If god does not interfere with free will....?

Question

How could he possibly answer anyone's prayers? ( thanks Zilla )

Answer 1

and why does he grant some people their wishes, but others are made to suffer.

Answer 2

God is omniscient and omnipotent. His plan is always in effect.

People pray to God to try to understand His plan and hope it will address their specific prayer.

People praying to God do not expect Him to answer every prayer.  

Answer 3

whoah woah whoah. Freewill is not doing what you want, it is wanting what you want.

But I'm a hard determinist, so no freewill here.

Answer 4

because your free will is different than a specific request for a prayer. you choose a request to ask od for.

g

Answer 5

I'm sorry but I don't see how one has to do with the other.Free will is a choice that a person makes totally on their own,how does God answering a prayer interfere with free will?

Answer 6

Well, God does not answer all prayers.

As a Christian I only pray to God to help me though the bad times, that is all any person should pray for.

You have the free will to be good or bad, and the results will be your reward, either good or bad.

Answer 7

I dont believe in god but in theory, if I pray for a new bike and get one, that does not affect my free will.  

Answer 8

If you pray to God, and he does it, you say "Praise God!" and dance around like an idiot for a while. If he doesn't answer it, you say "God's Will be done." Well if it's his Will one way or another, WHY IN THE h**l PRAY IN THE FIRST PLACE?!

Answer 9

Silence is the lambs as they are lead to the slaughter. Moses has spoken.

Answer 10

Your question doesn't make sense. He answers anyone's prayer who will pray to Him. That has nothing to so with free will.

Answer 11

If you have a child and that child asks you for a particular birthday present and you give that present to that child, did you interfere with that child's free will? If a friend needs a ride to work, asks you to take them and you agree, did you interfere with that person's free will? If you want to pick apart the typical Christian view and show it to be farcical, you need to do better. I just may come up with a question to show you how as an example. I have some major problems with many things Christians teach also, and this is no reflection on you, but I seem to look deeper than most. I will give you this much, I do not remember you asking something as inane as "Could God make a taco so big He could not eat it?" Questions such as those, if I deign to answer at all, get a very derisive answer that probably goes over the head of the asker.

Answer 12

Every christian will say he is god. He can do what ever he pleases.

Answer 13

Don't thank me too soon, (((Donna)))! I just asked kinda the same thing lol :)

Answer 14

Donna:

It it all part of the Great Deception.

The idea of prayer and 'free will' having anything to do with an Ominipotent and Omniscient God who ALLEGEDLY knew, from the moment of his ALLEGED creation, just HOW that creation would turn out, is ludicrous.

There is NO FREE WILL when a choice is conditioned on reward or punishment. It is as totally ridiculous as your REAL father offering you the FREE choice of a new bicycle or a new Bible, but with the proviso that if you freely choose the bicycle, he will break every bone in your body so that you will never be able to ride that bicycle..but if you choose the shiny new bible he will give you a double scoop of cherry vanilla ice cream!  It is a perfect example of false morality induced by the promise of reward...the keystone of the foundation of Christianity.

The idea of any god answering ANY prayer....especially since NO GOD HAS EVER MANAGED TO REGROW A MISSING LIMB, is an equally improbable notion.  It posits an arbitrary god who, according to our Christian brothers and sisters DOES NOT EVEN LISTEN TO THE PRAYERS OF SINNERS!!!!! (Or the prayers of paraplegics, obviously).  That is like a doctor who ONLY attends those who are not ill.  And it offers a god who is powerless to save 8,000 people from a tsunami, but goes out of his way to SAVE ONE person trapped under a fallen roof!

It also makes acceptance of the Christian god dependent on a Nudge from the, ALLEGED, Holy Spirit.  The vicious (and improbable) circle. Salvation is a gift, but only if it is asked for????  Faith is a gift from god, but ONLY for those Christians who buy into the myth of a dying and resurrected Saviour????   I THINK NOT!

Edit:

minister:

And it was also CALVIN who ordered the death of Michael Servitus.  Nice choice:   an intolerant bigot who understood 'free will".  The Christian god must have REALLY been pleased with HIM!

Answer 15

Because he answers prayers. Prayer is a way to connect with him. I know to you it sounds like buddism or whatever, but we all have our beliefs. most christians do not bother you and your beliefs, so why do you so choose to try to get us to be like you.

our faith is so strong, questions like this will not make us forget our faith. or lose it.

we are still waiting for you to come to us.

we have open arms.

<3

gb

Answer 16

Hmmm...wasn't it John Calvin who once advised against people discussing "free will" because of their poor understanding of it?

Answer 17

If I pray for healing or wisdom how is that interfering with free will? I'm sorry but that just makes no sense.

God does answer prayers. But we sinful prayers won't be answered. We can pray for God to be patient and merciful to trolls but God won't force the troll to repent.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

1Ti 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

Answer 18

I don't think God answers prayers.  I think prayers are a way to make us humans feel better about the outcome of life.  I don't know that there is anything in the bible that says that he answers them.  I know it reads "ask and thou shall receive" but I don't know that that means he'll give you anything that you ask for.  Why else would young innocent children die of dibilitating diseases while criminals who pray on the innocent have a life as long as any other????  I am a christian but I don't think that we get anything and everything we ask for.

Answer 19

Don't you love it when you ask a great question, Christians either accuse you of trolling or say something that has absolutely nothing to do with the question?  That usually mean the cat has their tongue.  Keep up the good work!

@Josie: It has everything to do with the other.

Answer 20

Matrixma.. I'm Christian and that's not my answer.

I would give Bible, but under this question,  it will only bring arrays of ridicule and scathing remarks from the users answering this one.

I pray you all find the answers you seek.

Answer 21

FREE WILL IS ONE OF COPING MECHANISMS.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 22

An answer to prayer, or a prompting from Diety can no way be construed to mean our agency has been taken.  We each have the agency to make our own choices.  Some people approach Diety in prayer in an effort to get divine prompting to help them make quality choices.  There is no inconsistency in that.

Hey Zilla, I have to ask ... Why are you blocking me from answering any of your questions?

Answer 23

The concept of god is just one massive contradiction.

Answer 24

what does communication with God and free will have to do with anything. l can talk to you but never interfer with what you are doing.  

Answer 25

He gives me the strength I need to behave as He would.

If my will is in accordance with His, all is well and my prayers are answered.

Answer 26

I don't really see how they clash, it's a personal choice to pray for something, that's free will.

Free will is not determining what does or does not happen to you, but rather the decisions you make.  

Answer 27

Great question, Donna.  Just another piece of the pie that doesn't add up.

Here's the other one about free will I've been pondering.  Do we supposedly still have it in heaven?  If so, how is it different than life now?  If not, then what a messed up eternity! Count me out.

Answer 28

Bloody good question. For is prayer not asking for the altering of a state, be it emotional or physical? People either pray to feel better emotionally, or for recovery from disease, or to make someone else better for example. That is interference.

So if "god" answers prayers he must interfere surely?

Answer 29

why didn't I think of that?

star for you!

Answer 30

Jehovah God will always do what's best for any of His

servants who come to Him in prayer, according to His

will. Are you talking about Jehovah helping you with

a desision? Why would't he? It is to you benifit and His.

Or are you talking about Him forceing someone to do

something? It just depends on what is best all around.

Just remember that, when He answers your prayers, it

might not be as you expect. But it will be the best way

possible.