You're the only person you have to live with the rest of your life
Of course God answers prayers. God has a plan, but both Moses and Abraham taught us that God was willing to negotiate. When God wanted to smite Sodom and Gomorrah Abraham begged God to take the innocent lives into account. Abraham repeatedly questioned God's willingness to kill an entire city and forsake good people. God eventually agreed that if there were 10 righteous people that Gomorrah would be spared. Spoiler... there weren't.
After we finished reading and watching a video about them, I asked the children in my class how they felt about what these people did. I asked them if they thought that people have the right to be able to tell their King or government no and do what they believe. I wasn't sure how they would answer.
I remember it became very popular for people to say, "You don't have to be religious to be moral" and I agreed. I was particularly religious. I had gone to church a handful of times since my parents had split when I was a baby. I didn't follow any doctrine or worship at any specific alter. I just knew what was right and what was wrong. I knew it was wrong to lie, cheat, steal, kill.. I knew it was wrong to be disrespectful to my dad or my grams. I knew that it wouldn't do me any good to be envious of those with more or to be spiteful to those with less. I knew the Golden Rule was Golden not because some God told me so, but because it made sense and it felt right.
The reason why I find this information so incredibly interesting and incredibly infuriating is that it's true, and most people choose not to believe it. When people come to me for help they want there to be an outside influence that can change their life. They want their problems to be someone or something else's fault. When I explain to them that their life is an accumulation of their life choices and that to change it they just have to change the way they look at life and start making better choices people actually get mad at me.
With Valentine's Day right around the corner it's time to really think about love.. and not just the romantic kind. People who claim to be Christian seem to forget Jesus's biggest message was to love everyone the same
This world is full of billions of people and billions of different beliefs. What I believe about God and the Universe really helps me through my life... but you don't have to believe the same.. and that's ok.
I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
The interesting thing that I see about this argument is how no one can be bothered to talk to one another. In real life we have certain groups against illegals or Muslims because they have heard that some have hurt innocent people.. They feel that anyone that even looks like they could fit in these categories should be punished immediately, yet they are the same people who scoff and ridicule at the thought that guns should be outlawed because they are used more often than not to kill and maim innocents everyday.
So, if this is somehow a simulated reality in which a creator, in which ever form you choose decided to design a universe for their own entertainment purposes the first thing this creator would do is give the "people" something to fight about. Make them look different. Make them speak differently, so it's more complicated to communicate. Make them all believe that they were chosen by the ultimate creator to be the chosen group.
If you want to know who someone is don't judge them based on who you think they are based on what you believe someone "like them" would, should, or could be. Talk to them... ask them what they believe, who they are, and what they feel. You'll probably be surprised how much you have in common.