I think this case finally puts to rest the obscure theory of God. Case Closed! God, Hashem, Shiva, etc.. have been PWNED!!
What Max and IROC said although I will add that I think the biggest misconception about prayer is that it is a "cure-all" recipe. But it is not. In the Acts of the Apostles, both Peter and James were in prison and were to be executed the next day. People prayed for both of them to be delivered from those situations. Peter was (as God sent some angels to deliver him) but James was not. I don't need some study to tell me about what I personally believe in - I am going to keep praying when I feel called by God to do so.
I'm not sure how you can trick God... I've always thought prayer as a helping hand. Whether or not it backfires doesn't cloud the fact that you had good intentions. You could give a bum some money, but you certainly don't have a say on how he should use it. You have to do it because you want to.
Why do I get the feeling you are trying to trap me? What I posted probably wasn't a perfect explanation, but yeah it generally sums up what I agree with to be true. Here are some better ones: http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/4_noble_truths.html http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/wisdom_emptiness.html
