Do prayers that make requests matter?

Question

Suppose God exists.

If God respects free will, he would never intervene.  Therefore prayers that make a request of God are pointless.

If God does not respect free will (ie, is willing to intervene in our lives to achieve the best outcome in whatever way he defines as 'best'), and is omniscient and omnipotent, and perfectly good, then either your prayer is redundant with what he was already going to do, OR your prayer contradicts what he thinks is best for you, and he wouldn't grant your prayer anyway.

So in ANY circumstance, prayers that make requests are ALWAYS going to go unfulfilled.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Very wise of you to realize that...but it's a totally useless endeavor to attempt to use logic on religious folks, because if they had the ability to think logically then they wouldn't be religious to begin with..

P.L. · Answer

God DOES intervene when we go astray.  He does so by making us think about what we are doing and sometimes gives us a guilty conscience.  He does not, however, force us to change our mind or our actions. That is up to us but we'll regret it eternally if we ignore His prompting to change.

Anonymous · Answer

You and the idiotic atheists posting here know absolutely nothing of logic.

You all can stop pretending otherwise.

Adullah M · Answer

GOD create mankind with intellect and freewill, started from Adam and Eve, that cause Iblis or satan become jealous , then turn to be enmity to both of them. Satan then snare and deceive mankind to commit evil through the freewill of human in the aim of going to hell with him. That is why GOD ask mankind to pray to HIM for the protection of satan, by praying as such, Oh GOD please protect us from the evils of the damn satan and Oh GOD ,please give us the goodness of this world and the goodness of the here after world and forbid us from the tormented hell fire. As I see , you yourself use your own freewill to deny GOD , That is why GOD said, There is no religion of GOD in those who do not use their intellect. So prayers of those believers that make request from GOD ,do matters.

Anonymous · Answer

We have Gods word. Yours is meaningless.

James 5:16 KJV — Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Veschengro · Answer

Prayers  dont matter at all im afraid. Since they  only show the fact that believers talk to theirselves. They are a part of the religious feelgood factor only you see.

Malcolm · Answer

In light of Romans 8:28, we have Hebrews 4:16 and 1 John 5:14-15.

? · Answer

God's motivations, if he exists, are beyond your understanding.  Don't even try to understand them, but since you can't, then maybe prayers and requests matter.

Do prayers that make requests matter?

8 Answers