Friday, March 31, 2006
Prayer Doesn't Work
Full article here
I'm not sure extensive studies are needed on this. All one has to do is look at athletes facing each other. No matter how much both sides pray, there will be one loser and one winner. I've always found it silly when people point to something that went bad as proof that prayer doesn't work in the same way I find it silly when prayer is said to be responsible for a positive outcome.
Regardless of what some people think about the outcome of prayer, the outcome is not the point; it's what it does for the person praying that counts. Keeping up their sense of hope and preventing them from giving into despair, that is the power of prayer for believers. We don't need studies for that, or do we?
Praying for other people to recover from an illness is ineffective, according to the largest, best-designed study to examine the power of prayer to heal strangers at a distance... Several studies that claimed to show a benefit have been criticized as deeply flawed... The new $2.4 million study, funded primarily by the John Templeton Foundation, was designed to overcome some of those shortcomings... surprisingly, 59 percent of the patients who knew they were being prayed for experienced complications... Skeptics said the study should put to rest the notion that distant prayer has any effect... The findings are unlikely to change the minds of the faithful, several pastors said... "We welcome and appreciate the involvement of scientists researching faith," said Rob Brendle, associate pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs. "But this is just one study. We believe wholeheartedly that prayer changes things. So many of us have experienced that in our lives."
I'm not sure extensive studies are needed on this. All one has to do is look at athletes facing each other. No matter how much both sides pray, there will be one loser and one winner. I've always found it silly when people point to something that went bad as proof that prayer doesn't work in the same way I find it silly when prayer is said to be responsible for a positive outcome.
Regardless of what some people think about the outcome of prayer, the outcome is not the point; it's what it does for the person praying that counts. Keeping up their sense of hope and preventing them from giving into despair, that is the power of prayer for believers. We don't need studies for that, or do we?
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This study is a bunch of poo! First of all, you can't say to someone, "Ok, you are going to pray for John S. every night for 14 days for a quick healthy recovery, blah blah blah." Prayers come from the heart. If I pray for my father who is 3,000 miles away you better believe my heart and soul is in that prayer. God knows the motive of your heart, He knows if your spirit is really into the prayer and if it's sincere. Being told to pray and expecting these prayers to be sincere is just silly.
And for those that have complications anyways? That's the wonderful part of having faith in God and His plan. He knows what's best for us, He knows the trials we need to go through to make us a better person and to bring us close to Him. I always say, when I get a parking space close to the store--Praise God, He didn't want me to have to walk today. When I get one far away--Praise God, He wanted me to walk today. I'm still blessed either way and so I have faith He had the best planned for me. It's like when both teams prayed to win the football game--God knows who should win so that it works out for EVERYBODY. He has the big picture in mind, not just our own life.
Another question I have about this study is are the people who were being prayed for Christian? Do THEY believe in prayer? If they don't, why would they expect better results if they don't think prayer works.The study doesn't take into effect the patient's own mindset.
And for those that have complications anyways? That's the wonderful part of having faith in God and His plan. He knows what's best for us, He knows the trials we need to go through to make us a better person and to bring us close to Him. I always say, when I get a parking space close to the store--Praise God, He didn't want me to have to walk today. When I get one far away--Praise God, He wanted me to walk today. I'm still blessed either way and so I have faith He had the best planned for me. It's like when both teams prayed to win the football game--God knows who should win so that it works out for EVERYBODY. He has the big picture in mind, not just our own life.
Another question I have about this study is are the people who were being prayed for Christian? Do THEY believe in prayer? If they don't, why would they expect better results if they don't think prayer works.The study doesn't take into effect the patient's own mindset.
I think the start of this sillyness were the studies that tried to prove prayer helps. They opened the door for this study that was designed to overcome "shortcomings" (whatever that means) in the previous surveys.
But overall, I think these studies, pro or con, are silly to begin with.
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But overall, I think these studies, pro or con, are silly to begin with.
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