Here's an interesting link Published March 31, 2006.
Here's a quote
quote:
In another of the study's findings, a significantly higher number of the patients who knew that they were being prayed for ” 59 percent ” suffered complications, compared with 51 percent of those who were uncertain. The authors left open the possibility that this was a chance finding. But they said that being aware of the strangers' prayers also may have caused some of the patients a kind of performance anxiety.
"It may have made them uncertain, wondering am I so sick they had to call in their prayer team?" Dr. Bethea said.
quote:
One reason the study was so widely anticipated was that it was led by Dr. Benson, who in his work has emphasized the soothing power of personal prayer and meditation.
quote:
Bob Barth, the spiritual director of Silent Unity, the Missouri prayer ministry, said the findings would not affect the ministry's mission.
"A person of faith would say that this study is interesting," Mr. Barth said, "but we've been praying a long time and we've seen prayer work, we know it works, and the research on prayer and spirituality is just getting started."
Youa asked
Truthlover writes:
Do you think prayer studies or health outcome studies can validly determine the effect of prayer?
Absolutly, if the effects are visible in our reality (the physical world) then it can be studied. We're not looking for the cause here, we're just looking at the results (implying that the cause could be either divine or human, doesn't matter)
truthlover writes:
Do you think they should have any applicability to choice of lifestyles?
It will have little to no impact really.
People who believe in prayer will (as I quoted earlier) find a cop-out. ie : but we've been praying a long time and we've seen prayer work, we know it works...
And people who don't believe in it will just find yet another ammunition to their arsenal. As my personal opinion I think it SHOULD have an impact, but it really won't.
Science has been destroying every "scientific evidence" brought forth by religions, and the followers just keep there faith with classical cop-out. Be it the innerantist or the more open minded religious, they are only at a different level of delusion.
-- No amount of proof will ever make you change your mind
™ Version 4.2
