To the Christian Community: If God doesn't interfere with free will, why do people pray to?

Praying is free will, but God healing doesn't mean it interfere's with free will. God wants us to pray and seek Him for things, but when we receive such things, what we do with it is our choice, and it is our choice to seek Him for such things. People pray to God that you will believe because it's your choice to believe in God or not, but they want you to believe in Him by your own choice. God wont make you believe, but He wants you to because He loves you.

This is a huge debate between different church denominations, whether we really have free will or if God controls everything and just makes it so that we make the decisions he wants us to. Lucifer rebelled to become Satan, and millions of angels followed him. (Isaiah 14). Did God Want this to happen? Obviously so, because he is the all-ruler and controller. But then he would be letting millions (by this time, billions) of souls leave Him. So why would He want this?

WE MAY ONLY KNOW IN HEAVEN. We live in a finite world that was created out of an infinite world (Heaven). Our minds are way too small. But, there's absolutely nothing wrong with praying to God to ask for change or something to happen - Even JESUS did this: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’” (Matthew 26:39). So even though He asked God for something, he let it up to God's will in saying "not as I will, but as you will." Romans 8:28: Through all things God works for the good of those who love Him.

So in my opinion, we do have free will but God is somehow in control of our free will. WE CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW THIS HAPPENS.

Have you never been led?

If you are being led, it is (usually) your choice whether or not to follow.

If you are not being led, then it is (obviously) easier to get lost.

2) if free will is absolutely true, and if the idea of Free Will is that God doesn't interfere in people's lives in order to give them absolute choice, wouldn't such forms of prayer be useless?

Clearly you misunderstand the concept of "free will". "Free will" does not mean "there is no external interference". "Free will" means only "you are free to make a choice - even if you are influenced my external stimuli".

Please see my answer here, which has many examples of when there is free will and when there is not:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=A0S00...

- Jim, http://www.bible-reviews.com/

If we pray God's will be done, we have still made the ultimate choice to conform to His will. When God intervenes then, it is not overruling our free will. No Christian will claim everything is free will however. It's more likely a combination of free will and predestination.

God is not the United Federation of Planets in Star Trek with the Prime Directive. True God will not interfere if he is not requested upon, but if we as christians request intervention then he will help.Jesus said "When you pray, pray like this.....

Our Father which art in heaven (Father in hebrew means Daddy, Dad), Hallowed be they name (God you are holy) Give us this day our daily bread (Bread can mean food or spiritual bread the word of God). And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others their trespasses against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil (God we ask for your guidance to keep us from harm). For thine is the kingdom the power and Glory (Sometimes lord you have a higher will and I put my faith into our will) God the father is well I am not saying I am God, but I am like God. I have a son of 12, would it fair to interferer with his life all the time, that would stifle his growth right. O.k...my son is old enough to go to the mall on his own, he has to bus it. So I provide for him (Bus fare, lunch money) I give him a Cell phone in case of emergency so that I can get the car and get to him. Would I not provide for him, how much more dose God want to provide for us!. As christians Jesus said we are to be the "salt and light of the earth" (a symbol that we are to preserve society and give knowledge to it, in the book of revelations it will be hell on earth. 1. The Church is gone, no salt or light. 2. The holy spirit refuses to work in man, mankind gets its wish to kick God out. But......here is the thing, mankind brings the evil upon themselves because they removed the only thing that can stop the evil. I think you have missed something as a christian I can ask God to interfere for the better (ironically it may mean my life for the greater good), but I will live a better life for it in the next life, or I can live selfishly and live in ignorance and in physical spiritual death.....the choice is mine to make. What would you do?. Try Cracking open a Bible first then read it, then study it then try to refute it first?

I now have a fatal lung disease. Nothing doctors can do to help me in any way. I have prayed to God for "WHY?" and Please let me live at least another 5-10 yrs. Why can't I pray for that? It doesn't interfere with my free will.

And to add to that, if god will answer prayer and interfere, then why doesn't he do it all the time and stop some of the atrocities of the world?

Reason? He doesn't exist.

Many people do not understand that praying is an act of free will.

you're confused ...

God has given man freewill to CHOOSE bet. God or satan.

having chosen .... mankind needs guidance .. where to go from here.

every country supplies a road map.

but in life, there is no life map ...

so christians need God to show us how and where we should go.

so God open / close doors and He leads us ...

nothing to be confused about ...

i use freewill to choose / reject God.

once i have CHOSEN God, i ALLOW God to enter into my life (you say interfere).

i ALLOW God to interfere ... bc i don't have a life map ...

it HELPS me. get it ..?

God doesn't intervene unless we ask him to. We willfully ask him to intervene. So prayer is still in accordance with free will.