# Poll: Ever prayed really hard for God to reveal himself? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 17, 2014, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329 "2014-04-17T07:29:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/1 "2014-04-17T07:29:41Z")
Jesus says that if you seek you will find - I guess if you try hard enough… are there any non-believers here that has tried really really hard to find God through prayer? I’m a non-believer but haven’t tried very hard to find God. (for this poll just post your answer) ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/2 "2014-04-17T07:42:04Z")
Believer and no I have never prayed for god to reveal himself. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/3 "2014-04-17T07:57:39Z")
Why would I try to find something I don’t believe in? That makes no sense. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/4 "2014-04-17T08:00:30Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > Why would I try to find something I don’t believe in? That makes no sense. Many Christians believe that unbelievers go to hell - perhaps involving extreme suffering for an eternity. If that is true maybe seeking God to save your soul is a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/5 "2014-04-17T08:03:19Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > Many Christians believe that unbelievers go to hell - perhaps involving extreme suffering for an eternity. If that is true maybe seeking God to save your soul is a good idea. Why would I be concerned about something I don’t believe in? That makes no sense. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/6 "2014-04-17T08:06:30Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > Why would I be concerned about something I don’t believe in? That makes no sense. Have you ever found that something was true when you previously didn’t believe in it? ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/7 "2014-04-17T08:07:44Z")
Maybe it’s like the boy who cried wolf… he might have made it up lots of times but that doesn’t prove that his latest claim is a lie… ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/8 "2014-04-17T08:10:16Z")
BTW I hope unbelievers can be open about this - so far it seems there are two unbelievers that haven’t seriously seeked God through prayer. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/9 "2014-04-17T08:17:41Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > Have you ever found that something was true when you previously didn’t believe in it? I’m struggling to think of examples. It’s been more common that I thought something was true when it wasn’t - the Easter Bunny, Father Christmas, the Tooth Fairy…☹ ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/10 "2014-04-17T08:19:01Z")
Praying for a deity to become visible is like praying for madness. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/11 "2014-04-17T08:19:22Z")
I think I will pray hard for Santa Claus to reveal himself to me. It’s pretty tiring having to plan and purchase all the Christmas gifts myself. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/12 "2014-04-17T08:21:49Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Believer and no I have never prayed for god to reveal himself. Likewise. God doesn’t do personal appearances, and He won’t make an exception for me. The time of the Prophets is long past. Humanity has grown up, and God expects us to work things out on our own. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/13 "2014-04-17T08:27:36Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Likewise. God doesn’t do personal appearances, and He won’t make an exception for me. The time of the Prophets is long past. Humanity has grown up, and God expects us to work things out on our own. So you are also a believer? Or does “likewise” just mean you’ve never prayed to God to reveal himself? ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/14 "2014-04-17T08:33:48Z")
Perhaps in some faiths God is meant to be hidden… in Kabbalah perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/15 "2014-04-17T08:42:50Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > So you are also a believer? Or does “likewise” just mean you’ve never prayed to God to reveal himself? Both. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/16 "2014-04-17T08:46:03Z")
In the original post I said that I was asking non-believers… ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/17 "2014-04-17T08:47:30Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > In the original post I said that I was asking non-believers… Why would non-believers pray to God? ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/18 "2014-04-17T08:48:48Z")
I did when I was about 14. And I really, really tried, I swear!!! My extended family were heavily involved with a Pentecostal church of some dubious notoriety here in Melbourne, and during lengthy stays with my grandmother I was dragged along to services. At one point I fell head over heels in lurv with a Young Bloke whose family were also members of the church…but because of church strictures, if I was to be his beloved, I had to \*\*actually believe \*\*in God. So I tried praying for this God fella to reveal himself to me, so I could be a true believer and thus get to swing hands with the Young Bloke. Alas, my prayers fell on deaf ears! God didn’t appear in any way, shape or form, although I DID experience an episode of ‘speaking in tongues’. Most interesting phenomenon! Yeah, but anyways, I’m still an atheist. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/19 "2014-04-17T09:05:51Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Why would non-believers pray to God? Just in case hell is true. And to be saved you need to believe in God. Though hell might seem very unlikely, its high intensity and infinite duration makes it an important consideration. (I’m playing devil’s advocate). Though in some ways it isn’t logical for an atheist to pray, if you want their souls to be saved shouldn’t they do it anyway? I mean don’t you think it would be a shame if they suffered for an eternity for avoidable reasons? ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329/20 "2014-04-17T09:14:18Z")
kambuckta: I know of a small pentecostal church that believes that some other pentecostal churches have been infiltrated by “religious” demons. They believe there are “counterfeit” gifts - i.e. speaking in tongues isn’t necessarily a sign of being a real Christian. Here are some excerpts of their pastor’s preaching on hell: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tzynfCuJRBY/hqdefault.jpg "The Glory of the Punishment?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzynfCuJRBY) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ever-prayed-really-hard-for-god-to-reveal-himself/686329.md?page=2)