Would you rather have a pilot that prays to save the plane from crashing, or a pilot that tries to save a plane from crashing?
One or the other.
2006-07-30 15:54:58 · 28 answers · asked by Seth 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I should have expected Christians to not conform to simple rules and instructions...
2006-07-30 16:03:02 · update #1
Your arbitrary rules prevent the Christian from answering the question. It has an a priori assumption built in. Since I loathe a priori assumptions, I'm going to ignore the constraints of the question and answer as it relates to my life.
Prayer really does solve "anything." In my own life, 92% of my written prayer requests have been answered. Of those, 84% of them were answered "Yes." I still have four prayers from the years 2000-2003 that are still unanswered.
The 8% unanswered prayers, (including those from the 2000-2003 period) are being prayed for daily, as I expectantly wait an answer.
You cannot call that kind of rate coincidental. Perhaps 50% would be, but not 92%. There must be Something to it.
2006-07-30 16:36:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The pilot that prays because God will help him save the plane from crashing by divine intervention or giving the pilot the knowledge to do it, or maybe a little of both. I have many examples of prayer working, but read this. My mother has a little kitten that a dog got a hold of. It was paralyzed from the "waist" down, and had no use of it's back legs and no bowel or bladder control. My daughters and many others have prayed for this kitten. He is now starting to get some feeling in his back and legs, and now holding himself up a little more. Today he moved his legs a little and even bent them. I didn't know the girls had been praying for him, and I didn't know my husband had people praying for him, but I found out today they have been. I never did. I just figured that's just something that could never happen (I'm a nurse). I guess I was wrong and underestimated the power of prayer.
2006-07-30 23:03:02 · answer #2 · answered by Lisa 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Given the two alternatives....I would rather have a pilot that tries to save a plane from crashing. If a pilot prays to save the plane but refuses to put any effort himself into the safety of the plane then I believe that God would not save the plane from crashing.
2006-07-30 23:01:17 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would rather have Both. Of course we are required to "do" what we can the Bible makes it clear "faith without works is dead" so if the Pilot was Stupid enough to think all he needed to do was pray then he probably will die (although he may not). However Lets put this question another way. If you were a passenger on that plane would you Pray or try to tell the Busy Pilot what to do? (I will be praying that the Pilot is working) so we are covered.
2006-07-30 23:01:03 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing! This means that this pilot can pray at the same time as he is trying to stop the plane from crashing!
Prayer is one of our most formidable weapons! Prayer can change a life!
2006-07-30 23:05:03 · answer #5 · answered by zoril 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's a weak analogy, no offense.
God wants us to pray to Him. He also wants us to use our abilities -- whatever they are -- for goodness.
There are other ways besides prayer to keep the plane from crashing.
But for some things, there's nothing else to do but pray.
And even for things where human action is required, we often have to pray to ask that the action taken is the right one.
By the way, if you're an atheist, am I right in assuming that you've never meaningfully prayed?
If that's the case, how do you know it's ineffectual?
Don't you think it's illogical -- and you atheists are the self-appointed experts on logic -- to condemn an action that you've never meaningfully engaged in?
2006-07-30 23:06:07 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wrote an essay on "Self-Defeating Habits". #1 is "Wishing, hoping, whining, praying, etc. about problems, rather than working to solve them." A fable by Aesop says, The gods help those who help themselves." Even if one believes in gods, it seems that praying is useless, for the gods know what is best and have already decided the matter. Personally, I work to accomplish whatever I can, rather than wasting my time praying about it. I hope the pilot in any airplane in which I ride is like me.
2006-07-30 23:05:25 · answer #7 · answered by miyuki & kyojin 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd prefer to have a pilot who prays for the skills and strength to keep the plane from crashing.
BTW, yes, prayer DOES work.
2006-07-30 22:59:36 · answer #8 · answered by Bob L 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would rather have a praying christian who tries to save the plane if I can have a choice!
2006-07-31 00:43:48 · answer #9 · answered by Grandreal 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
>>a pilot that tries to save a plane from crashing<<
prayer is nothing but false hope and false reassurance.
There is no actual proof that prayer works.
2006-07-30 23:03:01 · answer #10 · answered by gwad_is_a_myth 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋