Why does God answer some prayers and not others?

[locationforna]

Just this really.

If you are a Christian, please can you tell me why God answers some peoples prayers and not others?

For example, one woman could be praying her baby survives. Baby dies. Another woman with the exact same situation of an unwell baby - Baby lives. Both prayed, they prayed a lot

Why is it you say 'God is good' and 'God does answer, this is a miracle' and 'we are praying for you'

Do you really think that if the first person prayed hard enough, her baby would've survived? Or if not, and it's just chance, why pray?

I believe in God by the way. I have been studying for a while and seem to lean towards Judaism but notice a lot of 'God is good, he answered my prayers. It's a miracle'

Why some prayers and not others? Why do people think He's helped you get a job offer you really wanted but not answered a woman across the road's prayer not to be raped?

There is suffering throughout the Bible. Jesus himself suffered according to the Bible. That's not what I mean - I mean specially, why some prayers can be answered and not others that are equally in need?

I'm sorry @Letitrainletitrainletitrain but if course atheist extremists kill people - try Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and on a smaller scale Charles Mason, Ian Brady. God doesn't make people murderous. As I'm an atheist I don't believe God has any relevance at all. Its what some humans do.

*and just to be doubly clear, I don't mean atheists, I mean the ones who insist on disparaging the beliefs of others just because they themselves are atheists.

I'm not claiming that atheists are better people than religious people. I'm saying that claiming the atheists on this thread are worse than religious extremists is unfair given what's going on in various countries at the moment

If someone had claimed that the religious people on the thread were worse than stalin for example I would have also argued that was unfair

The poster has made an update in a subsequent post anyway that changes how they worded things anyway

But so many people don’t want their souls to be saved by some thing that they categorically do not believe in! These soul saving religious people need to respect boundaries!

Absolutely. But I've never met a religious extremist outwith church or maybe the occasional street nutter. Where as people who sneer at faith and beliefs are ten a penny in the uk. And why should they get away with forcing their lack of belief on anyone?

At least street nutter is interesting!
No one wants great uncle Brian the outspoken atheist at the dinner table. You just know hes he's sort of person that tells childfree women they'll change their mind some day too.

No one really mentions God in the UK for example, these days because they're too afraid people will think that even if they mention his name, they are being preachy. Yet somehow it OK for people to criticise people for believing in things things that they don't? Like that isn't arrogant and condescending af.

If I want to avoid religious extremist in this country its really pretty easy. But condescension towards people who believe in anything greater than themselves is so so prevailing in society here. Anyone who went to church as as a kid and attended a regular school can tell you just how prejudice our society is towards people of faith.

Stalin?

Mao?

The Khmer Rouge?

You've been perfectly sneery and condescending on this thread.

Please do not conflate people being critical of religion, with sneering about it. Religion, like any organisation, should always be open to scrutiny and criticism. Even more so that still, in many countries, you still have effectively theocracies, prepared to kill people for any criticism of their religion and their leaders. In the UK alone, archaic and stone age blasphemy laws were only abolished in 2008.

Being critical of religion does not make you a sneering atheist extremist.

I didn't say it did. I'm pointing out there are people on this thread actively sneering at people who believe in God. They are exactly the sort of people that give everyone a bad name. Believe or don't believe in whatever you like but don't call people stupid or shit like they have active imaginations or call God a 'sky fairy' ect. Its disrespectful. I don't know how many times I have to releat that I am talking about atheists who disrespect other people for their beliefs. Not all atheists.

Debate is absolutely fine.
But telling people theyre stupid/living in a fantasy land ect...for believing - is not OK.

I've not been at all sneery on this thread and I agree completely with what pinkbonbon says here. Any discussion about God gets all the trolls out in force making remarks about sky faeries and the like. There's also a degree of racism in it - religion is fine for ethnic minorities because culture but otherwise it's just seen as weird.

Yes I was thinking the same thing tompinch. People of all religions get a trolling but it's almost as if religions that are not seen as being primarily the domain of racial minorities in the uk - are free pass territory for a roasting.

I'd also say I haven't been sneery either. Not once have I said there's anything wrong with being an atheist. But I'm most definately judging people who look down on other people for having faith. If that makes me sneery - idgqf.

I was referring to another poster's now deleted post. Calling people sad wankers is quite sneery.

If you look down on someone for their religion you are a sad wanker though. And, a bigot.

@carbonarya
Not saying you are btw lol. Just, people that do that.