Am I losing my faith or just becoming more realistic?

Blackrook

Diamond Member
Jun 20, 2014
21,063
10,587
1,255
One of my main problems with God is that he did not answer my prayers and many things have gone wrong for me.

Seeking answers, I read a book called "Where the hell is God?" written by a Jesuit priest.

He explained that he and his family had a faith crisis when his sister had an auto accident and became quadriplegic.

His answer to the question "Where the hell is God?" is that God, in his view, doesn't CAUSE these bad things to happen, so there appears to be no point in praying to God to fix the bad things that happen.

His example is the long drought in Australia, which people have been praying to end, but the drought just goes on and on.

I guess the problem with this priest's resolution is that it has weakened my faith to believe that God isn't the CAUSE of bad things that happen, because if he ISN'T, then there is something more powerful than God in the universe, another God, or an impersonal force that controls random chance.

And now I find myself thinking: What's the point of a God who is a passive bystander to the events in the universe? Why pray to him for anything?

Christ teaches we SHOULD PRAY and if we knock on the door, the door will open to us.

So really, this Jesuit priest is saying something that is inconsistent with the teachings of Christ.

But my experience with prayer is that some of my prayers have NOT been answered, and I've been praying for many years.

Atheists, please keep your stupid comments out of this thread, I'm seeking answers from fellow believers.
 
th


Perhaps your faith and courage is being tested.

*****SMILE*****



:)
 
One of my main problems with God is that he did not answer my prayers and many things have gone wrong for me.

Seeking answers, I read a book called "Where the hell is God?" written by a Jesuit priest.

He explained that he and his family had a faith crisis when his sister had an auto accident and became quadriplegic.

His answer to the question "Where the hell is God?" is that God, in his view, doesn't CAUSE these bad things to happen, so there appears to be no point in praying to God to fix the bad things that happen.

His example is the long drought in Australia, which people have been praying to end, but the drought just goes on and on.

I guess the problem with this priest's resolution is that it has weakened my faith to believe that God isn't the CAUSE of bad things that happen, because if he ISN'T, then there is something more powerful than God in the universe, another God, or an impersonal force that controls random chance.

And now I find myself thinking: What's the point of a God who is a passive bystander to the events in the universe? Why pray to him for anything?

Christ teaches we SHOULD PRAY and if we knock on the door, the door will open to us.

So really, this Jesuit priest is saying something that is inconsistent with the teachings of Christ.

But my experience with prayer is that some of my prayers have NOT been answered, and I've been praying for many years.

Atheists, please keep your stupid comments out of this thread, I'm seeking answers from fellow believers.
All I know is I believe in God and pray several times a day. This helps make me a stronger and happier person.
 
According to the Jesuit author of the book, bad things that happen to us are not a test. Bad things happen, and there is no reason for them.

I read another book about the volcanic explosion that destroyed Pompei. The author makes the point that the people of Pompei did not die because they deserved it, or failed to make some sacrifice to the gods, they died because volcanos explode and what we do in this life has no effect on that.
 
Humans have this tendency to believe that natural disasters, illnesses, accidents, etc. happen because we did something bad, or because God is testing us, or that somehow our actions caused them to happen.

The point of the Jesuit priest is that none of this is true.

And if God is not responsible for the things that happen in this universe, then he can't fix things no matter how much we pray to him.

Which is the opposite of what Jesus taught, I think.
 
Place your faith in God at the top....no matter how bad things get remember God will see you through...keep the faith....
 
Its about faith...
Faith in what?

If God didn't make the priest's sister quadriplegic, then who did?

Is the universe governed by a huge set of dice?

And if it is, what's the point of praying to God?
 
Place your faith in God at the top....no matter how bad things get remember God will see you through...keep the faith....
I think what you're saying is that we should cling to faith in God no matter how bad things get for us in this life.

If that is so, why did Christ teach that we should ask God for things, and that persistence in prayer will have results?
 
Jesus said we should pray for our daily bread.

But not everyone gets their daily bread, some people die of hunger every day.
 
People die, people have crippling injuries, disasters destroy cities.

If God isn't doing this, who is?
 
Place your faith in God at the top....no matter how bad things get remember God will see you through...keep the faith....
I think what you're saying is that we should cling to faith in God no matter how bad things get for us in this life.

If that is so, why did Christ teach that we should ask God for things, and that persistence in prayer will have results?
Praying shows that you have faith in God....in Gods plan....you don't pray that you win the lotto....you pray for the healing of others....sometimes when you pray things go badly anyway...but when something bad happens 99% of the time down the road people see why it happened and the good that came out of the tragic event....
My grandfather had a massive heart attack...he lived and made it another 12 years...in that 12 years he learned how to live...how to forgive...and how to love...he said his heart attack changed his life for the better....
 
Place your faith in God at the top....no matter how bad things get remember God will see you through...keep the faith....
I think what you're saying is that we should cling to faith in God no matter how bad things get for us in this life.

If that is so, why did Christ teach that we should ask God for things, and that persistence in prayer will have results?
Praying shows that you have faith in God....in Gods plan....you don't pray that you win the lotto....you pray for the healing of others....sometimes when you pray things go badly anyway...but when something bad happens 99% of the time down the road people see why it happened and the good that came out of the tragic event....
My grandfather had a massive heart attack...he lived and made it another 12 years...in that 12 years he learned how to live...how to forgive...and how to love...he said his heart attack changed his life for the better....
I don't think any of the bad things that have happened to me have made me a better person.
 
According to the Jesuit author of the book, bad things that happen to us are not a test. Bad things happen, and there is no reason for them.

I read another book about the volcanic explosion that destroyed Pompei. The author makes the point that the people of Pompei did not die because they deserved it, or failed to make some sacrifice to the gods, they died because volcanos explode and what we do in this life has no effect on that.
Maybe you need to look more to the Scriptures than what MEN WRITE ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES

And do you seriously believe praying "your will be done" is how Christ wanted you to pray?

Prayer is to help YOU get thru the life GOD HAS PLANNED FOR YOU.

Maybe you're just not getting that. Life can suck for all of us
Place your faith in God at the top....no matter how bad things get remember God will see you through...keep the faith....
I think what you're saying is that we should cling to faith in God no matter how bad things get for us in this life.

If that is so, why did Christ teach that we should ask God for things, and that persistence in prayer will have results?
Praying shows that you have faith in God....in Gods plan....you don't pray that you win the lotto....you pray for the healing of others....sometimes when you pray things go badly anyway...but when something bad happens 99% of the time down the road people see why it happened and the good that came out of the tragic event....
My grandfather had a massive heart attack...he lived and made it another 12 years...in that 12 years he learned how to live...how to forgive...and how to love...he said his heart attack changed his life for the better....
I don't think any of the bad things that have happened to me have made me a better person.
Because you're letting your heart become bitter. Read the parable of the sower. You're letting the cares of this world take over. ALL are tested. ALL have to deal with shit in their lives. You want a personal genie. The problem is with you. Not God
 
According to the Jesuit author of the book, bad things that happen to us are not a test. Bad things happen, and there is no reason for them.

Maybe God is warning you about your reading stuff like this author and changing your thinking. God warns, Satan tempts. All one can do is do their best and then leave it to God for the rest. Pray to God to help guide you. Pray to God to help lead the way. And it's okay to continue to pray to God for what you want.

It's not just God who exists, but Satan, too. He has dominion over this world as "god of the world and prince of the power of the air." This is why we want to be delivered from evil each day.
 

New Topics

Forum List

Back
Top