Christians if you have free-will then what value does prayer benefit you?

Question

Think about this logically.
Perhaps you pray for john doe to leave you alone.
Well according to your fancy God you are used as a pawn to test whether john doe will turn to God or not.
So if john doe insists on punishing you God can do nothing because john has free-will and you are needed as a pawn.
Logically,if God stops john from punishing you then I submit that john no longer has free-will.
Please explain this error in God.You cannot because your God is a fabrication of mans' pride.
Again,I am sickened from your repeated slanderous comments!
Please refrain from sarcasm and submit your required submissiveness.

HOW DARE YOU CALL ME STUPID!!!

I WENT THROUGH 10 YEARS OF OXFORD!

Answer 1

Prayer has benefited Me, and My Friends and Family numerous times. It is real, it is beautiful, it is Life Changing. When We pray to GOD about a matter, the answer can be yes, and it can be no. It is GOD's will as to what the answer will be. GOD doesn't always give us what We want, but HE always gives us what We need, and HE would do the same for You.

I am very impressed at the answers that You have received. Very intellectual, precise, and well restrained. That shows the true heart of a Christian, to protect our Father, and still show love. The answer about You, who You are, and Your mission is apparent. Everything falls under good or evil. You are either with, or without. And since You Yourself have professed to not believe, that leaves You wide open to spread another form of word, that is of evil and Satan. And You do it with gusto. But You can Never win. You can post a million questions, but it will Never change the mind of a true believer, and You can call that weak until Your teeth fall out, You will Never win.

I have said a prayer for You, and again that You will not sway one innocent Person into non belief.

God Bless.......That is God our Father

Answer 2

I would ask you to read some books from a fellow Oxford man. His name is C. S. Lewis. He presents the gospel from an intellectual point of view. You can read a couple of books, "Mere Christianity" and "Problem of Pain". He also has many others, but these two provide direct answers to your stated questions.

See http://www.cslewis.org/

C. S. Lewis was quoted as saying, "I came into Christianity kicking and screaming." He was an atheist from the age of 13 years old. So what happened that changed the mind of this highly educated Oxford man?

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis

Don't give up searching for something that makes sense. God makes sense when you really determine in your heart to find out if he really does exist.

Good luck to you.

Answer 3

You are confusing the sovereign will of God by which he controls all things, like the beating heart in your chest. With the permissive will of God, by which he allows limited freedom of man to act in an evil fashion. But man's will is always limited by the decretive plan of God.

You also don't understand prayer very well. It's not about getting God to do what a person wants. But rather about bringing the will of the person in harmony with the will of God.

Answer 4

Man is given free will. If he takes that free will and attempts to harm God's child, IF the Christian has prayed for protection, then God answers the prayer of the believing one. The person trying to cause trouble doesn't necessarily stop his actions, but God prevents the actions from harming the believing Christian. God has been known to work miracles on behalf of his children. It matters little if you believe or not. Truth is not altered by acceptance or rejection. Truth is found only in God. It is constant.

Answer 5

Prayer is being alive to God. Prayer lifts us up from our isolation to a conscious, loving communion with God in which everything is experienced in a new light, including perhaps the answers to your examples. And it takes our free will to partake in this. But alas, God is not a genie and answer to prayer is not always the way we wish it to be. So while John does have free will as well, the results of his actions, though negative, will eventually be experienced by one who is attuned to God through prayer, into a positive!

Answer 6

First, you may not feel happy in this forum.

Free-will, the ability to make a choice. It is also what separates us from the animals. I can choose to not do what every fiber of my being tells me to. I can create and spread joy. Free-will is a personal thing. It is my relationship with God. If another uses their free-will and it affects me, I then turn to my God. If there is no relief, I choose to forgive. I choose to not strike back. I choose the better path.

Answer 7

Just a brief comment "free-will" is not mentioned in the bible. It is a concept used to explain certain aspects of theology - it is not always useful as your theoretical situation shows. However, reading the Biblical account of God's reaction to prayers, he not only hears them but can be persuaded to change his mind and be merciful to people he was about to destroy. As to why you should trust the Bible, that is another question, that you have not asked.

Answer 8

I think the error lies in your assumptions not in God.
You are so full of yourself that you wouldn't be open to any "logical" answers given.
So why do you ask the questions?
You feel good about yourself when you think you are making others feel vulnerable.
See you on judgement day, you arrogant moron.
People like you are so open to suggestion you believe the most popular lies. How pathetic!

Answer 9

You're assuming that free will has to do with our everyday decisions, and that the lack of free will has to do with God "operating" us like machines. Neither are true. Free will involves the ability to believe in God, who can interact with His creation as He sees fit -- or allow the unregenerate to remain in their sins. If you and John are both unsaved, then who cares "wins" the scenario? You're both lost.

Answer 10

We christians are free in the spirit and led by and of God. Stop trying to accuse a God you know nothing of and try to know him for yourself and then plead your accusations against him. God created and loves us all and Just like you tell your feeling well I will say mine. We christians are tired of people calling themselves atheist when they know something made them and not theirselves, do not hold God accountable for something you trying to figure out when A Great God has already worked it out.