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I can totally do this. Vivien Send a noteboard - 08/09/2011 06:57:19 PM
I remember coming up with this argument in college, and then becoming apathetic because no one could come up with a good response and yelled at me anyway.

So, is there an actual answer? (Or rather, are there any official answers according to various churches?)


The answer is that praying should bring you closer to god and that's it. It should give you comfort and peace and strength on the inside. You shouldn't ask for anything specific, but for god's will to be done. Mostly you're praying for inner strength. Kind of like, "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". Same idea. Shouldn't ask for anything specific. In the case of a sick relative, you're praying for the best, and that could mean that the relative suffers less but not that he or she will not suffer at all. So you can't ever say that the prayer failed because it doesn't work like that.

If you really do want to ask for something specific, you have to realize that that's really selfish because the world does not revolve around you. What if getting your wish granted somehow means that someone else gets in a horrible accident? Stuff like that.
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I figured I'd put RAFO's top religiologists on the case - 08/09/2011 02:03:55 PM 905 Views
The real answer is there is no effect because God is not real. - 08/09/2011 02:23:00 PM 530 Views
Right, I was working from that presumption - 08/09/2011 03:32:31 PM 512 Views
Re: Talking puppies! And kittens! I want! *NM* - 08/09/2011 03:34:49 PM 229 Views
well I am not religious but that seems a bit of a strawman argument - 08/09/2011 05:01:57 PM 535 Views
I don't know that I'm a "top religiologist", but here goes: - 08/09/2011 05:35:26 PM 622 Views
Re: I don't know that I'm a "top religiologist", but here goes: - 08/09/2011 05:53:36 PM 489 Views
Re: I don't know that I'm a "top religiologist", but here goes: - 08/09/2011 06:35:55 PM 610 Views
Oooh, can I be a top religiologist? - 08/09/2011 06:52:18 PM 632 Views
I can totally do this. - 08/09/2011 06:57:19 PM 550 Views
Believe it or not, this is a thought I had when I was little and christian. - 08/09/2011 07:39:24 PM 558 Views
Predestination is something only strict Calvinists believe. - 08/09/2011 08:53:59 PM 512 Views
Didn't mean to bring up predestination. - 08/09/2011 09:17:19 PM 531 Views
Sorry. That's how I read it... - 09/09/2011 12:48:07 AM 581 Views
It's not a risk you can refuse... - 09/09/2011 06:04:44 AM 501 Views
Many choices in life are risky. - 09/09/2011 03:15:49 PM 486 Views
It's a very silly argument that the T Rex is making. - 08/09/2011 07:22:23 PM 503 Views
I think that looking for an absolute answer re: religion is pretty silly. - 08/09/2011 08:22:16 PM 501 Views
wrong place *NM* - 09/09/2011 05:00:52 AM 208 Views
Prayer is not a request line. - 09/09/2011 05:03:10 AM 614 Views
That's a tough one... - 09/09/2011 01:27:25 PM 480 Views
That's part of the charm. - 09/09/2011 08:50:05 PM 465 Views
Re: That's part of the charm. - 13/09/2011 12:08:45 AM 569 Views

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