Is it a good idea to be an atheist?

[FatAndFaithless]

Why did God wait until you prayed for Michael's brother? Surely there were other people praying the man, why do you take credit for your prayer being the catalyst?

I take no credit - I knew when I hit the motorway on that day and at that exact moment that he was cured. That was the epiphany...I just knew it. There have been times when I have prayed and nothing happened and it frustrates me....But in that case it did. No doubt other people were praying for Michael - However the revelation/epiphany was revealed to me. Not in some audible voice or clear outward revelation....In my very soul I knew it! Also this is the first time since it happened (in 10 years) that I am revealing this supernatural event on a public forum. It is only for the benefit of this audience and I will take no credit....I cannot....I have no power to cure anybody. What I do know is that when you pray with a sincere heart that miracles do happen and if they don't I must be mature enough to accept that this too is God's will. May God bless you!

So you have a collection of data points, each time you've prayed for something, and you're saying that a significant portion of those data points are "misses", as in you did not get the result you were hoping for, but some other points (like this one involving your friend's brother) were "hits", as in you got the result you were hoping for.

What you're doing is textbook sharpshooter. You're counting the "hits" as evidence for God's will without providing a reason for the misses. All those times you prayed and nothing happened, why did nothing happen?

Is it because you didn't pray hard enough? Because you weren't sincere? Or was it because God already had a plan for the events, and you praying wouldn't change the plan he had for you (since God knows best)?

Did God intend to let the brother die originally, and only intervened at the behest of the people praying for him? What about the millions of other people that are genuinely and sincerely praying for their loved ones that will die anyway? How does God choose?

And, if God does have a plan for everything already, and we can't change it, then why bother praying?