I think, for me, the most difficult thing I dealt with as a Theist was that if there were a God, what purpose does he serve?

A lot of Theists like to say things like, "God lead me to do such-and-such." Or, "I think it's God's Will that I do such-and-such." Or, one of my favorites: "God used so-and-so to speak to me about such-and-such." What real role does God play in these situations?

With these kinds of statements, we essentially have to throw out Free Will.

With situations like these, along with what we learn about our Universe, there really isn't a need for a God to explain anything. He only explains things we don't understand. It seems to me that God is more like a placeholder (God of the Gaps) for future knowledge.

I don't think that a case could even be made for God interceding in human affairs. 

Sorry. You have to be registered to access this content.

have demonstrably shown that those prayed for actually fared worse than those who weren't prayed for.

So, my question is... what's the purpose of God beyond explaining (away) what we don't yet understand?