In Reply to: my skeptical opinion posted by porceleindoll on August 16, 2004 at 23:24:22:
i thought the way the film dealt w/ the issue of answering everyone's prayers leading to utter chaos was pretty insightful. like everyone else, i find it pretty difficult to see a clear quid pro quo for which prayers get answered (at least in the way we expect) and which don't. scripture gives some hints (wrong motives, sin in life, being mad at your wife etc) but clearly this is only a thin slice of the pie.
but i just read an excellent exploration of the issue that i found hugely helpful. "is god to blame?" by gregory boyd. it goes well beyond pat answers. one thing he brought out was that the language of the gospels is often hyperbolic, in keeping w/ the jewish culture, understood by the hearers as an exaggeration for emphasis. clearly all prayer cannot possibly be answered (like 2 christian athletes competing against one another, both praying to win.. etc.) but also understanding that the bible's picture of our current reality is one of warfare. god has, by creating a world in which beings have free will, necessarily ruled himself out of direct intervention in all of life.tho not all. we see angels struggling w/ demons, good and evil competing in and amongst men. death and the curse entering thru the fall. the "kingdom" both "at hand" and "yet to come." under these circumstances it is impossible from our perspective to understand all the complexities behind the scenes that result in one prayer answered and another not. yet, i do realize by experience, some prayers are answered. and praying, tho an inexact science, does have many different ways of impacting situations. prayers i actually pray do seem to have a better batting average than those i don't.
so i'm praying for you. (hope you don't mind! ha!)