Paulo Coelho asked:


In Brida, a book of mine that will be published in various countries (from March onwards), the main male character, the Magus of Folk, has to pay a price for having used magic to conquer the woman he loved. Many times we see people praying to God asking for a certain person to approach them. Do you think that involving God and the spiritual realm in our romantic searches a fair thing to do?

12 Responses to “Do you think that involving God and the spiritual realm in our romantic searches a fair thing to do?”

1. gymfreak on August 6th, 2008 2:24 pm

   It would depend on if you and the other person believed and practiced a religion. If you were a Christian then yes, including God in every aspect of your life is an appropriate thing to do.

2. Miss Blue on August 9th, 2008 1:59 pm

   easy answer…… praying in my eyes, is pointless.

   I don’t believe in God, so don’t believe praying gets us anywhere. It gives people hope, but i dont think you need “god” to have hope. Life itself should give you hope.

   And even then apparently “god” gives us free will, so he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

   And using magic to violate someones free will is also wrong. (i learnt that from Alladin)

3. ck1 on August 12th, 2008 1:13 pm

   As a Christian, I believe that you should pray and involve the Lord in everything. However, you do NOT pray something where you are basically asking God to violate someone else’s free will. (He won’t do it, and you are asking for something that you shouldn’t be.) Therefore, it wouldn’t be right to pray that God make someone love you. It also wouldn’t be right (as in your story) to use magic to conquer the woman he loved – so it’s right that he has to pay a price for violating her free will!

4. lavengro60 on August 14th, 2008 3:48 am

   “All’s fair in love and war.” I’m sure you’ve heard it before. Whether it’s right or wrong doesn’t matter. The heart wants what the heart wants. We will beseech heaven, hell, God, Satan, bhudda, zoroaster, zues, appolo, or any major or minor deity to have that precious , beloved object of our affections.

5. aniski7 on August 14th, 2008 10:04 pm

   I don’t think so. I think the time would be better spent doing something on your own to win the person you love.

6. IJ Dee-Vo on August 16th, 2008 7:49 pm

   They say that all is fair in love and war, and in both it pays to be well armed with as many various means to win as possible.

7. wilma m on August 17th, 2008 9:27 pm

   Always. In my 60 years of life I experienced that putting God aside attracts unpleasant things because I have over confidence in myself due to education or status in life. Until lately, I returned to fold of God. Putting God first in your life you magnet pleasant things showered to you surprisingly. But it does not mean we make ourself inept. For faith without action is dead. Magus in your example did the right thing to approach love interest only his strategy is not of God’s principle.

8. Janny C on August 20th, 2008 1:14 am

   If its Fair I am not sure in but we do it anyway, It human nature.

9. inkgddss on August 21st, 2008 7:55 pm

   The only prayer to god should be for unselfish purposes. I neither believe in god or love between adults, with the exception of parent and child and even that is limited in some. They have no place one with the other, but my answer is guided by my personal belief and experience, I am very sure those that have a religious belief feel it with all their impassioned heart and feel it with a fervor that lovers must feel, so then the two have become one and the same at least to the avid believer. People are always asking god for something and to ask the divine for persuasion of love seems base and rather weak to me…

10. david c on August 23rd, 2008 2:39 am

    I think if you awoke one morning
    to find that were married to the
    anti-Christ, it would be very
    appropriate to ask God for help!

    Generally I don’t believe God gets
    too involved in the details.

11. John P on August 25th, 2008 6:17 pm

    Yes, from the view point of a religious person, If God made it happen it was meant to happen anyways. As an atheist there is nothing wrong with people doing whatever they feel necessary to cope with their situation.

12. Lomax on August 26th, 2008 12:16 am

    First of all, is this for real? I’ve just received a message in my inbox saying that Paulo Coelho has added me as a contact. Yeah, right.

    Except that on investigation I find this question, and I think it might just be genuine.

    To the question. Somebody once said that all is fair in love and war. Perhaps.

    All relationships begin with deception. When we meet someone we like our behaviour changes. We may become politer or more considerate than we usually are – we may show off in an attempt to impress the object of our desire. Whatever.

    Love, however, can only truly occur when we see through what is false and see the genuine substance underneath. A relationship that is not fundamentally genuine cannot last. I know this to my cost.

    God? I’m an atheist. Which is not to say that the “God” in our heads has no place in the great scheme of things. In much the same way that a placebo can cure genuine illnesses by convincing that patient that they are going to get well; it is probable that the fact that one has “prayed” and that some higher power is now on our side can be effective of itself.

    But what do I know? More to the point, why is Paulo Coelho asking MY opinions? I should be asking HIS.