again, I dont give a flying monkeys what christians choose to belive as long as they keep it to themselves.

However they still insist that the world that my children are growing up into should be governed by their moral standards and their delude thinking.


I would ask Alex G , if you havent considered the above video and considered it's discussion of prayer, please do so and respectfully ask christians to do likewise in order to get some sensible discussion going, without unprovable hearsay once more.

reply to post by moocowman


Ok, Christian poster here. Not a earthly clue really, my earlier post a bit more tongue in cheeck than it should have been, but hat I meant by it was, it was either God or a coincidence, and you can't prove either way.
The character from Jim Butcher's Dresden files Michael Carpenter has a pretty good statment, basically, you don't know wether it was God helping you out or not, but I like to thank him for it anyway, more polite that way.
I'm afraid that's the best you'll get. I could try for more detail, but I'm pretty sure I'd run out of room.

reply to post by moocowman


Did you see the video I already posted? It's from the same people

reply to post by RuneSpider
Thank you for you honest response,RuneSpiser.

Given the fact that god is alledged to answer prayers in but three ways ie

Yes

NO

Later


Is not fair to say that it makes no difference whether an individual prays to allah jehova or a hamster, their prayer is allways answered making their belief system the right one ?

If I'm floating in the sea surrounded by hungry sharks, I could pray to the jesusgod to save me from being eaten alive so that I could return to my family. I as a christian would know that the jesusgod will of course be aware that the jesus god answers my prayer in one of three ways.

He would immediatelty stop the sharks eating me

He would allow the sharks to eat me

He may do nothing immediately and make me wait

After six hours in the water with the sharks getting closer I'm down to two possiblites in relation to the answer to my prayer.

Throughout this miserable experience how reassured have I been knowing the Jesusgod answers all prayers?

If we take this scenarion to the next level ie life, how is reassuerd is an individual expected to be when he could live a lifetime of misery waiting for the answer yes but then it could be no.

I personnaly know a christian suffering mental torture because of this catch22 prayer position, it would appear given his situation that I show more compassion for him than the jesus god who dictates his life.

Prayers that conform to God's will, get answered. Prayers to win the lottery do not fall into this category. And often times what is ask for is silly humanistic garbage. A "servant" of the Lord knows and has faith that prayer works. A servant also know "what" to ask for..........something the secular morons will never understand...

But previous posts bring up a good point. Satan also answers prayers. Hence the entire muslim false religion. Mary of catholic fame can not answer prayer, only the demon that listens to the morons who pray to her. Same as for the 'saints"....only Jesus and his father can answer prayer in the christian sense.

Buddist prayer..........satan again......hundi prayer......ding, ding, ding....satan again.

Oh, and "Underdog along with Dudley Do Right" are the best anime hero's of all time............

reply to post by Lucid Lunacy


Hi Lucid Lunacy ,
yup I have seen that vid, you ever tried getting a christian to think about it (let alone watch it all the way through) ?

More often than not the conversation normally collapses into

"god moves in mysterious ways"

"its not for me to know gods will"

"the amputee has not enough faith"

"god wants the amputee to be an amputee it's part of the plan"


"I'll ask my preacher/ pastor/ priest "

"satan makes amputees"


I recently joined pal talk, got on a christian board with some people who it seemed spent every waking moment, memorising every passage of the bible.
I claimed that I'd recently been saved and had read in my bible that that what ever I asked jesus for I would receive.

Everyone in the chatroom agreed that what jesus said was true , so I asked why my amputated hand had not grown back.

The discussion went down silly street and there was on christian even claiming that there have been incidents of miraculous regrowth of limbs through prayer. Needless to say when pressed on this the response was allways cant remember where I read it but it's true .

Eventually I got banned from this chat room because I said the word hell, out of context apparently .

The lesson ?

Keep your children far far away from christianity, it seems to be more confused than Michael Jackson, and damages for a lifetime.

reply to post by moocowman


One thing the fundies, and a remarkably large number of the religiouse population, tend to forget is a simplle phrase: God helps those who help themselves.
It's a good phrase. If you succed, it's becasue of God, if you fail, it's your fault. (possibly the devil helped, don't think that guy gets credit much where it's due anymore, he just has to sit back these days and let folks do his work for him.)
Fundies drive menuts, they drive most normal Christians nuts to. It's impossible to try to debate anything with them. Asked one about limestone layers, and sediemtns one time. Apparently, they are miracles of God.
If anything, God may get the ball rolling. Now, at the same time it could be praying will give someone the mental boost they need.

Originally posted by heliosprime
Prayers that conform to God's will, get answered. Prayers to win the lottery do not fall into this category. And often times what is ask for is silly humanistic garbage.

So ar you saying that it's NOT gods' will for all the chidlren on our planet with an amputed arm not to have two arms?

Are you saying that its NOT gods will for the blind to see ?


Are you saying it's NOT gods will for the millions of emaciated diseased children across the planet, to be fed become healthy, actually live to become an adult , and maybe just maybe live long enough to bump into a christian who would itroduce them to gods mercy.?


Are you saying It's NOT gods will for war to end?


Are you saying YOU know gods will ?

Are you saying you are in direct communication with god and god informs you of gods will on a regular basis ?

If this is the case and you know gods will, you obviously dont need a bible to tell you how to live then?

surfing through the Sunday morning cable TV fare...

i happened on a blurb that might be pertinent to the God answers prayer question.
the show had this 'rule'...listed as #6 in the presenters menu list....

6. [...] God does not respond to our needs...rather God responds to our Faith.




that statement does not appear to be too well thought out.
Also, that statement is actually laying out the idea that a prayer has a precondition attached to it...thereby putting the one who prays on the spot for making the prayer request come to pass.
~passing the buck, as it were~

reply to post by heliosprime


PS heliosprime

have you taken the time to study the videos that Lucidlucy and I have posted?

Can you give us your christian view on the video discussion as we would appreciate your take on this.

If you choose not to bother, would you be courteous anough to let us know why you would not want to see the discussion from another perspective ?

I have prayed many times for God's intervention to prevent innocent children from being abused and killed.

Doesnt look like that prayer falls in the "guidelines" of God's will because innocent children still get abused and killed.

Pfft!!!

Cheers!!!

reply to post by St Udio



I'm getting the feeling that ther's not going to be much christian response to this discussion.

Perhaps it's because the gospel instruction on prayer seems to run contradictory to what the christians say they apply in real life situations.

At the end of the day, if my god was jesus then I should logically take what he says about prayers as truth.

So I'll have to go and look up all that jesus is alledged to have said about the manner of prayer and what to expect etc.

Unless of course a christian (or any other religious person) could save me the trouble and post this info for me to study.