Christians can`t you see that prayer is completely delusional?

Question

Sometimes when I pray to God, he answers my prays! (Thank You Jesus)

Sometimes when I pray to God, he does not answer them. But that means that all I have to do is wait... Good things come to those that wait. (Thank You Jesus)

Sometimes when I pray God he says No. But that means that either it is not apart of the "Bigger Picture" or I`am being selfish.
(Thank you Jesus, you have my best interest at heart)

Man I wish they had a God casino. If prayers were like bets I would be a rich man by now. We can`t lose with prayer!

As you can see it`s a scam you are delusional. You would get the same results from praying to a milk carton.

Velvet - Whose protesting? I`am merely asking a question. This is why this forum is right? Q and A format? Is it aiight if I ask a question on a Q and A site?

Answer 1

Cute. Did you get that from godisimaginary.com?

All I know is, when I've prayed, I've seen results that defy all rational explanation. There was a woman at the church I went to when I was a teenager (I wasn't a Christian at the time) who was diagnosed with a rare heart condition. There was NOTHING they could do for her. Not even a heart transplant would have saved her life. The doctors gave her six months to live.

As the weeks went by, she became weaker, and weaker...and yet the church congregation continued to pray for her, and pray for the strength of her husband, and for her three (young) kids. The oldest was only fourteen at the time, if I remember right.

Well, one day, she woke up feeling absolutely fine. Not weak, or anything. She made a doctor's appointment, and when she went in...they found absolutely nothing wrong with her heart. Keep in mind, there was no medication involved, except to treat the symptoms (like the pain)...there was no cure. So what's the explanation for that? She's still alive today, about twelve years later. And healthy as a horse.

How about an example of an unanswered prayer that worked out for the better? My dad was very unhealthy my entire life. By the time I was born, he had already had at least one heart attack. By the time I was four, he had already had at least two, and had had triple bypass surgery. I prayed when I was a child for him to be healed. Well, he wasn't. He died when I was ten.

Sounds pretty horrible, doesn't it?

Not really. The last summer before my dad died, he sat my brother and I down, and told us all about his experiences in the Korean War, and in Vietnam. He told us about his childhood, about his non-Christian parents (his mother was an alcoholic and wasn't exactly virtuous). He told us about meeting my mom, and how meeting her changed his life for the better. He said that he never would have become a Christian had it not been for my mom.

My dad dying was the final straw that caused me to become an atheist, which led to a total rebellion against everything I'd ever been taught. It's because of this rebellion that I met my husband.

And finally, because of my dad, my mom and I have a very close relationship, and I was forced to grow up FAST. If my dad had lived, I would have remained a spoiled rotten child, and I probably would have swallowed my doubts in Christianity for a lot longer than the eight years that I did (from when I was five, until I was thirteen).

These are just two examples of many. I've seen prayer requests in which the answer was "no" and they really did work out for the best. I've also seen prayers in which the answer was "yes" and the results were miracles that help me believe now.

And by the way, I've only been a Christian for just under a year.

Answer 2

You might get the same results praying to a milk carton, but I have had my prayers answered right down to the letter. God has shown me that the answers I have received can be nothing other than the power of God the Father Almighty. The Bible says, " You pray and do not receive because you pray for you own gain. " That's the only need for all the excuses. People pray for material possessions and more money and such. As a matter of fact, the Bible teaches all your gonna' get is your needs taken care of. God doesn't promise us anything physical until we get to the next level. We should be praying for spiritual strength and wisdom, faith, and knowledge and understanding of the Holy Scriptures. Not healing and new cars.

Answer 3

Not entirely. It is rather like the glum day as children that we realise that Father Christmas does not exist and that it's Dad who fills the stocking on Christmas Eve. Yet half a century on, I still miss the magical smell of oranges at 5am and the hunting for the chocolate pennies, and it all seemed so magical and wonderful. It was only in middle age that I realised that this magical sense of wonder and occasion is something that does have a right to exist, and that the way to unlock it is through belief in a mythology. The myths therefore are a means to an end, and whether they are materially factual or not does not really matter. The means to the end for true Christians is to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbours as ourselves. Knowing God and seeking salvation through Jesus Christ is a means to an end; it's only fools (and there are a lot of fools in America) consider this to be the end itself, and I am not surprised that some wake up when they realise this is a delusion. The end I am seeking is Love, and that is no delusion.

Answer 4

Every now and then, God breaks through with an answer to prayer that is so amazing and perfect that it defies all logic and skepticism. So I keep praying for those moments of blessing. As to the harm in vain and silly prayers--what may seem vain and silly to you might be a real concern to the person praying therefore I would not judge on this issue.

Answer 5

I can see your logic. Now test it. Take a hard look at both sides of the argument, and thoroughly examine the evidence from all sides. Making fun and insulting people does not make you right. But taking a hard look at your bias might.

So what is your solution if everyone else is wrong? Shall we all follow your example? Are you claiming to be the delusion free holder of the truth? Are you out for my interests, it does not even sound like you like the people that you are addressing, so why should they listen?

Thanks for the milk carton advice though, but I think I'd rather listen to Aristotle than you (and I actually like you).

Answer 6

Studies have shown that prayer does have some therapeutic benefits, despite religious belief, or lack thereof. Even if a person doesn't have any particular belief in spirituality, the conversation with one's "higher self" is an exercise that can help one deal with the stresses of life and perhaps think more clearly to find answers.

I'm an Atheist, by the way, but see no reason to disparage whatever exercise one might employ to help deal with life. Prayer is surely nothing harmful.

Answer 7

Stop praying to a milk carton and pray to God, something will happen. Pray that He reveals Himself to you. He will.
God's truth IS truth, no matter how much you try to tear it down, the TRUTH remains. You cannot convince a Christian with a relationship with God that prayer is not real. It is. Like I said, Try it, expect results!

Answer 8

we all have the right to believe or not as we see fit. while prayer may not be right for you it does help some people.

just the act of praying is like meditation. it helps you focus... it calms the mind and gives peace to many. most prayer is positive energy.

what one person sees as delusion another sees as reality.
as long as no one is being hurt there is nothing wrong with that.

bright blessings to you.

Answer 9

Ditto Jack B and Kerilyn. I'm a Christian, I obviously believe in prayer. If you don't fine. But how is my belief in it, or others belief in it hurting you? Why is it such an issue for you? Has someone held a gun to your head and forced you to pray? No? Ok, so let it go and move on.

Answer 10

It may be delusional but the truth is you feel better praying to God than a milk carton.