Another thing I find odd is prayer. One prays for various things, and God either does or doesn't come up to the mark. One child might be cured, but He doesn't do much for the one in the next hospital bed.

It seems very arbitrary to me. Thousands go off to Lourdes, but most come back no better at all. Maybe they receive strength to bear their diseases, but could they not have obtained that by staying at home?

The very religious would say that God knows better than us what He's doing (God's will and all that) but that merely gives Him a free pass to cover His actions/non-actions. It's the religious equivalent of a 'tut' and a huge shrug of the shoulders!