[_ Old Earth _] Can you survive 3 days inside a fish (ala Jonah)?

[Guest]

The only thing I can say is that some Christians think that just because they're Christian, God will answer their prayers. We have obviously seen Christian, Jewish and non-believers make it out of the trenches alive, we have also seen many of them perish in trenches, so the selection is not really "Christian, therefore survive" or "Pray to God, therefore survive."

I was not implying God only answers the prayers of Christians, or that he always answers ‘yes’ to those who pray. The issue is far more complex than that. Do you always give your children what they ask for? David prayed his sick child would live, but the baby died anyways. Hezekiah prayed he would not die and God gave him fifteen more years. It’s always a matter of his judgment, not ours.

I will concentrate on this part of your response, since we have come to an agreeable position on the others.

It is certainly known that not everybody's prayer is "answered", but I want to emphasize that it doesn't seem like God has a bias against non-Christians when it comes to deadly situations, unlike the suggestions of Christians. Often, Christianity would like us to believe that God is on "their side" when it comes to mortal events. This to me cannot be proven, nor should it be suggested, because it implies that one group of people (i.e. Christians) is better than others ("non-Christians"). This kind of mentality is self-destructive for everybody that employs it, it has been so throughout history, and it will be so until the day we're all gone.

 

[unred typo]

quote by doGon:
I will concentrate on this part of your response, since we have come to an agreeable position on the others.

It is certainly known that not everybody's prayer is "answered", but I want to emphasize that it doesn't seem like God has a bias against non-Christians when it comes to deadly situations, unlike the suggestions of Christians. Often, Christianity would like us to believe that God is on "their side" when it comes to mortal events. This to me cannot be proven, nor should it be suggested, because it implies that one group of people (i.e. Christians) is better than others ("non-Christians"). This kind of mentality is self-destructive for everybody that employs it, it has been so throughout history, and it will be so until the day we're all gone.

I think that any attempts to put God in our own private box are going to fail. I think my Dad’s favorite verse applies, Romans 8:28:

26Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27And he that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

This says basically that those who love God are called to his purposes and they are in a favored position, whether they get the desired answers to their prayers or not, God will work it out for their best interest in the end.

 

[Guest]

quote by doGon:
I will concentrate on this part of your response, since we have come to an agreeable position on the others.

It is certainly known that not everybody's prayer is "answered", but I want to emphasize that it doesn't seem like God has a bias against non-Christians when it comes to deadly situations, unlike the suggestions of Christians. Often, Christianity would like us to believe that God is on "their side" when it comes to mortal events. This to me cannot be proven, nor should it be suggested, because it implies that one group of people (i.e. Christians) is better than others ("non-Christians"). This kind of mentality is self-destructive for everybody that employs it, it has been so throughout history, and it will be so until the day we're all gone.

I think that any attempts to put God in our own private box are going to fail. I think my Dad’s favorite verse applies, Romans 8:28:

26Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27And he that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

This says basically that those who love God are called to his purposes and they are in a favored position, whether they get the desired answers to their prayers or not, God will work it out for their best interest in the end.

That makes sense... praying does not constitute an answer, that happens at God's discretion and it happens to people of all walks of life, not just Christians.