God acts like Stalin.

[The Grand Nudger]

I guess that's one motivation. Mostly, though, I think alot of them just don't know any better.

[Kingpin]

What evidence do you have that he doesn't answer prayers?  Too many people think prayers are like wishes.  This is MY desire, God please fulfill it.  Maybe His answer is no.  Or "not right now".  

Prayer is turning to God for His will to be done and to provide comfort and guidance in our time of need.  It's also to go to Him in gladness, thankfulness for provision, etc.  Like a toddler that looks to their parent for everything.  

I would of course argue that God has done something to provide a Heavenly world.  That is in the work of the person of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection

Why God answers no to a young cancer patient and lets him die, even with a lots of prayers?

In our finite minds, we do not see the whole picture.  Take the story of Joseph in the Bible.  His brother hated him, beat him, trapped him and sold him in to slavery.  After many years during the famine, Josephs brothers and family were starving and because of Josephs rise to power and storing up the food he was able to save them.  What they intended for harm, God turned in to good.  

In terms of cancer in kids, there are tons of stories of survivors that didn't stand a chance.  Lots of "miracles".  The point is we are not in a place to judge as our view is VERY limited.

[The Grand Nudger]

Case in point. Kingpin says he doesn't know any better. He mistakenly believes that none of the rest of us can know better than him. Part of the appeal of moralizing gods seems to be as an antidote to a sort of desperation or intellectual exhaustion felt by a believer. God as the great settler, who...somehow... makes all of the apparent evil right and everyone whole..in the end.

[The Architect Of Fate]

In our finite minds, we do not see the whole picture.  Take the story of Joseph in the Bible.  His brother hated him, beat him, trapped him and sold him in to slavery.  After many years during the famine, Josephs brothers and family were starving and because of Josephs rise to power and storing up the food he was able to save them.  What they intended for harm, God turned in to good.  

In terms of cancer in kids, there are tons of stories of survivors that didn't stand a chance.  Lots of "miracles".  The point is we are not in a place to judge as our view is VERY limited.

Any morality that requires mysterious ways and points to the occasional claimed miracle to justify why children get cancer is dubious at best.

[The Grand Nudger]

I want to know how "mysterious ways" is different from "fuck, yeah... that...looks pretty bad,". It doesn't seem like any kind of rebuttal. More an acknowledgement of the fundamental validity of the concern.

[The Architect Of Fate]

What evidence do you have that he doesn't answer prayers?  Too many people think prayers are like wishes.  This is MY desire, God please fulfill it.  Maybe His answer is no.  Or "not right now".  

Prayer is turning to God for His will to be done and to provide comfort and guidance in our time of need.  It's also to go to Him in gladness, thankfulness for provision, etc.  Like a toddler that looks to their parent for everything.  

I would of course argue that God has done something to provide a Heavenly world.  That is in the work of the person of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection

If argue for the effectiveness of prayer by making it indistinguishable from the failure then you have an issue. If you need to make prayer indistinguishable from mere religious placebo you have an issue. And if you must argue that god has done something you could only verify after your dead...you have an issue.

[The Architect Of Fate]

Interesting, can I ask what you expect from God in light of what you see and are making judgments about?  What should He do?

How about not any of the truly awful shit he does in the bible. It,s like asking me. Interesting, can I ask what you expect from Hitler in light of what you see and are making judgements about?  What should He do? How about the evil Shit he did.

[Kingpin]

Interesting, can I ask what you expect from God in light of what you see and are making judgments about?  What should He do?

How about not any of the truly awful shit he does in the bible. It,s like asking me. Interesting, can I ask what you expect from Hitler in light of what you see and are making judgements about?  What should He do? How about the evil Shit he did.

What are some examples of what you define as awful acts He does in the Bible?

[The Grand Nudger]

You really can't think of any? Yikes.....

I have to ask, what would you need mysterious ways and you can't knows to excuse...if you couldn't....?

[Angrboda]

Act less like Stalin. In ideal world God would answer more prayers. But that would be some sort of heavenly world.

What evidence do you have that he doesn't answer prayers?  Too many people think prayers are like wishes.  This is MY desire, God please fulfill it.  Maybe His answer is no.  Or "not right now".  

Prayer is turning to God for His will to be done and to provide comfort and guidance in our time of need.  It's also to go to Him in gladness, thankfulness for provision, etc.  Like a toddler that looks to their parent for everything.  

I would of course argue that God has done something to provide a Heavenly world.  That is in the work of the person of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection

This is an example of what I would call the downsizing of faith. People didn't use to believe their god was this limited. Being a thoroughly modern Christian, you've downsized the original God to what will fit within your modern sensibilities about what can be rationally demonstrated. People in the past didn't think likewise. If their god was possessed of mythical proportions, so be it! You've trimmed God's clothing to fit a smaller god.