Faced with the trauma of a young person dying of cancer, the congregation prayed their hearts out for the sake of the young person’s healing. But it was manipulative prayer. Prayer that treated God as if God were a vending machine. In goes the dollar. Out comes the candy bar. My friend could not believe in such a god. Such a god was not worthy of her worship. As her family and congregation prayed, my friend lost her childhood faith.


From John's explication of faith-based religion with examples from Habakkuk.

I had a similar experience, and all these years later I find myself worrying that some are setting up their children for the same experience. I do take some issue- if God had healed the youth, she would have continued to believe. It's not like it's necessary to have very much faith in a vending machine. There's even a sense of power that goes with feeling that you can move God to do something.

But sooner or later, as is the case in all relationships, you find out God will do something or will allow something to happen that you really don't like.