Do you believe that faith can keep you healthy?

Question

Supposedly, there is research indicating that people who have faith and pray are healthier than people who don't. Here is one such article detaling the healthy affects of faith and praying: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20644002/wid/11915773/page/2/ Me personally, I don't think this true. I'm thinking it's more propaganda for the religious right.

Leviathan, I didn't give you a thumbs down. I understood exactly what you meant.

Answer 1

positive thinking has been shown to have a beneficial impact on health.

same thing.

Answer 2

Poison,
Motorized vehicles have steering wheels and language has nuances. They both let you alter the direction without necessarily seeming to deviate too much.
Main points,
A) Research findings mysteriously change according to the funding source.
B) The brain has evolved to minimize energy use and closes who, what, why, where, when questions even when the answers are not completely satisfactory, or are incomplete. The questions go to a lower level of priority.
C) The benefit derived from religion is that the user is allowed to transfer responsibility to the deity. Long range, and even short range, planning, and results are, therefore, not the responsibility of the individual, but of the particular deity. This reduces stress.

It is well known that reduced stress results in clearer thinking about the issues at hand. It also benefits the immune system.

The cost is not negligible. Since absolute religions all have a hierarchical structure that is motivated to keep increasing membership, and to prevent shopping by the membership, there is always a fear and guilt price. There is also the judgment about who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. The condemnation of other religions, or denominations transfers to judgmentality in secular life.
That's why wars are so frequent.

Answer 3

They're making it seem like its the greatest thing in the world. They even listed TWO other studies that showed to have NO effect whatsoever, but as soon as something good happens to the people being prayed for, they jump to all kinds of conclusions and say things like, "Have a little faith - you'll feel better." That is absolutely inconclusive right there, and provides no evidence whatsoever that being prayed for actually makes any difference. It was merely a coincidence (or the placebo effect, both are just as likely)

I bet if they did another similar study, the results would most likely be like the first two--no health benefits and inconclusive. Whatever gets people through the night, as they say.

Answer 4

The Great Prayer Experiment, conducted by the Templeton Foundation, used a double-blind experiment to measure the intercessory power of prayer on recent surgery patients. That is to say, neither the patients nor the doctors knew if they were being prayed for. There was no difference in the recovery of people who were prayed for and those who weren't. But people who actually KNEW they were being prayed for actually suffered MORE complications -- possibly attributable to a sort of "performance anxiety".

Answer 5

Yes and No.

Yes, because praying or any other positive thinking actions has been shown to have a "Placebo Effect," on control subjects.

No, praying in itself does not promote healing. Because the believers are not praying to anything.

Answer 6

The study I read on this last year included meditation by non-believers. I think it focused on people who took time out for spirtual or relaxation activities. I did not come away with the impression that believers as a whole lived longer lives.

Answer 7

Not if you're a suicide bomber.

Why did I get a thumbs down? Suicide bombers are generally people KILLED by their faith - too humorous to grasp - another example then.

Christian 'scientists' (how dare they dirty that word!) who would rather pray for their child and maybe watch the child die than give them antibiotics.

This isn't what you meant but its a valid point. People have tried to prove that prayer works. They've tried HARD. A lot of money has been spent on it. The lack of any evidence to this day tells us something.

Answer 8

I heard a voice in prayer for my Father who had a stroke and was in a coma for nine days.It said Rub His Feet. i did. and he opened his eyes .he had a bad lung infection.he was out of the hospital in 3 days.and lived well for 11 more years.,he talked more.and had a little bit of a memory problem.
years before that ,my father had chronic sore throats for many years and my brother said we should pray for him,. where two are more is gathered there i will be also, he said.
and after we prayed Dad didn't ever get another sore throat.
Dad threw up every night before he went to work,since WW2.and i prayed about it. and i am an herbalist and it came to me to give him confrey. an herb. after he drank that tea for a month he stopped throwing up.

Answer 9

I think that these people that are healthier are praying for good health.

Everyone knows it's mind over matter. People of faith can't claim that one as theres to...

The Secret has a good hold on that one right now.

Answer 10

actually ... I dont doubt it
even if you want to look at it as a placebo
however , even Atheists understand the effects of placebo and more than likely have faith in something other than religion for this purpose
so although I do feel it may be higher..... I dont think it would be by much

Answer 11

Personally, I am much healthier since I left all those religious notions behind. I tend to want to take better care of myself and have not had a real sick day since then.. I think the stress of trying to please "god" and everyone else took it's toll.