Do not underestimate the gravitational force of human desires. It is said that desires make slaves of kings. Christian doctrine may have undergone countless revisions and splintered into many denominations, yet there is one force that unites all followers: desire. You may call them fanatics, but if their prayers are answered and their desires fulfilled, who is to say their faith is misplaced? Desire, after all, may be the quiet architect of belief.
A belief system built on visible security and personal gain is neither a Christian invention nor uniquely Christian. It is a method as old as human nature - much like the way zookeepers condition animals to obey their keepers.
If faith is anchored primarily in answered prayers - so long as the desired results continue without interruption - then, for those who hold it, it becomes a theology that “works.” And as long as it appears to work and desires are continually being met, it is nearly impossible to dislodge. Why do you think Loyang Tua Pek Kong is rarely short of donations? Many devotees believe the temple is very 靈驗 (spiritually efficacious) - especially regarding health, business, safety and prosperity. When people feel their prayers have been answered, gratitude offerings follow naturally without any need to enforce tithes. In many religious traditions, perceived efficacy sustains giving. I repeat: it's not a Christian invention!
Therefore, do not waste your time arguing with zealots about what constitutes correct theology, nor begrudge them their good fortune. For them, the theology that proves efficacious is the correct theology - and from their vantage point, that conclusion feels justified.
Scripture affirms that nothing surpasses God’s sovereignty. As Romans 9:18 (NIV) states: “Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.” Even the grace of God must submit to His sovereignty. Yet for believers whose faith rests primarily on answered prayers, something can come to seem greater than God’s will - namely, human desire itself.