News Flash! Prayer doesn't work....Duh

[Cain]

From this article:


I wonder if Rev. Marek would have added such a disclaimer if their study had showed positive results for the prayed-for group.

Exactly. Had the results shown prayer had a (discernable) positive effect, then this would be front page news. The truth (probably the public's latent expectations) is more humdrum. And of course, let's not forget who paid for and conducted this study (i.e., people sympathetic to theism and the material effects of prayer).

 

[TruthSeeker]

I have the pdf of the study.

It will cost you one intercessory prayer and an email-address-containing PM

(we need a praying smiley!)

 

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

One of the principal investigators was Herbert Benson, Dr. Transcendental Meditation. I have to admit that I would have been suspicious if the results had been positive.

~~ Paul

 

[GregC]

An explanation as to why the group who knew they were being prayed for fared slightly worse could be that these patients and their relatives responded to the knowledge that they were in a prayer group by reducing the amount of additional praying they did for themselves/their loved ones (e.g: "I don't need to pray for Joe - he has loads of other folk praying for him.."). This might have effectively reduced the total prayer quantity in this group, making them fare less well.

My first thought on that was the possibility that those who knew they were being prayed for 'placed themselves in Gods hands.' Could it be that in someway they didn't do all they could to help themselves because God would be answering all those prayers?

 

[Avita]

My first thought on that was the possibility that those who knew they were being prayed for 'placed themselves in Gods hands.' Could it be that in someway they didn't do all they could to help themselves because God would be answering all those prayers?

I think that that's very likely, but I'm now wondering what possible actions can a heart patient take to ensure better recovery from surgery. Could a person who has faith that he/she is being prayed for start moving around before the body can really stand the strain? Or could the people in that group feel more comfortable about refusing necessary but painful procedures, in the trust that God will take care of the details? But then, people in the other groups might do the same things, out of a belief in their own strength, or financial necessity to leave the hospital early.

 

[GregC]

Based on the fact that the patients knew that there were prayers being said for them I think we could agree that they were at least awake and aware. I'm not in the medical profession, but every time I've been to the doctor for any ailment, surgery, etc. the doctor gave me things to do to aid in my recoveries. I can assume that even with heart patients there are things a patient can do. I remember when my second wifes mother had a heart attack, the respiratory techs would come in for 'breathing treatments.' I remember more than once the techs telling her when she was only being half-hearted about the treatments that she wasn't helping herself.

 

[kevin]

I think the placebo effect shows that mental state can very much affect the outcome of an experiment. Just struggling to stay alive may give a heart patient an edge without having to get out of bed.

I'm not advocating any type of "placebo effect" solution, just that placebo+good medicine might be better than good medicine+"it's in god's hands now"

 

[Chris Haynes]

My first thought on that was the possibility that those who knew they were being prayed for 'placed themselves in Gods hands.' Could it be that in someway they didn't do all they could to help themselves because God would be answering all those prayers?

I heard about this study from a talk radio show (http://www.710kiro.com/showdj.asp?DJID=31727 ), where the three sepearate groups were discussed. The notion I got was that only the group that knew they were being prayed for got worse. I assumed the reason was for the one you stated.

The reason I assumed that was because my step-mom is big on the Unity Church. They are a bit like Christian Scientists, but will actually use real medicine, though they seem to be big on the "Let go, Let God" mantra. My step-mom sent me a subscription to their weekly publication. I realized that it was silly when it had a testimonial about someone who fell and instead of crawling to the phone to dial "911" instead just prayed for help.

Aagh...

Later my step-mom called me to say that there was a Unity Church near me and wanted to know if I attended. I told her "NO"... I was not big on folks who do not have the gumption to get up and get stuff done for themselves, but assume some entity will do it for them.

Hence, my feeling that those who place their lives in the anonymous prayers may actually be not completely following post-treatment instructions and placing their own well being in jeopardy.

 

[c4ts]

I summon the Untrue Scotsman. The prayers didn't work because they were not TRUE Christians!