Example of answered prayer in my life not due to coincidence
Posted: 28 May 2010, 00:24Since my deconversion from Christian Fundamentalism, I have changed my mind that the Bible is inerrant and that Jesus is the only way to God and that all other religions lead to hell and damnation.
My story here: http://www.debunkingskeptics.com/Christian_Story.htm
But I still know that there is some kind of "power" in Christianity and other religions, a real power that answers prayers and changes lives, that goes beyond coincidences and placebos. I've experienced it and seen it in the lives of others.
But of course, just because there is some real power behind Christianity, does not mean that all Christian doctrine is true and infallible and the only way. Power and miracles exists in other religions too, not just Christianity.
I've had prayers answered by very improbable coincidences for instance. When I became born again at 14 and was fanatically reading the Bible and listening to radio Bible teachers, I soon felt lonely and deprived that I had no church to go to. My parents were not Christians, and I didn't have that many friends that kept in touch. So one day I prayed about it, asked God to give me someChristian friends and a church to go to. After I prayed, I felt a yes answer in my heart. Then two days later, I got a call from a friend in 6th grade whom I hadn't seen in over a year. After a little conversation, I mentioned the Bible and he asked me if I was aChristian . He was surprised and didn't know that I was. Then he told me about his youth group and how fun it was and invited me to a hay ride with them.
The thing is, that old friend does not know why he all of a sudden decided to call me after a whole year of no contact. I asked him about it, and he said he just had an urge to call me, without knowing why. So, this does not seem like a coincidence at all, but an answered prayer, since it came two days after I prayed for it and felt a yes answer in my heart.
After that, for a year I had a church youth group to hang out with, which were the only friendly teens in my life. They were like an oasis from all the kids persecuting me with venom in high school, whom I was forced to endure everyday due to the system, which was a psychological nightmare, torture and hell.
The youth group was fun and just the thing I wanted. That lasted for a year before things went downhill at that church and in my life.
But anyway, that's an example of answered prayer.
A Bible professor once told me that he prayed to God once that whoever was destined to be his wife would utter a certain unusual phrase. Years later he met his future wife, and during dinner she uttered that exact phrase. Right then he knew that she was the one. And he was right. They become happily married.
There are many cases like that, some more incredible than these examples. What these cases tell me is that even though Christian doctrine may not be all true or infallible, there definitely is some kind of POWER behind it.
Atheists, and people like momopi, who are sure that there is no supernatural world, cannot explain such cases except to say that they must be coincidence, in order to make sense in their paradigm. But I don't buy that. That's simply a copout to say that everything you can't explain must be coincidence.
Anyone else have similar stories?
My story here: http://www.debunkingskeptics.com/Christian_Story.htm
But I still know that there is some kind of "power" in Christianity and other religions, a real power that answers prayers and changes lives, that goes beyond coincidences and placebos. I've experienced it and seen it in the lives of others.
But of course, just because there is some real power behind Christianity, does not mean that all Christian doctrine is true and infallible and the only way. Power and miracles exists in other religions too, not just Christianity.
I've had prayers answered by very improbable coincidences for instance. When I became born again at 14 and was fanatically reading the Bible and listening to radio Bible teachers, I soon felt lonely and deprived that I had no church to go to. My parents were not Christians, and I didn't have that many friends that kept in touch. So one day I prayed about it, asked God to give me someChristian friends and a church to go to. After I prayed, I felt a yes answer in my heart. Then two days later, I got a call from a friend in 6th grade whom I hadn't seen in over a year. After a little conversation, I mentioned the Bible and he asked me if I was aChristian . He was surprised and didn't know that I was. Then he told me about his youth group and how fun it was and invited me to a hay ride with them.
The thing is, that old friend does not know why he all of a sudden decided to call me after a whole year of no contact. I asked him about it, and he said he just had an urge to call me, without knowing why. So, this does not seem like a coincidence at all, but an answered prayer, since it came two days after I prayed for it and felt a yes answer in my heart.
After that, for a year I had a church youth group to hang out with, which were the only friendly teens in my life. They were like an oasis from all the kids persecuting me with venom in high school, whom I was forced to endure everyday due to the system, which was a psychological nightmare, torture and hell.
The youth group was fun and just the thing I wanted. That lasted for a year before things went downhill at that church and in my life.
But anyway, that's an example of answered prayer.
A Bible professor once told me that he prayed to God once that whoever was destined to be his wife would utter a certain unusual phrase. Years later he met his future wife, and during dinner she uttered that exact phrase. Right then he knew that she was the one. And he was right. They become happily married.
There are many cases like that, some more incredible than these examples. What these cases tell me is that even though Christian doctrine may not be all true or infallible, there definitely is some kind of POWER behind it.
Atheists, and people like momopi, who are sure that there is no supernatural world, cannot explain such cases except to say that they must be coincidence, in order to make sense in their paradigm. But I don't buy that. That's simply a copout to say that everything you can't explain must be coincidence.
Anyone else have similar stories?
