Why do people say it's God when prayers are answered and if it's not then it's a plan?

Delusion.

@dxs what a simple ,but great answer.

Because people don’t want to face the fact that shit just happens. They want to believe there’s some reason why. If it’s not part of some plan, if it’s not God’s will, then their 6 year-old boy suffered a grueling death from cancer for no reason. But their has to be a reason. Their child can’t have died for nothing, so it must be God’s plan. It has to be.

I can understand why people feel that way. I don’t agree, but I can understand it. The cold, impersonal randomness of the world can be hard to deal with, so I can see why many people turn to “God’s plan”.

rationalisation of reality contradicting one’s beliefs.

To make them feel better and to reinforce a belief in God. If God is in control we don’t have to beat ourselves up about a mistake we might feel we made and it can comfort us when we don’t understand why something happened.

People can reason anything. They do what they have to to reinforce their beliefs.

You’re looking for rational explanations and consistency in an area (prayer and religion) which is fundamentally irrational.

Religion is like modeling clay – people mold it into whatever shapes they like – and then smash it and remodel it the next day when they change their minds.

People’s innate propensity to be hypocritical, even unto themselves.

Things don’t always work the way you think they do. When I was a kid, I used to pray every day for a bicycle. Eventually, I learned that God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and prayed for forgiveness.

@Jaxk That’s funny!

@Jaxk
Exactly as Martin Luther taught.
” If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter, are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign. It suffices that through God’s glory we have recognized the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day. Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager sacrifice for our sins? Pray hard for you are quite a sinner.”

According to scientific studies, praying for another person makes no difference. Oddly, the study suggests that if the person is told about the prayers, it makes things worse. Praying works for the person doing the praying, for psychological reasons having nothing to do with religion.

Ya, I am glad this didn’t decay into a bunch of Christian bashing.
All blessings come from God. How could you see that if nothing bad happened?

“I’m going to give your 6 year-old cancer to show you how blessed you really are.”

@Darth_Algar
The truly devout will tell you that it is the 6 year old’s own fault:

Quote# 19388

[about a girl being born with mental disabilities]

This girl is like a leper so what she needs to do is try and find god

if she really believes she can be healed from this state, she will be healed from this state

Most afflictions like this are caused by sins committed while still inside the womb. If she can repent for what she does god will embrace her and make her as human as you or me but if she chooses not to she’ll always be like this

god tests every one of us [emphasis added]

theSAVED, Penny Arcade 342 Comments [1/14/2007 12:00:00 AM]

@ragingloli Give it a rest. I never hear Christians say anything of the sort about a 6 year old. They would just use the God has a plan line and that she will be in heaven.

It’s because of the impossibility of reconciling essential attributes assigned to the concept of God – omnipotence and omnibenevolence – with the existence of evil. After all, if God is all-powerful and infallibly good, why would there be evil in the world? Some people solve the paradox by denying that evil exists. Those such as you describe in your question are reframing evil as not really evil, but as a larger good that is part of God’s plan.

God isn’t all sweetness and light, for Heavens sake!

Nahum 1:2–8 (King James Version):
“2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.
5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt , and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.
7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.”

So, chances are, the baby’s parents fornicated and that pissed God off, and he killed their baby to show them who’s boss.

Interesting how few True Believers there are in major hurricanes (whirlwind and in the storm), droughts (ebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry), earthquake/avalanches (mountains quake at him), volcanic eruptions (the hills melt , and the earth is burned at his presence), and floods (an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place).

God created Adam.
God created Eve.
God got pissed off.

Sort of like you had two kids, and the second one pissed you off. You blame it on the first kid and they’re soon to be Flowers in the Attic.

Thanks, dad.

I can see by most of the answers that has gotten the most appeal, any real discussion on this subject is about equal to discussing ethics with an ant, there is no way to ever get any understanding through in any minute form.

Correct you are, @Hypocrisy_Central. As I type, I have zero GA.

Please document a pertinent dispute.

Or explain “answers that has gotten” or “there is no way to ever get any understanding through in any minute form.”

I’m not a theist, so I don’t believe in “god”, but I did hear a minister once give an excellent response to the question, “Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?”

He said, “God does answer all prayers. Sometimes the answer is ‘No.’”

The answer is not overly complicated.

This is what some people choose to believe.

It makes sense to them. It allows them to go through life a wee bit easier.

It doesn’t matter whether it makes sense or is reasonable to anyone else.

It works for the person who believes it.

That’s all that matters.

@Hypocrisy_Central

If you only post to basically say you’re not interested in discussing the topic the why bother posting at all? Or do you, in truth, want to discuss it, but want someone to ask you to discuss it before you will?

@CwOTUS GA. Most theists accept the giver of life can take it away. Faith is the belief in God’s plan for us.

@KNOWITALL

When anyone else takes back something they have given it’s considered bad form. Why does God get a pass?

@Darth_Algar If you only post to basically say you’re not interested in discussing the topic the why bother posting at all?
First off, this is Fluther, answering a question with a non-answer is one of the modus operandi of this place so much it should be a college class. Second I think it is a very good question, but trying to have a conversation on it when proplr believe it is folly would be about as productive as trying to explain why grass is green to someone who don’t believe in plants or think all grass is really Astro Turf.

@Hypocrisy_Central

Alrighty then…

Rock, meet Ahardplace.

@DARTH &T’s kind of like a parent saying ‘you’ll understand when you’re older’. We humble ourselves to God’s wisdom.

@KNOWITALL

That’s just a version of the “it’s not ours to question” evasion I was met with when I was a kid. Even back then I figured if something couldn’t be questioned it was because it can’t hold up to scrutiny, and if it can’t hold up to scrutiny then it isn’t worth a shit.

I think that’s perhaps a bit of misplaced anger, @Darth_Algar, better directed perhaps at someone who gave you bad religious advice in the past.

It’s not that you can’t question a god (which you might feel entitled to do if you have a fundamental belief that it’s not a lunatic idea on its face), but that you may never be able to comprehend the answer. I think that even people who may believe that their prayers are sometimes “answered” don’t look beyond “the answer” (meaning the specific outcome that they desired at the time) to look at the process that led to it, the likely (and unlikely) repercussions, or anything else beyond, “Oh, goodie! I got what I wanted!” One should not even technically think that they can “understand god’s will” in comprehending or believing that their prayer was “answered”.

For my part, I have come to realize that prayer involves more a preparation of oneself (or the desire that someone who needs the prayer may be prepared for his or her own self) “to accept what happens” with grace, forbearance and peace. And to be prepared that you won’t get exactly what you want, but you may be able to enjoy (for varying degrees of enjoyment) what you get.

Misplaced anger? Hardly. Nothing more than an honest statement of my views on the matter. And yeah, I do not, and never have, bought into that “we just can’t comprehend” line of thought. Then again, I don’t buy into the notion of a personal god who involves itself in worldly matters in the first place.

I Have questioned a lot & changed religions but the main tenet is faith. You either believe or not.