Korean Job Discussion Forums

kermo · Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 7:05 pm Post subject:

I'm not sure that lottery and Super Bowl wins are always blessings, but people have some weird notions of what would be "good" for them.

Having said that, my friend is dying right now, and it's a frightening, denerative disease where the last thing to go will be her mind. She is leaving behind two daughters, a husband, a sister, parents and a life unfinished. This, to me, seems "bad."

People are praying for her, but she may not get well. Would she get better if more people prayed for her? Interesting question. Has God answered prayers for strength for the family, for comfort of my friend as she fades away? I'd say so.

God's response to prayers tend to be misunderstood, i.e.,
a) He's gonna do what He's gonna do. Prayer changes us, and it doesn't change God.
b) God is like Santa Claus. Write a wish list, be a good boy or girl, and blessings will arrive.

I think the answer is somewhere in between. I have quoted Renee Descartes many many times as saying "God gives us the dignity of causality." We ask, sometimes He says yes. If He said yes all the time, we'd think of Him as a divine vending machine. If He said no all the time, we'd assume He doesn't care.

These are heavy, heavy theological issues that I'm probably not qualified to speak to, but there's a starting point, anyway.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Look if there is a god, he's not going to be, in the minds of your TV evangelist types and those who follow such types, a cosmic santa. Say your prayers and god will surely answer. My idea of god is a god who creates the universe using big bang and evolution and does it in such as a way as he is undetectable. He offers no miracle lottery wins, he doesn't really care who wins the super bowl or an oscar. He gave you an immune system. It would seem to me if we didn't have an immune system it would be something worth praying for. Behold. We got it.

Anyway, all this experiment ultimately does is offer no support for the claim god surely and necessarily answers earnest prayers.

kermo · Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:26 pm Post subject:

Don Gately · Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:35 am Post subject:

As a person with family members suffering from parkinson's and alzheimer's I have to say this is a much better use of time, money and resources than stem-cell research.

Much better.

Troll_Bait · Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 5:27 am Post subject:

shortskirt_longjacket · Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 6:03 am Post subject:

oops, double post.

shortskirt_longjacket · Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 6:04 am Post subject:

Troll_Bait:

What does your post have to do with the topic at hand?

In regards to the study: I read in the newspaper that the study cost 2.4 million dollars. What a waste of money! Sounds like religious people don't necessarily like this study, and neither do non-religious people. Plus, we didn't learn anything that we didn't already know.

Seriously, if I were a patient recovering from heart surgery and some dude came in and said, "You've been selected to receive (or not receive, or maybe receive) prayer as you recover" I would say "Get the *beep* out of my room! I've just had open heart surgery, for crying out loud. Your study is pathetic and immaterial and I don't have time for it, seeing as I'm FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE RIGHT NOW!"

What an insult that would be. (Not being prayed for, being part of a study such as this)

SirFink · Joined: 05 Mar 2006

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

shortskirt_longjacket · Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:38 pm Post subject:

kermo · Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 12:17 am Post subject:

The institute that funded this project was not a medical one-- no chance it might have been diverted from a therapeutic research one. You should look up the institute-- it's an interesting website (I linked to it in an earlier post.)

Troll_Bait · Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:13 am Post subject: