Why are Amputees and Children with Down Syndrome prayers never answered? (soul, Holy Spirit)
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Well, as I have said in the past, it does require faith, and that kind of miracle is so huge, it's hard for us as humans to get "our minds around it" and operate in that level of faith. And I don't know why God likes faith so much, but the entire Bible especially the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus indicate that He does. Also, since God seems to want to operate in the arena of faith and "free will," maybe performing miracles at that level are too much like parting the sky and "blowing us away with His glory." In other words, it makes His presence TOO obvious for us to continue to "choose Him freely."
(If He just bowls us over with His presence and power, there isn't any real choice left except to acknowledge Him. This blows faith and free will out of the water.)
No, I understand that you have a certain amount of faith to believe in God. I'm not criticizing that, what I'm criticizing is exactly what you said.
I quote:
"Also, since God seems to want to operate in the arena of faith and "free will", maybe performing miracles at that level are too much like parting the sky and "blowing us away with his glory." In other words, it makes His presence TOO obvious for us to continue to "choose him freely."
So, then why attribute the "miraculous" curing of cancer to God? How can god blow us away with his presence by curing cancer patients yet do nothing about amputees? Does he only cure the people who are sick with illnesses that are internal? In other words, any external injury that heals cannot be attributed to god because that would show his ultimate power, yet if it is inside the body, and you cannot see it without x-rays and MRI's, perhaps god has some wiggle room to sneak in a miracle in between MRI's? No, I think we know better than that. It just drives me insane to listen to people who think that god answers all their prayers, especially in time of sickness.
Well, as I have said in the past, it does require faith, and that kind of miracle is so huge, it's hard for us as humans to get "our minds around it" and operate in that level of faith. And I don't know why God likes faith so much, but the entire Bible especially the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus indicate that He does. Also, since God seems to want to operate in the arena of faith and "free will," maybe performing miracles at that level are too much like parting the sky and "blowing us away with His glory." In other words, it makes His presence TOO obvious for us to continue to "choose Him freely."
(If He just bowls us over with His presence and power, there isn't any real choice left except to acknowledge Him. This blows faith and free will out of the water.)
So we're different from the people in the Bible the he spoke audibly to? Ya know, Adam & Eve, Cain & Able, etc. In the bible there are records of visible, palpable miracles. Why doesn't He do that stuff anymore?
So we're different from the people in the Bible the he spoke audibly to? Ya know, Adam & Eve, Cain & Able, etc. In the bible there are records of visible, palpable miracles. Why doesn't He do that stuff anymore?
I don't know the answer to that. It's obvious that He didn't speak to everyone in Bible times, only a select few. And some miracles in the Bible are recorded precisely because they WERE unusual and didn't normally happen. I know some people today that say that they have heard the audible voice of God (and yes, people outside of mental institutions!) but the skeptical would likely not believe them. When the Bible records that God spoke from heaven over Jesus, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased," the Bible records that some present simply thought it was thunder.
Two things that are problematic with the assertion you made kaykay that GCSTroop and victosrytampa object to:
1) On one hand god can't do anything that is unexplainable because that would be evidence of him and evidence of him would interfere with free will
2) On the other hand, people present what they call "miracles" or examples of his curing precisely because there's no other explanation for them occurring.
Two things that are problematic with the assertion you made kaykay that GCSTroop and victosrytampa object to:
1) On one hand god can't do anything that is unexplainable because that would be evidence of him and evidence of him would interfere with free will
2) On the other hand, people present what they call "miracles" or examples of his curing precisely because there's no other explanation for them occurring.
1) God does do things that are unexplainable and which gives "evidence" of His presence. I simply mean that if He were to start doing stupendous miracles and throwing them around like candy, to the extent that we had no choice but to believe, it obliterates the need for faith.
2) Okay, you can say there are alternate explanations for "miracles" and perhaps there are. But when it happens in response to believing prayer, I would vote for the prayer "link" myself.
So god does do things that are unexplainable, but he doesn't want to do it too often and certainly not something that couldn't happen naturally or by man like replacing a lost body part or curing an incurable disease because that would be too obvious.
Also, if you pray for something and it happens it must be god's work regardless of how many other things you've prayed for and they didn't happen.
So god does do things that are unexplainable, but he doesn't want to do it too often and certainly not something that couldn't happen naturally or by man like replacing a lost body part or curing an incurable disease because that would be too obvious.
Also, if you pray for something and it happens it must be god's work regardless of how many other things you've prayed for and they didn't happen.
I know I sound like a broken record on this, but ...God likes faith. Again, I don't think most of us are operating at the level of faith to pray for a miracle such as seeing an amputated limb restored. Obviously, just my opinion but that's how I see it.
I know I sound like a broken record on this, but ...God likes faith.
If we are created in God's image, and Jesus/God is the Logos (from John 1, translated as "Word," roughly meaning "logic"), then I would conclude that God likes reason, not faith. Indeed, if God likes faith, why did he create us as reasoning beings?
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) but the skeptical would likely not believe them. When the Bible records that God spoke from heaven over Jesus, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased," the Bible records that some present simply thought it was thunder.
