Christians: What do you make of this study:?

Question

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/health/31pray.html?ex=1301461200&en=4acf338be4900000&ei=5088

Answer 1

There are other studies which contradict those findings. Want citations?

Byrd, Randolph. 1988. "Positive Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer in a Coronary Care Population," Southern Medical Journal 81:7.

Harris, W.S., M. Gowda, J.W. Colby, C.P. Strycharz, J.L. Varck, P.G. Jones, et el., 1999. "A randomized control trial of the effects of remote, intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients admitted to the coronary care unit." Archives of Internal Medicine, 159.

Both of those studies showed statistically significant effects of intercessory prayer.

EDIT:

Thumbs down? Are you kidding? I cite two studies in mainstream medical journals and you give me thumbs down? Sorry, does *information* offend you? Who's closed-minded now?

Another thumbs down... You know, the proper scientific attitude to this would be to say, "Let's conduct more studies and try to figure out what the relevant variables are." Do you think like scientists? No, you think like fundamentalists who don't want their dogma challenged. It makes me sick.

And for what it's worth, I don't believe in miracles or divine intercession. I think the data are well accounted for by naturalistic, albeit paranormal, phenomena.

Idiots.

Answer 2

First you got your information from The New York Times, That right there tells me a lot, They are so liberal & so anti-God, They will say anything, Now to basic praying, When Jesus was on earth he did not heal everyone that was sick, He could have if He wanted to, So our responsibilty is to pray, That don't mean that everyone will be healed, Now I can tell you true stories, That came from 2 people that I knew Let alone the others I know, But years ago this man & woman was hit by a car. & the woman was heal of all broken bones overnight, & the man testimony is that as he was brought into the hospital that he had several broken bones also, & they were going to do surgery the next morning to set all his broken bones, During the night he started praying & about 2 in the morning he felt all his bones go back into place, as the doctors came to get him, he told the doctors, That he did not need surgey, that God healed him, So the doctors trying to rebuke his testimony Decided to take more x-rays, & to their surprise, they could not find one broken bone, Now my question to you, Do you believe this, Hey these are people I know personally, By the way instead of the man having surgery, he went home.

Answer 3

No surprises. Prayer does nothing.
May as well roll a dice for all the good it does.
Since prayer is directed at an imaginary sky-pixie, what do you expect the results to be?
Anyone who understands that god is nothing more than a fictional character in a book of jewish mythology could have told you that. I'm just sorry that that amount of money was wasted on the study. They could have put it to better use in my opinion. But it's nice to have what I already knew vindicated.

Answer 4

It was very interesting - didnt know there was ever research conducted on prayer!

The thing is, my friend, that God is not to be played with - He is not some "thing" to be manipulated or proven in any way. He does what He wants, for whatever reason He wants, when He wants. He will not bow down to OUR research to give credibility to any finding.

When a person does not love God, He turns His face away from them so that their prayers cannot be heard. It is only the fervent prayers of a righteous heart that are heard and answered by God. Having said that, prayers from unbelievers are heard by God and sometimes answered, but He is not some teddy bear to answer OUR demands. So I wonder about the state of these people's hearts who prayed...see, God looks at the HEART and not the mouth.

There are many spiritual factors we do not understand, and I would hate for a person who does not believe in Jesus Christ, to pray for me, because their god is a false god.

So I would not trust research conducted by just anyone my friend. There are just too many factors to take into consideration.

I KNOW when I pray that my Lord hears and answers how He wants to answer, in the time that He wants to answer, in the way He wants to answer. God is good.

Answer 5

I would regard anything the NY times reports as suspect. As the usual case with any poll it is entirely skewed by who and where the poll is done. I would say that if a person truly believes in prayer, that it would help them psychologically if they do not it will not. Even if you want to call it a placebo effect. What brings a person peace of mind and relaxes them and reassures them, cannot hurt them in any recovery they have. Whether it is prayer, Astrology, alternative medicine, as long as it goes with the care of a medical professional

Answer 6

What do you make of these?
http://www.proofgodexists.org/life_after_life.htm

Besides, Satan has been in control of the press and media since day one. There is a war going on here. A spiritual war.

I am praying that God reveal to you once and for all personally, just as He did for me, that He does exist and to bring you to see this in whatever manner it takes.

Remember Paul in the bible. That's who you remind me of...
I was once like you. I'll admit you make me angry, but i love ya man and i would die for you if you would just believe. I have 4 kids. I would give them up and lose MY life if just you would believe.

Answer 7

Odd. I remember reading a few years ago that a similar study had been done which proved prayer DID have a beneficial effect.
Still, God isn't at our beck and call, to do all we ask. Things which we ask for MUST be in accordance to His will,(and we cannot be double-minded) else there will be no answer.
But I'm sure you already knew that.

Answer 8

I would stay that prayer is only for God and for nothing else, where believers will favour God over operations. As God is absolute over operations, so God must come first. If I have the choice between surgery (if I really had to have it) or God I would with my faith walk towards God.

Answer 9

you cannot win an argument against the amorphous rationalisation of the religious. they will snap up anything concrete that seems to support their position, claiming that their beliefs have a basis in science. but if the evidence goes against them they reject it and retreat into metaphysical mumbo jumbo. you can take a horse to the water but you can't make it drink

Answer 10

Prayer is not to achieve or acquire things on a wish list. Prayer is to align yourself with the Will of the Lord.