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?

There have been loads of studies on the efficacy of prayer, e.g. comparing outcomes in patient groups prayed for and not prayed for. They have found no significant effects of prayer.

I don't know much about Judaism but it's a theme in Nature religions too, the unknowable Brahma that filters from Hinduism to Buddhism.

All those required conditions came from somewhere though, there is an answer, an unknown answer, but an answer nonetheless.

This is my view. Basically, it all comes down to three possible viewpoints:

There is a God*

There might be a god.

There isn’t a god.

• or gods/deity etc.

The one thing that all we all have in common is that none of us knows for sure. It’s all just our own take or opinion, and there are many different ways and factors which lead us to reach, and sometimes change, our own individual conclusions. The thing I really find interesting is that, accepting that no one knows, there’s a lot of individual certainty from a lot of people who are absolutely convinced that their viewpoint is the 100% correct one. Which I find equally baffling and amusing.

You can’t pray to something which doesn’t exist. There is no God. Religion is a cult - dangerous but zero benefit to any believers.

Sorry, I meant to quote this when I started off my post above saying ‘This is my view’. I was referring to this, not saying the post was my view. Even though it is.

Confusing, eh?

@Rocket1982 There have been loads of studies on the efficacy of prayer, e.g. comparing outcomes in patient groups prayed for and not prayed for. They have found no significant effects of prayer.

Studies don't mean anything to us believers sadly . We operate in what we call the spiritual form in the supernatural. We do not base our faith in god on earthly practices. We are not guarded by earthly doings but spiritual doing which is only obtained through praying and worshiping god . God is not seen as a fairy who grants everyone wishes . He does answer our prayers but they may not be in the way we have asked . I don't give my ds everything he asks for - he will ask and I will make a decision on whether to give and or what to give based on my wisdom of what's best for him. We see god as our father - we believe that we are not wise enough to comprehend how god thinks but should respect his answers when we pray . He still wants to hear our heart desires but he will make the ultimate decision which is best for our lives .

Of course you can. You can pray to the table lamp if you choose to do so.

Really? The holocaust (as an example) didn't do that for you?

I'm Christian by the way but if your belief in God relies on nothing truly tragic ever happening, surely it was a non-starter from the off?

He doesn't exist. And it is so so cruel to make people jump through mental hoops to explain why their child was so bad/evil that they had to die, and someone else's was so good they got to live. It's not real - it's just chance
The world is pretty amazing as it is, we don't need to invent a creator - so much more impressive how it all works just on science and fluke and chance!

2pence · Today 09:07
MrsSkylerWhite · Today 08:38
2pence · Today 07:22

As an agnostic, I'd say that there is an answer, there has to be some explanation to why we're here“

Why? All of the required conditions coming together at the right time is sufficient.

“All those required conditions came from somewhere though, there is an answer, an unknown answer, but an answer nonetheless”

It’s not unknown. I’m not a scientist but I’m pretty sure physics, chemistry and biology are the answer. Not a bloke in the sky.

@MrsSkylerWhite

I don't believe in any Gods. I say that the answer is unknown. Are you confusing atheism with theism?

@Parker231 You can’t pray to something which doesn’t exist. There is no God. Religion is a cult - dangerous but zero benefit to any believers.

Yes you can pray to something which doesn't exist. Praying is an action done by you ! How is religion dangerous- please explain. Also if you're not a believer how do you know that it's zero benefit to believers ? Surely you'd have to be a believer to assume this? Who are you to judge that it's zero benefit when you dont believe in god ??! There are a few non believer posters who have responded with their views which makes me understand, though I don't agree , their reason for not believing in god . You can't just throw wild accusations around !

I think I agree with you. I always think of the relationship as that between a parent and a child. The parent may do things/ refuse things etc that the child doesn't understand.

In terms of healing miracles, I don't think that god answers individual prayers for some and not others. In the same way that sometimes a child gets what they are asking for, but usually not JUST because they ask for it. Usually their request is granted IF it already fits with the parent's plan, IF it won't cause other problems etc. the child thinks they are getting it because they asked but really it only happens because the parent can see it's the right thing and fits with their own plans

Agnotism, not atheism!

Because he doesn't exist, sorry but that's where I stand. Christians may say struggle leads to something good. I don't know

I'm sorry but I'm finding it difficult to understand how some people just can't get their head around us believers praying and believing in something they are unable to experience for themselves or see. For those with kids who believe in Santa - don't you find it a little strange to get your kids to believe in a person who you know doesn't exist just so they can receive a present bought by you on Christmas Day ? There are lots of parents who go as far as spending thousands to take their kids to Lapland to see this make believe character- a tradition carried on for years ! I follow this tradition so I'm not offending anyone - I'm just curious as to why you think this is right to do but we can't pray to abs believe in our God.

I think that prayer is useful to individuals because it offers the illusion of control, and I don’t think it is a coincidence that societies become more secular as standards of living improve.

I am firmly atheist myself but I lived for a few years in a very poor area of Africa and I saw first hand the relentless daily difficultly of being in a subsistence farming situation with no support from the state. Health care in our area was provided by a catholic hospital, the HIV epidemic was at a peak and there was no certainty about any part of life. If the rains would come, if too much rain would come, if children would survive the annual round of malaria deaths, if a mother would survive an birth etc. I could understand completely how praying would be very comforting in those circumstances in terms of allowing people to feel less powerless. I kept my atheism very quiet but any colleagues that did know were astonished that I could be so reckless as to eg get into the back of a pick-up without praying that I wouldn’t be killed on the journey. I think my upbringing (and lack of life experience) had given me the feeling that things would probably be ok, while they knew that actually quite often, things would not.

I came home still atheist ,but much more sympathetic to the act of prayer as an adaptive coping mechanism for people with no other tools available.

*@Vinylloving

Because he doesn't exist, sorry but that's where I stand. Christians may say struggle leads to something good. I don't know.*

This is our response to struggle

And patience produces character, and character produces hope. 5 And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts.

To me, believing in a god us the equivalent of an adult believing in Santa. And of course, I’ll judge you on your beliefs, but in the same way as I judge people on their attitude to hunting, for example. Or whether they have their jam first on their scone, or the cream. Have you seen the episode of Friends, where Phoebe’s doctor for the birth of her triplets is a Fonzy fan, and this leads her to question his competence as a doctor, even though the two aren’t necessarily related? Well, I’m the same with people who believe in a god.

However, I fully respect your right to have your own beliefs. And as I say, I find it very amusing that people not only convinced that their own beliefs are correct, but really entrenched, when no one really knows for sure. They are all just that, beliefs.

@cherry2727 yes thank you you have expressed it well, I don't believe in god but I believe in the same principle about human nature and what leads to contentment, helps you grow as a person. I have had recent significant struggle and had to find coping mechanisms that have led me to be a better person and feel more contented. I still don't believe in god though!

Well you bring something interesting up in your own post.

It's really quite simple. For some of us who dismiss the idea of deity, any adult believing in god, any god, is every bit as nonsensical and ridiculous as a grown adult believing in Santa, never mind a child.

The reason it appears so ridiculous is most people are perfectly capable of using their critical thinking capability to conclude that no, despite the arrival of presents on xmas morning, Santa does not exist. That's not because for the most part it's adults who deliver the presents so they no better, some of us do not celebrate xmas but we are still capable of thinking the issue through to reach the same conclusion. It's baffling that some people can't apply those same critical thinking skills with regard to other hypothetical beings.

I'm absolutely in favour of anyone having any right to believe whatever they choose, but if people want to know why 'abrasive' atheists sometimes come across as abrasive, its because of the sheer ridiculousness of belief in the face of everything pointing to 'god' being just as much a figment of the human imagination as Santa. If someone professed to believe in purple underpants stealing gnomes who emerge at nighttime, they'd be ridiculed for being ridiculous, but we're supposed to respect people who believe in other, equally ridiculous things because there's usually an organised religion attached?

Err, no.

*know

Haven’t RTFT but here you go, OP.

God is not real