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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think we do a great disservice when we look at God as a magical wish-granting genie.  He isn't and never claimed to be.  Crisis and tragedy can bring us closer to God.  Prayer and meditation can provide clarity, calm, and perspective.  Positive healing thoughts can aid in recovery from illness and injury.

But God isn't in the business of granting wishes.  God just is.  And when we seek God, enlightenment, Spirit,  or whatever you want to call it, we become better, more loving, more compassionate people.  And I believe that is the highest purpose in life.[/quote]

But god grants wishes sometimes.  That's why people pray to god.  Sure some people pray for peace of mind -- which is a form of meditation -- like toga or long-distance running.  But many times people are praying for specific wishes to be granted -- an illness cured, for instance -- and if the illness is cured then people thank God and I've never heard any religious person discourage people from thinking god answered their prayer.

Plus, how do you know that "crisis and tragedy can bring us closer to god?"  Some people stop believing in god when it become evident that good and bad things happen without and without god.  If God just "is" then who needs him?  Maybe some people who like the idea of "something" being out there -- but that's no reason to encourage belief in others.

He "can" provide comfort to people who believe in him -- so can a teddy bear.[/quote]

The way I see it is that people can attribute hoped-for situations coming true to God, but God himself didn't say that's why they occured. So these people are thanking God for something that didn't directly come from God's intervention. That doesn't mean God is wrong, or a genie, or not listening, or doesn't ever intervene, that means people are mistaken when giving Him credit for everything that happens on a day-to-day basis. [my theory] The world is set up to have free will, consequences confusion.

But I wholeheartedly believe that we can grow within ourselves, closer to others and closer to God by searching for good or a deeper meaning or an opportunity in something terrible. Even a nonbeliever can see value in finding resilience in the face of tragedy, apart from a goal of growing closer to God.[/quote]

"Even" a non-believer can see that no gods are needed to find resilience and deeper meaning in the face of tragedy.

It also seems pretty clear that it's important for you to rationalize a role for God in human events, even though the role is very narrow and doesn't seem to bring anything beneficial to the situation[/quote]

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