Here's to prayer

[donheld]

[Speck Tater]

1. Amen.

It comes back to that same old bind: Either God can't fix it, or He doesn't care. All other explanations are just excuses.

[RegieRocker]

5. The excuse is all of us.

[trotsky]

14. Oh but of course.

Humans are to blame for the flaws in your god's plan.

Why does Christianity, even the liberal flavor of it, so often reveal its decidedly ANTI-human sentiments?

[Logical]

2. I know of no person I love and respect that could run this planet worse than GOD is......

which just proves that there is no loving/caring god.

[Speck Tater]

8. Not necessarily.

It could just be that God is very loving and caring but doesn't really have any power to do anything about it. I've always wondered what sort of God I could invent if I started with the assumption that God did NOT create the universe, but was an all-knowing, but essentially powerless consciousness that was a bi-product of the creation of the universe.

[Logical]

9. Well, then that God is totally different than any God that is worshiped.

[Meshuga]

24. By whom?

There are certainly people who hold god ideas where god is a process rather than a personal god who has the power to intervine.

[Silent3]

17. While the definition of the word "God" is hardly clear and fixed...

...an "essentially powerless" being doesn't seem worthy of being called a god at all. Take away this so-called god's role as the creator of the universe as well and you're way off base from anything even vaguely recognizable as a god.

[Meshuga]

25. But there are ideas of god as a process

There are certainly god ideas that are worshipped that does not see god as a being but see god as a process. But I have to agree with you that a personal god who does not have power to intervene is useless. He is even worse if he has power to intervene but won't do anything about human suffering.

[roguevalley]

13. for heaven's sake. People are running this planet and fucking it

up themselves. if they did follow the ideas that god is associated with it would be infinitely better but man is so much smarter. don't blame god for stupid people. and if you think god is running this place into the ground, where is he and what is he doing? Obviously if God is the one doing everything you can point him out.

[PassingFair]

19. "...if they did follow the ideas that god is associated with it would be infinitely better"...Hahaha

:rofl:

FLOOD, anyone?

[Silent3]

20. People don't run everything on this planet

First of all, I don't buy the excuse that allowing humans "free will" means that a truly loving God couldn't find ways to intervene to prevent, or at least greatly reduce, the worst consequences of stupid or immoral human actions.

Second, even if you discount human-caused human suffering, there's plenty of suffering, presently and historically, caused by earthquakes, volcanoes, fires, plagues, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, etc. It is only very recently in human history that humans have had the power to sometimes play a contributory role in some of those things, and only very recently we've had the kind of technology, medicine, and global reach post-catastrophe to reduce (far from eliminate) some of the suffering.

[Kurmudgeon]

15. God gave us free will, blame yourself and/or those responsible for their actions.

[Humanist_Activist]

16. Thats just sickening, why don't you tell those starving kids its their fault...

that a drought occurred all because of "free will".

[NMMNG]

18. Obviously their parents or granparents sinned, possibly by bowing to the wrong god

The starving children are merely paying the penalty god set forth in the Bible. Their shit luck for having such bad ancestors. :sarcasm:

[Humanist_Activist]

26. I just am sick to death of that argument, its sick and blame the victim mentality....

and the idea of being punished for the actions of others, ancestors or not, is just evil.

[NMMNG]

27. I agree

It's just another way some people allow themselves to feel pious while they ignore the suffering of others.

[edhopper]

21. So God is not

all powerful and essentially impotent. He does nothing and never intervenes and the Bible is wrong when it says he does so?
And of course when the "free will" of one or a few cause the suffering of a multitude,it is their fault? Do I have that right?

[Shadowflash]

22. Nice.

You actually believe that crap?

[NMMNG]

3. Those children just aren't praying hard enough.

:sarcasm:

[Fumesucker]

4. Not quite...

They are just praying to the wrong god..

Pascal never said which god he was gonna' pray to, did he?

[NMMNG]

11. Or maybe god's answer was "no"

Or maybe they were just reprobate sinners who didn't deserve what they were asking for.

So many possibilities...

[RoccoR5955]

6. AFAIC, god ain't nothin' but dog spelled backwards! n/t

[Fire Walk With Me]

7. Now, now...

We are already discussing income inequality. This is about resource inequality, and it is a man-made problem, and can be solved by mankind as well.

It needs to be part of the conversation. Thanks for bringing it up.

[donheld]

12. Umm...What?

:shrug:

[Sarah Ibarruri]

10. Amazing the frivolous nature of how God is viewed by some, while so many starve nt

[PassingFair]

23. I don't see any difference between "prayer" and witches casting "spells" and "bending spoons"...

All are symptoms of the desire to control or influence uncontrollable "forces".

It's really the height of conceit.

For instance. There's a woman in my office who people sometimes
ask for prayer assistance. To win an office contest, to succeed
at a weight loss goal, whatever. She will conduct this service
in full view of other workers.

I have heard her brag about her success in getting people
new jobs, boyfriends, etc.

If god is omnipotent, he already knows how you feel,
why would he want to be bothered by the whining of
others to hurry up with his "plans"?