2007-09-11 07:07:06 · 29 answers · asked by Clarebear 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The sad truth is that God does not answer any prayers whatsoever.
2007-09-11 07:10:30 · answer #1 · answered by cosmo 7 · 4⤊ 4⤋
"No" is an answer. God is not obligated to do anything for anyone. Just because we ask does not mean he then has to do it. Prayer is not a "magic spell" which makes things happen.
Rather it is talking to a real person, who has plans and agendas, and is working out his own purposes - often in spite of your help. Unlike us, he has a perfect understanding of how each action and each decision will affect the future. So he can make the best decisions for people when they pray.
You also seem to be making an assumption that all of the Jews in the Holocaust prayed. Or that what they prayed was an "answerable" prayer.
If they prayed that the Germans be destroyed rather then that the be delivered, then if they were not delivered, God answered their pray. If they prayed that God take them instead of others, then a "yes" for him would also have meant they died.
So it becomes difficult to judge what in the Holocaust was a "yes" answer to prayer, what were "no's" becasue God "knows" more than us. And what (if any) where unanswered.
To date, in over 50 years of praying, I have never had an unanswered prayer. Some were "yes", some were "no", and some were such stupid prayers that God had to overrule them. But they were all answered.
2007-09-11 07:27:09 · answer #2 · answered by dewcoons 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Everyone who has a religion (regardless of what the religion is) has asked the same question - and there are no easy answers. As horrible as the Holocaust was, you can't really say that God refused to answer their prayers - which God would we talking about?
For my own experience, I can only say that God answers some of my prayers and not others because He created me and ultimately knows what I need and can cope with. Sometimes I don't see why some things are and aren't happening, and it isn't until some time has passed that I look back and then understand why things went down the way it did.
Believing in God (whatever you perceive Him/Her/Them/It to be) doesn't mean you won't have ANY problems - you still have to deal with good times and bad in this life. There WILL be some cases that you simply won't be able to understand why things happen the way they do.
I'm not the Creator, so I can't possibly have any idea of why God does what he does. I do know that I love and trust Him and it's when I my faith is getting rattled that I have to hang on and trust Him even more as I work through the situation. You have to take a deep breath and trust God anyhow.
2007-09-11 07:19:12 · answer #3 · answered by theshelia 1 · 1⤊ 3⤋
God DOES answer ALL prayers. However, the answer that He gives isn't necessarily the one we want to hear. He'll either tell us, "yes," "no," or "wait." And when He tells us "no" it's because He knows what's best for us.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
~Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)~
I know you're probably asking, "How can letting all those Jews die be a good thing?" I just pray that you come to understand that God uses the bad things that happen in life for good.
2007-09-11 07:24:46 · answer #4 · answered by Kori spelled backwards is Irok 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I believe that God answers prayes all the time. I believe that whatever he has planned for your life will happen. I think sometimes things happen that we can't understand why he would allow it to happen but the truth is sometimes we have to go through things to overcome or see the other side or the side that he needs us to see. I think that yes it was horrible but God had a plan and a reason for why he let it happen and we just have to trust him. I think he answers prayers but he will not allow us to hurt ourselves.
2007-09-11 07:30:30 · answer #5 · answered by s2004 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why didn't he answer the prayers of the 6 million Chinese slaughtered by the Japanese during the same period in history? How many more people of the 5 billion or so living at that time did he not answer? How many out of that same 5 billion did he answer? The answer is that we misunderstand the purpose of prayer. Prayer is to change us, not necessarily the events surrounding us. Prayer elevates our thinking and behavior and empowers us to deal with whatever life dishes out. Prayer ennobles us. Prayer is an opportunity to be grateful, to praise. Everyone dies sooner or later. There is no IF about it. The question then becomes how we go about it, how we face inevitabilities. Prayer is about quality of life, not quantity.
2007-09-11 07:20:19 · answer #6 · answered by jaicee 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
God has created the Universe, God is running the Universe. God will destroy the Universe. God is the Origin of Universe. God is the Destination of Universe. Spirit can neither be created nor be destroyed. It moves from one body to another. Your body dies, not spirit. Your spirit gets new body after death, based upon your actions in this life. Your target is to make your spirit pure, so that it can merge in Super Spirit (God). Remember wherever there is Happiness in Life, there will be Sorrow. To get Happiness, you must master Sorrow.
2007-09-11 22:06:04 · answer #7 · answered by Ravi Lohia 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are asking a question about Jews from a xtian perspective. It doesn't work well.
We do not pray 'for stuff', nor do we expect direct intervention ala the xtian 'jexus is my co-pilot' bumper sticker- G-d is not my co-pilot, he has given me the sense to build my own plane or figure out my own way to fly.
Prayer-in Judaism- is not to request, prayer is to honor.
People do horrible things, life can be very unfair; we are given the resources to continue to be honorable and whole people through those horrible things and unfair experiences.
Xtianity does not see the gift we are already given;
But from my perspective, Why ask for more? I have been blessed, I am grateful. So I will do good things and live a good life.
'Dayenu'- It is enough.
2007-09-11 07:22:37 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
...Prayer is not just falling to your knees and "blab'n to God".
To pray, "we" have to consider following the "instructions"... "yes"...there is a right way and a wrong way... remembering God will not look upon sin or the sinful contaminated "spirit" of the unforgiven ... What am I saying ? simply this... to go into the Spiritual presence of God you've got to get your self "right" before Him... acknowleding to Him that "you" are a sinner and humblely asking Him for forgivness for your sin(s)... asking God to cleanse you from all that has made you a sinner... At that moment, "if" you've truly repented before Him, you will be forgiven... and NOW you can boldly approach the Throne of Grace and pray... God will now look upon you ... He clearly has told us... "the prayer of a righteous man avails much")...but to come to God, soiled with the sins of life and having an unrepentant spirit... you might as well pray to a "brass monkey"... About the Holocaust... remember the Words of Jesus as He stood brefor Pilot... Jesus clearly said... "My Kingdon is not of this World"... There are those times when horror and horrific things happen on this Earth... but God has an Eternal reward for all who have given their heart to His care... The Apostle Paul explains to "die is gain"... Eternity with The Lord is the reward for all the suffering here on Earth... but to partake in that reward "we" must have faith and believe in Him...
2007-09-11 07:34:00 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
God/Reality is neutral, the multi-dimensional field in which we are embedded that responds to human consciousness individually and en masse. You would have to be privy to the time, cultural antagonisms, economic pressures, religious biases to understand how such a horrendous situation could have "sneaked up" and taken over before rational people could stop it.
People who are "certain" like the Nazis and even the Neo-Cons are extremely clever and creative at achieving power through manipulation before wreaking havoc and succumbing to total corruption and self-destruction. Unfortunately they take a lot of us with them before they can be rooted out and stopped dead in their tracks.
2007-09-11 07:27:07 · answer #10 · answered by MysticMaze 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God cannot force a person to do or not do something. He can try to reach that person's spirit, but the ultimate choice will be the person's. So, a prayer asking God to stop someone from doing something has no guarantee of success. I think, in the end, that God leaves it up to us to do things in this world, because otherwise we would be dependent puppets, not adult beings capable of being responsible for themselves.
2007-09-11 07:12:57 · answer #11 · answered by explorationredwing 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋