"Ask and you shall receive."
Posted on: January 13, 2008 - 3:44pm
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"Ask and you shall receive."
I know that there are plenty of places in the Bible that say all we have to do is pray and our prayers will be answered. For example in John 14, Jesus says: "You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it."
But, does anybody know if there is any scripture that says that sometimes God answers prayers and sometimes he doesn't?
Frosty's coming back someday. Will you be ready?
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http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/jn/14.html
The skeptics Annotated doesn't have the passage labelled as contradictory, just laughable.
-Triften
[Mod Edit: Fixed Link]
triften-
That link is broken.
The reason I ask this is because there are plenty of places in the Bible that says that if we have faith and pray then we'll get what we pray for. Of course we know that's bullshit because if Christians prayed to end all diseases, it won't happen.
Therefore, either the Bible is lying or what the Bible really means is that sometimes God answers prayers and sometimes he doesn't.
So I ask again to those who know the Bible, is there any scripture that suggest that god doesn't answer all prayers or that "God works in mysterious ways?"
If not, then I can only assume that the god of the Bible is a liar.
Frosty's coming back someday. Will you be ready?
This passage you're bringing up seems to be dealing not with a magic prayer Christains are supposed to say to get anything they want while on Earth, but rather to a later time ("...in that day..." John 16.23), in heaven, when believers and Christ are reunited. Also, the phrase "ask for anything in MY NAME" is synonymous with saying "ask for anything THAT BENEFITS THE KINGDOM OF GOD." Christians understand that God is not a magical Santa Clause, so that if every Christian were to symultaniously pray for the reemergence of dinosaurs, of course it wouldn't happen. Only the things that further the Kingdom of God should be asked for, anyway.
Also, it's important to note, as you have already pointed out, that faith is the key. Many people who pray do so without believing that God will in any way answer their prayers. Why would God answer a prayer thay the pray-er didn't think was real?
And sometimes the answer is just NO! What if one person asks for a rainy day, and another person on the same day, in the same city, asks for a sunny day? It can't be both a sunny and rainy day on the same day, so the answer to one of these prayers is obviously NO.
There is no formula for getting a prayer list checked off by God. But that doesn't make him a liar.
So...do you believe in a god?
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
JD311,
How do you know when you get a "No" answer? What if a prayer is open ended? Should you put time limits on your prayers? "Please make this happen in the next month"?
-Triften
Sounds like someone needs a 6 letter badge above their name. State your beliefs please.
Your god's silence speaks loud and clear
hey JD311, god is a "him" ?
and what is the "kingdom of god" ?
ME god is not happy with you
Atheism Books.
I'm not a hundred percent sure on that. There are examples in the Bible, like Gideon (Judges 6:36-38), where people ask God to give them a clear answer, and he does. But it also doesn't seem that God necessarily makes the answer clear right away, either. I think that's where faith sometimes comes in.
The idiotic idea of prayers being answered "yes, no or wait" is dealt with perfectly on this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk6ILZAaAMI
By the way, if you're a theist you don't belong here.
Matt Shizzle has been banned from the Rational Response Squad website. This event shall provide an atmosphere more conducive to social growth. - Majority of the mod team
He means "in this forum", by the way. You're welcome to come to the website to discuss all sorts of things, but this particular forum is meant for non-theists.
-Triften
Hmmm...maybe we should clarify this a little further.
They mean this section of the forums.
Please post in any other section of the forums, please. Like General Conversation or Atheist Vs Theist.
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
Why do you guys even bother asking him what is beliefs are ?
It's plain obvious. Burn her/him with the theist crest... I love the sound of hot metal baking fresh God Created flesh.
Si Dieu existe, c'est Son problème !
If God exists, it's His problem !--Graffiti on the walls of the Sorbonne (France), May 1968
romancedlife.blogspot.com
right. I'll look for other forums. and yes, my flesh is, uh, burned...