When it comes to praying, why do Christians feel the need to get other people involved? They will ask others to pray for the same thing they are praying for, in hopes that this will somehow help their prayer get answered. They must feel that their faith isn't strong enough for their god to answer them or maybe their god can hear twenty people praying easier than he can hear one. Although the Christian can get many people praying with them, their prayers will more often than not go unanswered, as in this little scenario:
Little Johnny is riding his bike out in the street,
when along comes a cement truck, turning Little Johnny into a hood ornament.
Little Johnny is rushed to the hospital with massive internal injuries.
Little Johnny is still alive, but the doctors tell his parents that he will
not survive the next 24 hours because his injuries are just too extensive.
The parents, believing their god will save their son's life, begin to
pray. Not really sure if their prayer alone will be enough, they
ask other people to pray for their son. The siblings of Little Johnny
pray, as does his grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors, the entire
community. All are praying that Little Johnny pulls through with
flying colors, and is restored to his original condition before getting
cremated by the Acme Cement Co.
Well of course Little Johnny dies, because most of his internal organs
look like a plate of scrambled eggs, with a side order of buttered grits;
even though the parents have said a couple thousand Hail Marys and about
fifteen hundred Our Fathers, along with a few bribes thrown in.
Heck, what's a prayer without a bribe or two thrown in?
"Dear Heavenly Father. If you will please do this one thing for me, I promise never to do such and such again. I also promise to throw away some of my Penthouse magazines and porn videos. Oh dear Jeezus, if you will heal my son Johnny and let him live, I promise that I will try not to look upon our 12 year old neighbor with lust again, and if I win any money in Saturday nights poker game, I promise to put a extra dollar in the collection plate Sunday. Thank you dear Lord for listening to my prayer."
Although their prayers weren't answered, does this dampen the faiths of Johnny's parents? Well of course not. They say things like:
"Well at least he's in a better place." or "It's all part of God's plan."
How do they know that Little Johnny's not rotting in
Hell for pulling the wings off flies and torturing small mammals?
Now if God has some sort of divine plan, then praying becomes pointless. (Praying is pointless anyway, since God doesn't exist I might add.) Anyhow, if God has everything planned out, then things are going to happen the way God planned it, whether you pray or not. This would also interfere with man's free will.
I was once told that the reason some prayers go
unanswered, is because sometimes God says "No." Well this contradicts
with what the Bible says, which states that God will ALWAYS say yes.
The Bible does not say that God will sometimes say no; that he will think
about it; maybe; if he gets around to it . . .On the contrary, it says,
"WHATEVER you ask for, you will receive." The only stipulation; the
only criteria required is that you "believe". Merely praying to
a god that has not been proven to exist shows that you believe.
