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?)
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.
I figured I'd put RAFO's top religiologists on the case
08/09/2011 02:03:55 PM
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well I am not religious but that seems a bit of a strawman argument
08/09/2011 05:01:57 PM
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Hm, so there's a broad Divine Plan, but it doesn't matter either way who wins the Super Bowl?
08/09/2011 05:25:23 PM
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Your argument only works if you get to decide who and what god is, like I said strawman
08/09/2011 06:32:17 PM
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I don't know that I'm a "top religiologist", but here goes:
08/09/2011 05:35:26 PM
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I can totally do this.
08/09/2011 06:57:19 PM
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Believe it or not, this is a thought I had when I was little and christian.
08/09/2011 07:39:24 PM
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Predestination is something only strict Calvinists believe.
08/09/2011 08:53:59 PM
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Didn't mean to bring up predestination.
08/09/2011 09:17:19 PM
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Sorry. That's how I read it...
09/09/2011 12:48:07 AM
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I think that looking for an absolute answer re: religion is pretty silly.
08/09/2011 08:22:16 PM
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That's a tough one...
09/09/2011 01:27:25 PM
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I'm treating this like a survey even though you didn't make it one: It's about a relationship.
12/09/2011 11:23:45 PM
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