Why did priests pray all night about the Chicago FB attack?

That right, oppose all that is good and reinforce negativity. If we depended on people like you to save the world it would be in a lot more trouble than it is. Positive people make the difference. They are what makes the world a better place so blame them for every injustice they try to correct. How many lives did you save today? What makes you an authority on human suffering? Some people may place their faith on unreliable things but I dont know and will not judge. When I see something positive being done I help out, I dont criticize. Get with the program or get out of the way. You are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Hi Bazza.

The underlying reason for prayer is because of a belief that one has a relationship with God, Bazza. The character (real or perceived) of that relationship determines the shape of prayers and the expectations from those prayers. In the case of the priests, I can guess why they prayed in that situation, but their relationship with God (again, real or perceived) is their own, so the only way to know would be to ask them.

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I realize that this is a pretty unsatisfying answer, and I regret this. As a consolation, I can give you several reasons for prayer, based upon perceived relationships with God.

Relationship #1 - the parent of a grown child. You believe God cares about you, but he lets you do your thing and doesn't really get involved. In this case, prayer tends to be therapeutic. You pour your heart out to Him because he is willing to listen, and he will offer advice/be an ear but that's about it.

Relationship #2 - The antagonist. You believe God cares about you and what you do but not in a positive way. Your conversations with him take the shape of a confrontation, and you resent him when you are silent.

Relationship #3 - The doting grandparent. You believe that God is there predominantly to make you feel better and to shower you with affection, without the nasty punishment business that you sometimes get from your parents. Your prayers tend to be selfish - a lot of requests - and when you are happy you thank Him and when things aren't right you are a bit upset because God hasn't performed up to your expectations.

Relationship #4 - The Judge on the bench. You believe that God is good but that your messes are your fault; and you believe that you are heading for a bad end and that God will justly send you there. Your conversations with him are often cries for mercy. Sometimes you think He is merciful and you feel better, and sometimes you think He is unwilling to forgive and you despair.

Relationship #5 - The good parent of a child at home. You believe he cares about you in a good way, so you tell him your inmost thoughts. You believe that he does punish but that he is merciful, so you confess misdeeds. You believe that he has your best interests at heart and loves to see you happy, but that he is also bigger than you, so you ask for things and are grateful when you receive them, but if you don't get what you want you console yourself that He knows better than you and has the bigger picture in mind.

Assuming you believe there is a God, then you should believe there is also a Devil. God can only give us a life to live and sometimes man allows the Devil to take over. I suppose with faith, it doesn't hurt to pray. Mst would say God doesn't punish.

You don't seem to understand the reason we pray. Your absurdly false notions of God's nature are a caricature of the real God. No wonder you find it difficult to believe a lie.

It's interesting to note, that after terrible events like this, many people ask why God didn't stop it, yet no one ever asks, why Satan did it.