prayer worsens illness?

Question

I keep hearing this all the time
" studies have shown that prayer worsens illness "
please someone explain to me how that is even possible ?

ok even taking God and miracles out of the equation
and thinking of it as possitive thoughts being sent
how can that be bad ?
even if you think that there is no magical and mystical stuff out there ... how can prayer make things worse
if anything ... nothing happens
but a negative ?
someone explain please ?

Bronze , acid
i do agree that other sources of help should be used also
but how many people do not go to doctors and hospitals these days

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjrYWTr6UdnGVE2RfVkbNa0gBgx.?qid=20070202150306AA7k6Q9&show=7#profile-info-DsMAJXs8aa

as you will see from the link
the man is in hospital anyway
but wow i hate when people just cant be nice when someone is in pain

Answer 1

Hi Pangel,
Seems to me that the answer lies in the nature of the prayer.
Have you read 'Secrets Of The Lost Mode Of Prayer' by Gregg Braden? I reccommend it.
Part of the book says that if you pray 'pleading for' something, you're really concentrating on lack - and you will attract more of the same lack. (Double negative but I guess you know what I mean).
Perhaps that hints at the mechanism you ask about. How some prayers can be counter-productive.
Having said that, there is no doubt in my mind at all that 'prayer', within Braden's definition, is effective.
Many blessings.
Jon C

Answer 2

I think it depends on the circumstances. If someone prays and this makes them feel optimistic and trusting that they will get better, studies have shown that people with positive mental attitude recover better than negative people.

On the other hand, there is a risk of relying on prayer and not getting appropriate medical treatment. Some religious groups also claim that the laying on of hands/special 'holy' oils etc will cure the illness, and they may emotionally bully members into not seeking help elsewhere. So a reasonable trust in prayer may in my opinion help many ill people, but it is vital to recognise that orthodox medicine is so important.

Answer 3

I read that in Time Magazine once!


" Many - if not most people - believe that prayer will help you through a medical crisis such as heart bypass surgery. If a large group of people outside yourself, your family, and your friends joined in intercessory prayer, that should be even more helpful, so such reasoning goes.


Researchers have been trying to prove this and even to measure the effect. So far, two studies found that third-party prayers bestow benefits, but two others concluded that there are no benefits. Now, the largest study to date, covering 1,800 people who underwent coronary bypass surgery at six different hospitals, supported the latter research.

Not only that, but patients who knew that others were praying for them fared worse than those who did not receive such spiritual support, or who did but were not aware of it. "

Answer 4

Probably is true in cases where people try to rely only on prayer and don't seek treatment.

I mean, sure use it to help cope and try to get through something, but trying to use it as the cure and nothing else is not a good idea. Too much 700 Club...

Answer 5

If you read the bible you will see people where healed by there faith in God. The problem is the world has little faith...they think God is a magic being and they only call Him... Pray to Him when they have a need....God wants a father son/daughter relationship with us...only then will we truely come to know the real God who can meet all our needs!!! Give your Heart to Him....He loves you always.

Answer 6

i know exactly! when i read the response i was surprised also. if someone doesn't believe in God and says prayer has no affect on anything thats one thing and perfectly reasonable. but if someone denies the existance of anything supernatural, how can they say prayer will have a bad affect. it doesn't make any sense at all. i would like to see that study

Answer 7

Ignore it ...it is just another example of ridiculous 'pseudo research' that the 'junk media' like to fill its pages with.

Anything that you can do for yourself that is positive is good for you.

An exception would be where people thought they could just rely on prayer to overcome illness without undertaking any necessary lifestyle changes to contribute to a succesful outcome. This is an abdication of your own responsibilities for your health.

Answer 8

I took a silva mind control course.and a few other courses.read many positive thinking books ,books about how to pray, I now visualize people well, they get better,Faith and visualization does it.But it is a type of faith a mustard seed has,NO Doubts.total faith with out any doubts.doubt is a sin as it says in Romans,
I can lay my hand on people for severe pain.I am talking about people crying from the pain and it suddenly leaves them after I touch them.
done it many times in about 37 years now.the pain emmediatly leaves them.it of course is not me, I am a channel for the spirit of Gods power,
twice with two men.it was growths. hard tumor like growths,that had been there years and it went away in days after I touched them.two years ago I touched a mans shoulder who could hardly raise his arm because of arhritis. suffering for many years he said. his wife told me later his pain was gone completly after I touched him.
I know you dont believe me, but this one you will probubly not beleive at all.& think I am crazy.but if I am lieing may I burn in hell for eternity,
I heard a voice while on my knees in prayer,Go Rub His Feet, I got up. five hours had passed since getting on my knees.? It did'nt seem like but maybe 5 minutes,so I drove to the hospital and begin rubbing my fathers feet, he had been in a coma from a stroke for nine days, had a lung infection. had a resusutator to make him breath.very irratic eeg.he opened his eyes, the nurse had come in, NO.she said, don't rub his legs. it might cause blood clots, I told her that God had told me to rub his feet and I took jurisdiction here as I am his son and to leave the room,he lived well for 11 more years. the doctor told mother this was a miracle,if you e mail me I will tell you all the details and you could probubly check this out with his doctor, I would like for it to be recorded as the doctor said he heard what I did and it should be recorded,as being real.and truthful.
I could tell you a few more miracles .one saved my mothers life while she drove in her car,and another miracle saved my life from cancer in my kidney.Its the way you pray is how well you get results.tyrusting God completly with faith that your prayer will be answered.I believe, you have to be a vehicle for the spirit, not just say a few words, that you may or may not truly mean.& may just say the words of a prayer for someone.you have to be urnest and furvent with prayer and have faith and love and trust and well you get my meaning,so those studys of people being asked to pray for someone,& not much results doesnt really hold true for real honest to God prayers that are made by & with true undoubting faith. Peace

Answer 9

without even talking about the spiritual side of prayer..I think that only the psychic side of the action of praying can be of a great help for ill people , you can cure yourself by yourself , only by convincing yourself that you are going to be better , to be cured !! no need to talk about "the God matter" that will be quite complicated...so I think that prayer doesn't worsens illness , it cures it .

Answer 10

All prayer isn't the same. It depends on who you pray to and how much faith you have. I'm only a beginner at all this, just started looking at the Bible