Being thankful when prayers are "answered" and hurricanes move away

[teach1st]

Last edited Sat Aug 31, 2019, 03:39 PM - Edit history (1)

(I'm pretty sure this is my first post in the religion group. I'm not trying to be too antagonistic, but I guess my questions could be viewed that way. I don't have a particular faith and, as far as I know, I don't pray.)

When Hurricane Dorian started trending east and moving away from Florida, I saw a lot of posts on Facebook about prayers being answered and reminding us that prayer works.

My questions:

* Does a higher power hear and act on prayers if they're heartfelt enough or if there are a sufficient number of similar prayers?
* If the prayers did indeed affect the path of the hurricane, and, subsequently, a different area gets hit by the hurricane that would not have been hit it if the path had not shifted via prayer, does that mean the newly affected area didn't pray enough or with sufficient faith and vigor?

[Cartoonist]

1. You only count the lives saved

And everyone who survives is proof of prayers and miracles.

As for the good people who get killed, well, god works in mysterious ways.

[Funtatlaguy]

2. If the world prayed away Trump, would he leave the earth.

[RKP5637]

3. Often people pray to move it onto the next person. Studies in medicine have shown

prayer is useless in praying to help a patient. Now, I think where it might be useful is if a person is quite ill and believe it works, their praying to heal themselves is likely IMO a psychological benefit. ... about prayers moving hurricanes around, to me, pure BS.

[Voltaire2]

11. Those same studies showed a slightly worse

outcome for patients who knew they were being prayed for.

Also if you can pray your disease away, why are the devout dying at the same rates as everyone else? Plus if your happy thoughts aren’t working do the gods hate you?

[RKP5637]

12. Yep, I think it's the latter. The gods hate prayers!!! n/t

[Igel]

16. Or perhaps if you think God'll handle it

you don't take the same care in dealing with it.

Seen that happen too many times to count.

[Iggo]

17. "It's god's will."

That's fundie for "Ain't my problem."

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. snake oil

[Big Blue Marble]

5. Read the "Power Of Eight"

This is a very interesting experiment in non-religious based intentions that may help
answer your questions. It is not about a "higher power." Combined intentions
often support desired outcomes. Not always, but despite the naysayers and the cynics,
intentions, often can make the difference. I have personally experienced this process
in action.

[teach1st]

6. I wouldn't argue with this

Hi, Big Blue Marble! Mind is powerful, and group mind can appear to do some magical stuff. I've seen this in my life.

My question is that if the group mind affects natural events so that unrelated minds have to go through crap (if the hurricane misses Florida because of intentions but devastates parts of North Carolina) is that cool?

[Big Blue Marble]

9. There are different ways to form intentions.

This intention would be that the hurricane loses strength and moves more out to sea.
where the impact is less damaging for all. It is also important to add that the outcome is
for the highest good of all.

As you are saying, with all intentions, there can be unintended outcomes. That is why
we accept that our intentions will not always be experienced in exactly the way we
want and as they say, "trust the process."

[Voltaire2]

18. Get back to me when you can move a grain of sand

resting on a piece of smooth paper with your intentions.

Meanwhile a cat 5 hurricane has about 20x10^13 watts of energy driving it.

[Voltaire2]

10. Oh sure of course this was a double blind randomized

study with verified reproducible results, right?

The attempts to actually conduct objective tests of intercessionary prayer using scientifically valid methodologies have been total failures.

[Pendrench]

7. Hi teach1st - A very interesting question (thank you for posting)

This is just my personal belief, but as someone who identifies as a Christian, I would not want to pray for my own safety if it meant putting others in danger.

Instead, I would pray for wisdom and guidance as to how I might provide comfort and practical assistance for those affected by such a disaster.

Thank you again for posting.

Wishing you well and peace.

Tim

[teach1st]

8. Hi, Pendrench!

I think that's a great answer.

[guillaumeb]

14. Well said, Tim. eom

[guillaumeb]

13. My view, and I am a Christian,

is that the Creator provided the initial spark, so to speak, and allowed everything to proceed.

And your question does not sound antagonistic at all. It is a good question.

[Iggo]

15. No and Moot.

[mia]

19. Is it prayer or thankfulness for whatever is

with concern and empathy or others?

[Dorian Gray]

20. I can't answer this bc I don't know....

though I think most people are watching what's been happening in the bahamas and are horrified.

I don't believe prayer actually affects the path of the hurricane. Nature is nature. Things happen randomly. Prayer, for me, is a more mediative. Having said that, if I were thanking God for protecting me in the path of a hurricane, I would also be doing everything possible to help those who weren't spared. Hopefully that's the case here. Floridians will band together to send aid to their neighbors.

It's something we should all start doing. World Central Kitchen is currently at The Atlanta, cooking thousands of meals to be send around the bahamas and help feed those who are affected. Other organizations will step up as soon as they are able. We should all be looking at these organizations and giving what we can.

[Permanut]

21. Great question for this group..

Reminds me of the reaction of the Bible thumpers after hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.

"Doctor" Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Charles Colson, Hal Lindsey and a host of others claimed that Katrina was "..sent by God as an omen or as a punishment for America's alleged sins." You know, with all that sinning going on in New Orleans.

Seems that God does send hurricanes to specific places, so maybe asking him to send it somewhere else works.


https://www.mediamatters.org/religious-conservatives-claim-katrina-was-gods-omen-punishment-united-states

[FiveGoodMen]

22. If I remember right, America's main sin was not being mean enough to gay people.

(according to them)