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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 762 Views
The real answer is there is no effect because God is not real. - 08/09/2011 02:23:00 PM 392 Views
Right, I was working from that presumption - 08/09/2011 03:32:31 PM 381 Views
Re: Talking puppies! And kittens! I want! *NM* - 08/09/2011 03:34:49 PM 172 Views
well I am not religious but that seems a bit of a strawman argument - 08/09/2011 05:01:57 PM 407 Views
I don't know that I'm a "top religiologist", but here goes: - 08/09/2011 05:35:26 PM 501 Views
Re: I don't know that I'm a "top religiologist", but here goes: - 08/09/2011 05:53:36 PM 358 Views
Re: I don't know that I'm a "top religiologist", but here goes: - 08/09/2011 06:35:55 PM 447 Views
Oooh, can I be a top religiologist? - 08/09/2011 06:52:18 PM 504 Views
I can totally do this. - 08/09/2011 06:57:19 PM 403 Views
Believe it or not, this is a thought I had when I was little and christian. - 08/09/2011 07:39:24 PM 400 Views
Predestination is something only strict Calvinists believe. - 08/09/2011 08:53:59 PM 372 Views
Didn't mean to bring up predestination. - 08/09/2011 09:17:19 PM 398 Views
Sorry. That's how I read it... - 09/09/2011 12:48:07 AM 449 Views
It's not a risk you can refuse... - 09/09/2011 06:04:44 AM 380 Views
Many choices in life are risky. - 09/09/2011 03:15:49 PM 352 Views
It's a very silly argument that the T Rex is making. - 08/09/2011 07:22:23 PM 375 Views
I think that looking for an absolute answer re: religion is pretty silly. - 08/09/2011 08:22:16 PM 365 Views
wrong place *NM* - 09/09/2011 05:00:52 AM 149 Views
Prayer is not a request line. - 09/09/2011 05:03:10 AM 492 Views
That's a tough one... - 09/09/2011 01:27:25 PM 357 Views
That's part of the charm. - 09/09/2011 08:50:05 PM 347 Views
Re: That's part of the charm. - 13/09/2011 12:08:45 AM 444 Views

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