Time Magazine: "Prayer does NOT work"?

Question

OK, they did this experiment where the families of certain sick/ injured people prayed to their loved ones and others did not. They found that because the victims realised that their families members prayed for them, they guessed that they were probably not likely to survive. As a result, their sickness/ injury slightly worsened.


True experiment. My uncle had a heart murmur and I prayed my heart out to him and yet he died.

Answer 1

there have also been studies to the exact opposite so.... Pray does work - but it does not "work as we choose" it works as God chooses.

i actually prayed for a while that my grandmother would be allowed to die - she was in massive pain and it was horrible for her. I changed my prayers to - God please let your will be done and spare her however possible. she lived a while longer - enough time for someone to come forward and rectify a problem that had happened decades ago. the air was cleared and forgiveness and understanding was given - on behalf of my granny as she could not speak but could understand. she was told about the forgiveness and that the air was cleared and the person understood how wrong they were all these years.... she died less then 4 hour later -in her sleep.

Gods ways are not our ways. While your uncle died, your prayers were not unheard - they were just not what you were hoping. i have prayed that family members with cancer and other horrible debilitating diseases would be better- until i realized that sometimes death IS the better - no more pain, suffering. it sucks for me because i am no longer ableto be with the person i loved so much BUT.... as a Christian, i know that if i live with Christ every day -- we WILL be together again!!

i am truly sorry for your loss.

God bless.

Answer 2

Yea, prayer doesn't work! Yea, there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! Yea, that experimental drug your taking doesn't work! - WHAT is behind the mentality of so joyously announcing that 'something' doesn't work or exist, when that 'something' only gives hope, fulfillment, etc..to others? It takes nothing away from the non-believer.

"True experiment. My uncle had a heart murmur and I prayed my heart out to him and yet he died." -- Well, duh! it's not like prayer will work each n every time. Sure, then everyone would b a believer, rt making out their wish list n getting down on their knees.

Did u type the info out rt? How does it make sense that "victims" who thought their family prayed for them, thought they would NOT survive?

Answer 3

I understand what your saying. However, the Will of God is the Will of God.

Time Magazine and the Bible are not even closely related. Remember to test all earthly material with the Bible.

Prayer is privilege and an obligation of the Christian where we communicate with God. It is how we convey our confession (1 John 1:9), requests (1 Tim. 2:1-3), intercessions (James 5:15), thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6), etc., to our holy God. We are commanded to pray (1 Thess. 5:17).

Some personal requirements of prayer are a pure heart (Psalm 66:18), belief in Christ (John 14:13), and that the prayer be according to God's will (1 John 5:13). We can pray standing (Neh. 9:5), kneeling (Ezra 9:5), sitting (1 Chron. 17:16-27), bowing (Exodus 34:8), and with lifted hands (1 Tim. 2:8).

Answer 4

existence sucks each and every so often. is this the reason you're asking all the morbid questions this night? Being bummed is advantageous, yet emo? particularly? you're too old to get your panties in a wad over an easy screw-up after all the sunlight will nonetheless arise the following day. And the Bruins will nonetheless play, too. to respond to your question, "panic prayer" isn't something to experience responsible or ashamed approximately. that's a mark of your difficulty-unfastened humanity and that i've got faith it could be on the checklist you comprehend compliment, petition , and panic. Why no longer? all of us does it. Even athiests.

Answer 5

James 5:15-16
1 Peter 3:7-12

Answer 6

Time magazine is also liberal based, so it will be biased against some beliefs.
I have also found some motives in prayers are wrong, even though the intention is right. Not knowing how you prayed, I will not be critical in any way.
Colossians 1"9 and 1 James 5:14-15 are good verses to live by for prayer.

Answer 7

My mom had a heart attack on Nov 5, she died 14 times. I had my church praying for her, the people in the hospital was praying for her, and my daughters boyfriend had put it out to people in Missouri, and we live in MI. She is a walking miracle. God does answers prayers. HE still has plans for her life. I also seen people there that lost loved ones. I know for a fact prayer does work.

Answer 8

I've been talking about this. My mother, who dedicated her life to the church her entire life died a painful death from breast cancer. She had people all over the world praying for her. She wasn't good enough? The people who prayed for her weren't good enough? Someone else on here e-mailed me a story about people praying for a child in the cancer ward on Christmas eve who recovered. How do you think all the parents of the children who died on Christmas eve felt? When people tell these stories, I know they mean well, but it's painful for the rest of us.

Answer 9

Prayer is the only way to communicate to God in the spiritual life because we were made in his image. God is pure spirit. Prayer is extremely powerful but Gods will is not our will and sometimes the answer is no. He knows what is best at all times just trust in Him to the end and you will see. Do not put your faith in time magazines, Satan often uses the media to thwart belief. Hang in there and God bless.

Answer 10

The AMA (American Medical Association) also had an arcticle on this same subject and found that it did indeed work. They had people pray for unknown people in an unknown state and found positive results. When it comes to medicine I'm more likely to believe the AMA instead of Time Magazine.