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Answer from God

TagliatelliMonster

Veteran Member
If a believer has been praying for a long time to God ( put in the God you pray to) but it seems as God does not answer.
That does not mean God isn't answering the prayer, but the answer was given to the person in an unexpected way, so the believer think, God did not answer. But actually it was the believer who was not paying attention:)

Thoughts?


My thoughts here, are that this is the equivalent of flipping a coin and then saying "heads I win, tails you lose".
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
I wanted the OP to be a place believers from all kind of religions could discuss, but the non-believers overturned the OP......

I don't mind atheists taking part in I OP I make, but in this one, most answers and questions directed at me come from non-believers :rolleyes: who would know, since the OP was about God

Seems like Atheists LOVE to talk about God....

Not the god you believe in, though. No one talks about transcendence experiences and spiritual awakening. No mystics. Majority are talking about the christian god as a deity not an experience so using the term "god" doesn't mean people are talking about the one you believe in.

So, people can talk about god. I'd see your point if you said "god means a (I don't know) spiritual awakening that changes a person life (making it up)" and an atheist (not a nasty word) says something to the contrary, but using the term god just doesn't say anything. Even among theists, it doesn't have the same definition.

But my answer to your OP was that answers could be more subtle and build up and that's why believers don't see them. That or they already have an idea of how god should answer and look for answers congruent with their own understanding (confirmation bias). For me personally, experiences always came through synchronicity and intuition. Actually how to strengthen it is a different story, but not everyone uses the term god-one, because it has too much baggage and two, people's experiences whether extreme or gradual are so radically different you'd have to ask people about their personal experiences and labels.

This is assuming you're asking all people to apply to your OP. If just theist (and which type of theist? Hindus don't have the same definition as you do) then you'd probably have to mention that. But yes, people can talk about the nature of god used by believers. It's easy to do and swap common understandings and experiences but many atheist tend to have bias and many theists tend to put atheists in a "blind group" that to even go out the box would be near to impossible.
 

F1fan

Veteran Member
9/11 was not from God.....that was pure evil.
It's the eye of the beholder. To certain believers it is the West that is evil. This illustrates why it is so difficult to reconcile issues with people who are highly religious.

We either trust what believers say, or we doubt them. It's not good enough to only trust good people who attribute their goodness to God, and evil people......what? Don't trust them?

So when it is fuzzy, let's say anti-choice Christians who are claiming a moral guidance, but who also refuse to support universal healthcare, which is morally questionable, how do we trust them?

When a child of good people is diagnosed with cancer, and despite the efforts of doctors the child is declining. Will prayer be answered? Will that miracle come? It tends not to. Did we just set ourselves up, or is an actual God just turning its back on the innocent?

If we are going to examine why humans behave a certain way we will do it objectively, and that won't include assuming a God is behind any of it.
 

F1fan

Veteran Member
I thin a lot of people don't understand how prayer works.
Like those who are praying and expecting an outcome.

To my mind if a person is motivated to pray for the self as a means for affirmation, I don't have a problem with it. Like "Lord give me the wisdom to finish this post without pissing off a theist."
 

Left Coast

This Is Water
Staff member
Premium Member
I have not asked for something to directly happen to me or grant me some special ability.
I only prayed for deeper understanding of the teaching, and it has happened my understanding of a topic has been more clearly understood.
In hours or a few days after the prayer was given.

So how did you determine whether it was God who granted you that deeper understanding? Or if it was caused by something else?
 

Left Coast

This Is Water
Staff member
Premium Member
A plane goes down, all 500 passengers pray to their Gods, only one person survives. He says that his prayers saved him and that all other Gods are false. Coincidence that he was saved?

It reminds me of my lucky penny, that I found on the freeway. Upon picking it up, I was hit by numerous cars. Lying in my hospital, I was thinking....good thing I had my lucky penny with me. But, what if you didn't jump onto a freeway in the first place....wouldn't that be luckier?

Yes, I often think this when it comes to people recovering from sickness who give God credit. Like, God could've kept you from ever getting sick at all, why is she getting credit for making you better? Haha.
 

PureX

Veteran Member
Like those who are praying and expecting an outcome.

To my mind if a person is motivated to pray for the self as a means for affirmation, I don't have a problem with it. Like "Lord give me the wisdom to finish this post without pissing off a theist."
Your prayer worked, because this theist agrees with you.

People are disappointed with prayer when they expect it to produce results that are not reasonable to expect, and that depend on external conditions. But when prayer is used reasonably, and for internal purposes, it works well, and often. Just as you point out.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
They say prayer to material things wrong and praying for spiritual truths is right.

What's the difference between praying for a relative to be well and a car when both involve "worldly" requests while spiritual truths are more abstract?

Praying for a car or a ill loved one are alike in that instead of asking for spiritual truths, it's asking God to intervene in earthly affairs and needs.
 

Pudding

Well-Known Member
If a believer has been praying for a long time to God ( put in the God you pray to) but it seems as God does not answer.
That does not mean God isn't answering the prayer, but the answer was given to the person in an unexpected way, so the believer think, God did not answer. But actually it was the believer who was not paying attention:)

Thoughts?
I'm not impress with your unevidenced claims. I do not believe your unevidenced claims are truths or facts.

People also can replace the term God with whatever else things and make the same argument and unevidenced claims like what you present in your post.

They can say that if people has been praying for a long time to tissue papers, Holy Unicorns, Flying Spaghetti Monsters or whatever else but it seems as those things do not answer. That does not mean those things isn't answering the prayer, but the answer was given to the people in an unexpected way, so the people think, those things did not answer. But actually it was the people who was not paying attention. Then they ask me what is my thoughts about their unevidenced claims.

I would ask them to prove what they say are facts.

They can say they cannot prove it to me, i have to go find evidence to prove it by myself.

If i'm even bother to try, i may try and go find it.

What if i found no convincing evidence to support their unevidenced claims?

Surprise! They can told me more of their unevidenced claims like i cannot prove it it's because i'm spiritually blind, i'm not sincerely enough, i use a wrong method, i'm spiritually unenlightend or whatever else unevidenced excuses.

Then my thoughts is that they are very capable of presenting a lot of unevidenced claims. Do i believe their unevidenced claims are truths or facts? No.

I hope you would not fall into the same standards as they are and behave like what they behave. Please don't prove me right.
 
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Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
I'm not impress with your unevidenced claims. I do not believe your unevidenced claims are truths or facts.

People also can replace the term God with whatever else things and make the same argument and unevidenced claims like what you present in your post.

They can say that if people has been praying for a long time to tissue papers, Holy Unicorns, Flying Spaghetti Monsters or whatever else but it seems as those things do not answer. That does not mean those things isn't answering the prayer, but the answer was given to the people in an unexpected way, so the people think, those things did not answer. But actually it was the people who was not paying attention. Then they ask me what is my thoughts about their unevidenced claims.

I would ask them to prove what they say are facts.

They can say they cannot prove it to me, i have to go find evidence to prove it by myself.

If i'm even bother to try, i may try and go find it.

What if i found no convincing evidence to support their unevidenced claims?

Surprise! They can told me more of their unevidenced claims like i cannot prove it it's because i'm spiritually blind, i'm not sincerely enough, i use a wrong method, i'm spiritually unenlightend or whatever else unevidenced excuses.

Then my thoughts is that they are very capable of presenting a lot of unevidenced claims. Do i believe their unevidenced claims are truths or facts? No.

I hope you would not fall into the same standards as they are and behave like what they behave. Please don't prove me right.
I have no need to prove to others what I believe is right or wrong to them, what you believe is your personal belief.
By the way do not claim, I only speaking about my own belief. If others believe different than I do, no problem.

I am not here to convince others
 

Pudding

Well-Known Member
I have no need to prove to others what I believe is right or wrong to them, what you believe is your personal belief.
By the way do not claim, I only speaking about my own belief. If others believe different than I do, no problem.

I am not here to convince others
Okay.

Here i present a lot of unevidenced statements:
If people has been praying for a long time to tissue papers, Holy Unicorns, Flying Spaghetti Monsters and whatever else but it seems as those things do not answer. That does not mean those things aren't answering the prayer, but the answer was given to the people in an unexpected way, so the people think, those things did not answer. But actually it was the people who was not paying attention.

What is your thoughts about the unevidenced statements i present above?

Do you believe tissue papers, Holy Unicorns, Flying Spaghetti Monsters and whatever else really answer people's prayers in an unexpected way just like you believe god answer people's prayers in an unexpected way, but too bad people are not paying attention so they think tissue papers, Holy Unicorns, Flying Spaghetti Monsters and whatever else aren't answering their prayer?
 
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Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Okay.

Here i present a lot of unevidenced statements:
If people has been praying for a long time to tissue papers, Holy Unicorns, Flying Spaghetti Monsters and whatever else but it seems as those things do not answer. That does not mean those things aren't answering the prayer, but the answer was given to the people in an unexpected way, so the people think, those things did not answer. But actually it was the people who was not paying attention.

What is your thoughts about the unevidenced statements i present above?

Do you believe tissue papers, Holy Unicorns, Flying Spaghetti Monsters and whatever else really answer people's prayers in an unexpected way just like you believe god answer people's prayers in an unexpected way, but too bad people are not paying attention so they think tissue papers, Holy Unicorns, Flying Spaghetti Monsters and whatever else aren't answering their prayer?
??????
 
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