Prayer

[smk22]

Why do Christians pray? It just seems so pointless to me. Why should God listen to your problems when people in third world countries are lucky to eat once a day or even once a week.

50,000,000 (yes, that's 50 million) people starved to death under Mao Zedong in communist China to name just one of the many atrocities committed in recent history. Those people never had redemption, no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. They died in the mud with tears streaming down their faces because they had to watch their children die first. I'm sure plenty of people prayed for that to be righted, but it wasn't.

I just don't understand why you think praying will do anything except fulfill you emotionally.

 

[Sketcher]

God told us to pray. It's part of our relationship to him. And as for those Chinese - Chinese Christians died among them, and they continue to live in China and other oppressive places such as North Korea. They went through all of that just as bad as their neighbors, and in some cases worse because of their faith. But they had redemption, because Christ redeemed them. And according to Mark 10:29-30, those who suffered because of their faith in these hellholes will receive a hundred times what they lost in Heaven. Wrongs will be righted after death, and those responsible for their suffering will be paid back for their evil deeds as well.

 

[ebia]

Why do Christians pray?

To involve themselves in God's plan and purposes in the world.

50,000,000 (yes, that's 50 million) people starved to death under Mao Zedong in communist China to name just one of the many atrocities committed in recent history. Those people never had redemption, no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. They died in the mud with tears streaming down their faces because they had to watch their children die first. I'm sure plenty of people prayed for that to be righted, but it wasn't.

The story of Scripture is precisely the story of God working alongside, in and through his fallen creation to put it to rights so that this sort of atrocity will become a thing of the past and all will be put right. That story began with the call of Abraham, climaxed in the story of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, and continues in the church living in anticipation of it's completion at the final resurrection.

 

[smk22]

God told us to pray. It's part of our relationship to him. And as for those Chinese - Chinese Christians died among them, and they continue to live in China and other oppressive places such as North Korea. They went through all of that just as bad as their neighbors, and in some cases worse because of their faith. But they had redemption, because Christ redeemed them. And according to Mark 10:29-30, those who suffered because of their faith in these hellholes will receive a hundred times what they lost in Heaven. Wrongs will be righted after death, and those responsible for their suffering will be paid back for their evil deeds as well.

What about all those non-Christians (most of them weren't Christian)? Are they just screwed? They went through hell on Earth and are now experiencing hell in the afterlife also?

The story of Scripture is precisely the story of God working alongside, in and through his fallen creation to put it to rights so that this sort of atrocity will become a thing of the past and all will be put right. That story began with the call of Abraham, climaxed in the story of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, and continues in the church living in anticipation of it's completion at the final resurrection.

People have been killing one another on scales such as this since the human race began. It's currently happening as we speak and there is no indication that it is ever going to stop in the future.

[Staff Edit]

 

[drich0150]

Why do Christians pray? It just seems so pointless to me. Why should God listen to your problems when people in third world countries are lucky to eat once a day or even once a week.

50,000,000 (yes, that's 50 million) people starved to death under Mao Zedong in communist China to name just one of the many atrocities committed in recent history. Those people never had redemption, no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. They died in the mud with tears streaming down their faces because they had to watch their children die first. I'm sure plenty of people prayed for that to be righted, but it wasn't.

I just don't understand why you think praying will do anything except fulfill you emotionally.

What is your alternative? Has it help any of the people you have mention live a better life? does it fulfill you emotionally? even in the face of so much death and destruction?

 

[ebia]

People have been killing one another on scales such as this since the human race began. It's currently happening as we speak and there is no indication that it is ever going to stop in the future.

The indication that it is going to stop in the future is the Kingdom of God seen in Jesus of Nazareth and in particular anticipated in his Resurrection.

What 20th century history blows away is not the Christian hope, but the Enlightenment's myth of progress.

 

[Bro_Sam]

Why do Christians pray? It just seems so pointless to me. Why should God listen to your problems when people in third world countries are lucky to eat once a day or even once a week.

Prayer is not about having a cosmic shoulder to cry on. It's about knowing God, knowing His will, praising Him, and worshipping Him.

50,000,000 (yes, that's 50 million) people starved to death under Mao Zedong in communist China to name just one of the many atrocities committed in recent history. Those people never had redemption, no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. They died in the mud with tears streaming down their faces because they had to watch their children die first. I'm sure plenty of people prayed for that to be righted, but it wasn't.

Yep. Bad things happen.

Jesus addresses this in Luke 13:1-5.

I just don't understand why you think praying will do anything except fulfill you emotionally.

That's because you have a wrong understanding of prayer.

 

[tpk]

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