Whether it is wrong to pray that a book will end a certain way?

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Whether it is wrong to pray that a book will end a certain way? Please let us know your reasons, and if possible, which sins might you be committing in doing so.

Let us keep these assumptions in mind:
  1. You really pray, to God, that the book will end a certain way.
  2. God, if he so pleased, does have the power to achieve this miracle.
 
yellow8yellowM said:
Whether it is wrong to pray that a book will end a certain way? Please let us know your reasons, and if possible, which sins might you be committing in doing so.

Let us keep these assumptions in mind:
  1. You really pray, to God, that the book will end a certain way.
  2. God, if he so pleased, does have the power to achieve this miracle.
Click to expand...
I wouldn’t call that a miracle. I would call such a thing frivolous and testing God.
Frankly, its silly.
 
It is silly, as is, quite frankly, merely asking about it. This isn’t moral theology.
 
yellow8yellowM said:
Whether it is wrong to pray that a book will end a certain way? Please let us know your reasons, and if possible, which sins might you be committing in doing so.

Let us keep these assumptions in mind:
  1. You really pray, to God, that the book will end a certain way.
  2. God, if he so pleased, does have the power to achieve this miracle.
Click to expand...
:rolleyes:
 
Yes, silly. If anything is “predestined,” it’s how a book that’s already written, printed, and in your hand is going to end.
 
Asking isn’t sinful, but to change the book would be a violation of the author’s free will to write what they please.
 
yellow8yellowM said:
Whether it is wrong to pray that a book will end a certain way? Please let us know your reasons, and if possible, which sins might you be committing in doing so.

Let us keep these assumptions in mind:
  1. You really pray, to God, that the book will end a certain way.
  2. God, if he so pleased, does have the power to achieve this miracle.
Click to expand...
God can do anything, but he won’t do some things. The ending of the book has already been written, and it isn’t going to change just for you.

Prayer exists to further our personal relationship with Christ, and to ask for things that are necessary or helpful for ourselves and others. For example, we might pray for a healing or for more charity, etc.

To me, praying that a book that is already written ends a certain way is a misuse of prayer. Just hope, instead. 😉
 
It sounds to me that the poster is attempting to say that prayer is futile.
Won’t work here on CAF, where most everyone believes in the power of prayer, and rightly so.
Instead of trying to debunk something that has been around for millennia, why doesn’t the OP try prayer,In a reverent, and proper fashion instead of engaging in futile arguments that really don’t even make a point.
Debate is one thing, silly premises are quite another.
 
You can, but remember, the book is already printed, so…

Interesting idea though, non?

There was a movie about ten years back where a man discovered that a book detailed every moment of his life. He was desperate that the book should not end with him dead. Anybody see it?

ICXC NIKA
 
GEddie said:
There was a movie about ten years back where a man discovered that a book detailed every moment of his life. He was desperate that the book should not end with him dead. Anybody see it?
ICXC NIKA
Click to expand...
Many years ago there was a Twilight Zone episode starring Patty Duke with that premise - it was a diary that would be one day ahead. When the next day was blank Duke’s character thought she was going to die. Turned out she was “living” that same day over & over.

As for a dead-tree book in your hand - yes, the ending can change. Simply rip out the pages & write your own ending. Why would you expect God to do something for you that you can so easily do yourself? :rolleyes:
 
Why would you pray for a different ending to a book that has already been printed and published? You could pray if they make it into a movie they change the ending. That happened in Cujo by Stephen King.
Kind of a silly question if you ask me!
 
Not silly at all. Think of this way. God is eternal and outside of time. Every moment of eternity is ‘now’ for him. Our prayers enter His presence and are not bound by our perception of time.

The OPs question is a little like praying that someone who has died was in a state of grace at the moment of death (OK, maybe not as profound as that but same principle). The person is dead, his story is written, but our prayers are never wasted.

Peace
 
reagent6 said:
Not silly at all. Think of this way. God is eternal and outside of time. Every moment of eternity is ‘now’ for him. Our prayers enter His presence and are not bound by our perception of time.

The OPs question is a little like praying that someone who has died was in a state of grace at the moment of death (OK, maybe not as profound as that but same principle). The person is dead, his story is written, but our prayers are never wasted.

Peace
Click to expand...
It’s silly in that it’s a frivolous thing to pray for. If you don’t like the way the book is going, just stop reading it.

However, it’s not silly to pray for something that you think is already set in stone. As you pointed out, God is outside of time, so He knows your prayers even before you pray them. On the other hand, since we are not outside of time, it is probably a better use of your prayer time to ask God to help you accept things that don’t go exactly your way.
 
Why!? Just why?
I don’t get it if you are so wrapped up in a book in your hands that you are praying to your maker about it… Why not just read the last chapter now…
Then you will know what has already been written and you can pray for say… Anything else…
 
Its pointless to pray for this - story has already been written its going to end the way the author intended it to. I can say for sure God will not intervene and changed the ending so the reader will be happy. You can hope for it to end the way you want it to but praying for this is pointless.
 
Hoosier_Daddy said:
Why!? Just why?
I don’t get it if you are so wrapped up in a book in your hands that you are praying to your maker about it… Why not just read the last chapter now…
Then you will know what has already been written and you can pray for say… Anything else…
Click to expand...
Then again, in a world where people go into depressions over the “Avatar” world not being real, why should this be any sort of surprise?
 
hu324b said:
Its pointless to pray for this - story has already been written its going to end the way the author intended it to. I can say for sure God will not intervene and changed the ending so the reader will be happy. You can hope for it to end the way you want it to but praying for this is pointless.
Click to expand...
like I didn’t like the way Gone With the Wind ended. The book was written over 50 years ago and the author is dead. I could pray 24 hours a day for a year and God could not change the ending. Silly question.
 
yellow8yellowM said:
Whether it is wrong to pray that a book will end a certain way? Please let us know your reasons, and if possible, which sins might you be committing in doing so.

Let us keep these assumptions in mind:
  1. You really pray, to God, that the book will end a certain way.
  2. God, if he so pleased, does have the power to achieve this miracle.
Click to expand...
I wrote these assumptions to help narrow the argument. A few replies have dismissed this and not gone along with the assumptions for the sake of the argument.

I had not read St. Thomas’ article posted below “in reply” to assumption #2. I agree with St. Thomas and with some of your replies that God cannot undo the past, which would include changing the way a book would end. But for the purposes of this thread–especially given some of the replies–I think it would still be more fruitful to assume that God could achieve this miracle if he wanted.

newadvent.org/summa/1025.htm#article4

So far, nobody has mentioned what sin would be committed by praying in this way.
 
PolarGuy said:
It is silly, as is, quite frankly, merely asking about it. This isn’t moral theology.
Click to expand...
This question may, on the surface, seem silly, but questions like this can make a person really think. St. Thomas basically asked this same question in his Summa.
 
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