"I'll pray for you"
"let's pray for X"
I'm not a believer but if your God is omnipotent and omnipresent wouldn't he already know of these problems? Does it help to nag him about it? And wouldn't it help more to DO something?
2007-05-22 00:54:05 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
LabGrrl: thank you, that is actually a very reasonable explanation.
2007-05-22 01:03:44 · update #1
I am not one to normally stick up for Christians but they do their fair share, and far more, of charity and volunteering.
2007-05-22 01:03:38 · answer #1 · answered by Quantrill 7 · 6⤊ 1⤋
I know, I know, a helping hand would be much better than a prayer, but christians have this insane idea that their god listens to them, as if he didn't already know what they were going to say/pray for, and change his mind about what ever it is he had planned. They think they can get their god to change it's mind about making people suffer. They don't realize their god is either powerless in these situations, or has already made up it's mind at the beginning of time about what was to happen. Either way, prayer is useless. Now, free will, that's something that can be helpful to people. If you actually CAN do something to help, then you're more useful to your fellow man AND your religion by showing more than facetious talk and actually lending a helping hand.
Talk of an evil deity having control over the world is escapist logic that seeks to divert attention from the question of why an all loving, all powerful, all knowing diety would allow such things to happen. If this deity actually cared, it would not allow the evil deity to have control. Which one of you will allow a child molester to babysit your children while you went on permanent vacation? None. If your kids are molested by the molester you knowingly left them with, do you eternally punish the kid for being molested? No. That's your fault. That's YOUR bad parenting, and in their deity's case, bad godsmanship. I won't accept that as 'loving,' regardless of what they think.
I personally am more likely to befriend and consider noble the intentions and beliefs of those that help others than those that simply offer prayer. In my book, works are always better than faith. But then again, that's why I'm not a christian.
2007-05-22 09:12:36 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you saw a teenage boy that was from a broken home and you got him involved in a constructive hobby, like helping out in local politics, that would be good. That could lead the boy into learning more about civics and making influential contacts that could help him in the future. If that boy was named Adolf Hitler in 1920's Austria, it would be bad.
You have to be careful not to enable behavior that is destructive. If someone doesn't have a job and you give him one, that's good. Now, what if the new employee doesn't show up on time, doesn't do his work or worse. Should a believer fire the new employee? I say yes. Everyone else should not carry someone who doesn't make an effort to help themselves. They are known as con men. The employee needs to be able to function as a contributing member of society and carrying him won't make him change.
Do you know what is best? Can you see the future? God can and that is why we ask that HIS will be done, not ours. We don't claim to be God and we can't solve everything.
If you won't believe and praise God, then you can't really blame Him for everything and expect Him to bail you out. You have walked away from the relationship and you need to come back to Him first.
Also, believers are the largest source of donations to charity. Liberals only give for a tax deduction while believers will give from their need.
2007-05-22 08:14:30 · answer #3 · answered by Kevin B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some answers are available in the word of God. You're presuming Christians do nothing but pray and that prayer is not the best thing a person could do.God instructs us to pray for each other it is a powerful tool to invite God into a persons situation it is not all that a Christian does but it is a good thing that a Christian does.
2007-05-22 08:03:13 · answer #4 · answered by djmantx 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
*grins* That was my argument I used to use back a long time ago. I remember being in kindergarten and telling the nuns (I went to a Catholic school) that I shouldn't have to bow my head or recite a prayer because if god was really all powerful he could just read my mind.
But yeah, a lot of the time pray is all a Christian will offer. Its disgusting, I've seen Christians go up to homeless people and instead of giving them food or some kind of help, they give them a bible and say "I'll pray for you".
2007-05-22 12:25:55 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I've seen them filling sandbags down by the mighty Delaware when it flooded it's banks and they weren't protecting their church or personal property. I also know first hand that they flocked to New Orleans with food and clothing, tools and building materials to help the devastated folk there as well. Also when I was a teenager this Christian girl helped me with my homework and we didn't talk about God or pray to Jesus once, out of respect for my Pieganistic* belief system. So there is some balance to it all I suppose.
2007-05-22 08:06:13 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
No it's not nagging. Since you aren't a believer you don't know that the Bible continually tells us to ask for things we need. He knows already but he wants us to have that relationship with him. The Bible says ask and you shall receive and pray continually. He loves to hear us ask. AND, we (the majority) do do something about it. I am actively working for whatever I need, and reach out to offer help in any way to others in need. My church has program after program set up to reach out and help others. No, prayer is not all we are willing to offer.
2007-05-22 08:05:23 · answer #7 · answered by Kymr 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Prayer is the best thing to offer Christians do nothing without prayer and no not always is it the only thing we do. It just goes hand and hand with everything in our daily life. We know if you truly want/need help God is the way to turn, if we try to do it alone we just mess it up.
2007-05-22 08:04:25 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
A problem I have always had. Christians are taught to go to God in prayer with everything, to make requests in Jesus name and it will be granted but Jesus prayed for God's will to be done and Christians are supposed to follow Jesus' example. So which is it?
2007-05-22 08:46:08 · answer #9 · answered by hazydaze 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
O my. It's like this, this earth has been usurped by the enemy, Satan, who claims ownership. God cannot rush in & take over unless some faithful Christian is praying for them to invite God to act on their behalf. Unlike Satan, God is a gentleman & He doesn't force His will on others. It is not only a priviledge to pray for others, its their duty.
2007-05-22 08:19:59 · answer #10 · answered by Sgt. Moneybags 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, but the prayers make the difference. God knows but He also like it when we know that He knows. So it is OK to pray even after wards. : )
2007-05-23 23:53:16 · answer #11 · answered by SeeTheLight 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋