Has anyone ever thought about prayer boxes? Does God not listen unless multiple people pester it about the exact same issue? Or is it that prayer is more effective if it's conducted by higher ranking Theists in the community? Very curious to hear the rationale.

Just throwing it out there.

Well, I mean the whole STEP study can answer than question.

There is no rationale. One second they'll be telling you how one can chase a thousand and two can chase five thousand or "where any two are gathered in his name..." and the next second they're saying that nothing will change until the whole nation repents.

I'm confused with the whole prayer thing when it comes to asking for things from god. "Please god help my friend get better from cancer." I thought god had a plan for everyone? Wouldn't that mean he already knows if your friend was going to live? Will a prayer, whether it be from one person or thousands, change god's plan? If not why bother asking or questioning his decision? Will not praying kill him faster?

With that said I also hafta point out that a lot of people say "Please pray for my friend" on Facebook or such. Does a prayer for someone you don't know mean less? Does it have less power? "Dear god please save my friend's friend Steve. I heard he is sick."

To the question of any efficacy of collective prayer, I say this...

Where is Madeline McCann? After countless hours of prayer by groups around the world, plus audiences with the Pope du jour, why has she never been conclusively sighted and is in all likelihood lying dead somewhere?

Why pray? an all seeing all knowing god knows what you want to pray about, so why waste his time telling him stuff he knows?

(June 9, 2016 at 8:16 am)MrNoMorePropaganda Wrote: Has anyone ever thought about prayer boxes? Does God not listen unless multiple people pester it about the exact same issue? Or is it that prayer is more effective if it's conducted by higher ranking Theists in the community? Very curious to hear the rationale.

Supposedly prayers are better with two or more people. I don't remember why. I've never seen it to be true. Generally the worst off someone is health wise the more people they have praying for them. But they still die more than the healthier people with less prayers. Fancy that.

(June 9, 2016 at 10:27 am)mlmooney89 Wrote: I'm confused with the whole prayer thing when it comes to asking for things from god. "Please god help my friend get better from cancer." I thought god had a plan for everyone? Wouldn't that mean he already knows if your friend was going to live? Will a prayer, whether it be from one person or thousands, change god's plan? If not why bother asking or questioning his decision? Will not praying kill him faster?

With that said I also hafta point out that a lot of people say "Please pray for my friend" on Facebook or such. Does a prayer for someone you don't know mean less? Does it have less power? "Dear god please save my friend's friend Steve. I heard he is sick."

 Prayer is far more than asking things from God, it's one way of being in a relationship with Him. Yes God already knows the needs of everyone, our asking shows that we care for them even though God knew before hand. Don't you talk to your friends about things they already knew about, it's no different with God.

GC

Well...my friends are usually real. Prayer is like my late night ramblings with Carl. He also only responds in my own voice inside my own head. He's real god damnit!