THE FUTILITY OF PRAYER

Do you remember, as a child, wanting something very badly? Maybe it was a new baseball glove, a trip to Disney World, or a dog your mother wouldn't allow. And how, after repeated attempts to secure your prize, you finally realized that it wasn't going to happen. Perhaps at that point a well-meaning but naive person suggested that you pray for it. You know, ask God for it. Excited by the prospect, you got down on your knees every night at bedtime and sent your request heavenward.
Alas, unless some kindhearted relative surreptitiously intervened, you were disappointed. What went wrong? Didn't God hear you or were you simply deemed unworthy of His attention?
Adult prayers often assume a more expedient, serious, or even crucial character. Do you remember a tragic accident which occurred in Sago, West Virginia a few years ago? A cave-in occurred in a coal mine and about a dozen men were trapped. Do you suppose those miners were praying for their lives? Do you think the families, friends, co-workers, and many of the people who saw the report on the news were appealing to their God in a most profound way to save the lives of the miners?
A few days later the men were found dead. They had survived long enough to write goodbyes to loved ones with whatever was available.
If God doesn't answer prayers that are that desperate and sincere then one must assume that: either He was not aware of the tragedy, or he was aware of it but was helpless to stop it, or he was aware of the event, had the power to stop it but chose not to. The only alternative is, there is no God.      PKV8PUWQWSUZ

cogito ergo atheos sum