Sadly, it is religion that causes many to doubt that there is a compassionate Hearer of prayer. Religion's involvement in war, terrorism, and the toleration of child abuse has led even prayerful people to say, "I don't believe in God."

Why is religion often an influence for bad?  Put simply:  Bad people have done bad things in the name of religion.  The Bible foretold that Christianity would be hijacked and used for evil ends.  The apostle Paul told Christian overseers at Acts 20:30 "From among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves."  As a result, there are many factions of false religion.

God is disgusted with false religion.  In fact, God's Word, the Bible, holds false religion responsible for "the blood...of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth." (Revelation 18:24)  Because false religion has failed to teach people about the true God, whose very essence is love, those religions are bloodguilty in God's eyes.

The Hearer of prayer feels for the victims of oppressive religion.  Soon, God's love for mankind will move him to judge all religious hypocrites by means of Jesus.  Jesus said at Matthew 7:22, 23 "Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?'...Yet then I will confess to them: I never knew you!  Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness."