Why does prayer fail ?

[modeller]

sandy and truthabounds or any other theist. Please answer a simple question .
When Madeline Macain disappeared ten of milliions of people from all denominations all over the world prayed that she would be found, even the Pope got involved calling upon Catholics everywhere to pray for her,and as you know her devout parents mounted a world wide appeal for prayers.
Result ? Nothing ! Now 4 years later there is still not a single clue.
Why , why , why ? If millions of prayers are not answered in any form, what chance does your single prayer stand. ?

sandy // I pray a decade of the Rosary each evening for all on AB, but especially the agnostics. //
I expect sandy you also prayed for Madeline and it failed. Why ?

[mibn2cweus]

A word of caution there Khandro - Be careful what you pray for.

"Oh Lord . . . give me strength." :o/

[sith123]

ok birdie...i can offer evidence, my mum was a non believer, she died of cancer, and the only thing she kept saying before she died is god save me, god save me and a variety of other things, so i hope god looks down in pity on her...so yes I DO HAVE EVIDENCE!

[beso]

^^ She prayed to be saved and yet still died. What is that evidence showing?

Moreover, someone asking for God's help does not mean God exists.

[beso]

When I was a kid I prayed to the Easter Bunny to get chocolate eggs and I got them.

[starone]

I am a devout non-believer (is that possible - I think it is). I often say Oh my god, but I picture it with a small g and just use it as words. I was sent to Sunday School every week and had it drummed into me. I could possibly quote passages from the bible if called upon, but please don't ask me, I can't be bothered. I made up my own mind by observation that this was the only life I was going to get and I had better make the most of it. Things just happen whatever you do so in my opinion there is not much of anything that will help either way. I have often thought there might be something in the power of the mind to influence things, but don't think our minds have developed enough yet, and not only that but some minds might not be very nice so perhaps we should leave that well alone. Prayer is no good, you might as well talk to yourself - come to think of it I do that constantly and it doesn't do a thing. I have heard it said it is the only way you will get a sensible answer.

[Ankou]

i often talk to myself. some of my best conversations.

[Khandro]

@birdie, "This twaddle is repeated time and again by believers. The famous 'death-bed conversion' story is as old as the hills and simply nonsense masquerading as fact."
A bit off subject here but how about; Constantine the Great, Oscar Wilde, Charles Darwin, Charles II. and for ABers over the pond, John Wayne, Buffalo Bill Cody, Chief Sitting Bull, and John Henry "Doc" Holiday, Shall I go on?

[beso]

The recommendation of a dying person who is steadily loosing control their faculties is hardly a compelling case for the existence of God. Indeed it suggests that the believers are actually prematurely losing their intellect.

[mibn2cweus]

It's one thing to talk to and perhaps even carry on a conversation with an imaginary friend and quite another when you start believing your imaginary friend is real . . . and makes more sense than you do.

[sith123]

ok, but isnt it overall better to believe in god, than realise when you die there is no god, than not beleiving and if there does happen to be a god, than you would be like "oh s***." so i think that even if you do not believe, its better to be safe than sorry

[boxtops]

God's not like insurance, sith - you don't believe Just in Case - you either have a belief, or you don't, and that belief comes in many shapes and sizes.

I think it would be worse to believe, then find out you were wrong, than to not believe and find out that everyone else was right.

[Old_Geezer]

Ah, Pascal's Wager again.

It sounds logical but then by the same argument you are trapped into believing everythingsmoeone claims, just in case not doing so brings you grief. Not the best path, I would suggest.

[boxtops]

None of us know what we are going to get (if anything) once we move on from here, anyway. IMO.

[sith123]

yeah, but you wouldnt matter what everyone else would believe because you would be dead.

[goodlife]

Each day, we face a wide array of eye-appealing distractions, and their number keeps increasing. We can appreciate all the more, then, Jesus’ admonition to keep our eye “simple.” (Matt. 6:22, 23)
A “simple” eye is totally focused on one purpose—that of doing God’s will. By contrast, a “wicked” eye is crafty, covetous, and drawn to things that are worthless.
our eyes feed our mind and our mind feeds our heart. How important it is, therefore, that we keep on considering what is valuable.

Yes, echo the prayer of the psalmist: “Make my eyes pass on from seeing what is worthless. (Ps. 119:37)

[sandyRoe]

God knows.

[RATTER15]

"Make my eyes pass on from seeing what is worthless."

Nothing more worthless and insulting to the human race than the bible!!

[goodlife]

No,nothing more worthless and insulting to the human race than atheists!

[beso]

^^ Your opinion goodlife but you have nothing to support your assertion. Atheists have repeatedly shown clear evidence that the Bible is indeed the work of primitive bigots.

[sith123]

prayer does not fail...it depends what you pray for