Prayer study results in negative outcome

There have been posters suggesting that prayer can help people, and that there are studies to suggest this. Apparently the largest study of prayer on aiding sick people has been concluded and the results came back negative. What I find interesting is that the article bends over backward to repeat the message that this does not mean that God does not exist and does not answer prayers of healing. It even suggests that God might help and its simply that science isn't equipped to detect it.So what does this mean for those who do believe in prayer? Given that it was believed that positive results were thought to prove its effects, shouldn't these negative results mean something?Or is this a subject where it only counts if the results support the theory, but should be ignored if the results disprove a theory?One caveat, they only had Xians do the praying. What if the experiment was run again using a different religion and the results were positive?

Your right! I prayed you would go away, and it didn't happen But seriously, prayer is not only for asking for things.
I think I saw another survey that said the exact opposite about heart patients. It was mentioned by someone else here in these forums.My take on it?Prayer is subjective, like your faith, so science wouldn't work to detect it then. It's all in your mind. lol.

So basically, that wasn't real prayer.

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"We had survived to turn on the History Channel
And ask our esteemed panel, Why are we alive? And here's how they replied:
You're what happens when two substances collide
And by all accounts you really should have died."
-Andrew Bird

Yes it was real prayer, it just wasn't true prayer.

Clearly, sarcastic use of italics is wasted, here.Can we just go ahead and assume that any case in which prayer accomplishes nothing will also not be "true prayer?"

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"We had survived to turn on the History Channel
And ask our esteemed panel, Why are we alive? And here's how they replied:
You're what happens when two substances collide
And by all accounts you really should have died."
-Andrew Bird

So what about all the prayers to keep people from getting these diseases in the first place? could they be considered largely successful?Is it case that a 'preventative' prayer is more effective than a 'cure' prayer?

Oh sure, I was just kidding anyway.But seriously, define prayer?If you can't even really define prayer, or if God only answers prayers of the righteous, then how do we gauge that?What good does it do, or should I say what does it prove if you do an objective study, on a subjective thing?There are way to many variables for it to be a controlled experiment. So it's just a stupid study.

God viewed that extra traffic as spam, and it pissed Him off. But just a little, not Amekalite-sized pissed off. Next question?

Mayhap prayer doesn't work if there are other motivations behind it, especially vain ones such as this test. Particularly a test which tempts The Lord to prove himself to us.

I fully understand the general tone of this thread is one of levity, but if I can interject a more serious tone for just a moment....The whole idea of intercessory prayer has seemed odd to me. Most people who believe in god propose a just god. Presumably, a just god is one who metes out benefits and detriments upon those who are deserving of them. If the idea of intercessory prayer is to prevail upon god to bestow his blessing upon another, can someone explain to me exactly how it is that someone becomes more worthy of god's beneficience simply by virtue of someone else praying for them? Or, conversely, how is it that a person is less entitled to god intervening on their behalf simply because nobody happens to be praying for them?

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Those who would sacrifice an essential liberty for a temporary security will lose both, and deserve neither. -- Benjamin Franklin

It isn't a matter of worthiness. Nothing in Christianity is about what anyone deserves. God's justice is tempered and even countered by his mercy even toward unbelievers, as scripture says. The point of prayer is for the believer to be in contact with God, and recognizing his dependence upon God.There are some rules for proper prayer too, which I don't know if this study took into account. If that has been discussed I'm sorry I missed it, I just happened to read your post.One may not have to be a believer in Christ, but believers in Christ can count on being heard, and one must respect and obey God's law -- scripture says God will not honor the prayer of someone who wilfully disobeys his law. God is sovereign, however, and it is HIS will that prevails, either to heal or not to heal. We are to pray in his will, not our own. There are purposes for suffering in God's economy. It is up to him in the end. There is nothing particularly Christian about healings. Sometimes they build faith, but sometimes suffering in dependence on God builds faith better.

Prayers were conducted by a Xian prayer group. This showed that they weren't. I get what you are saying that decisions of Gods could be final, but then that eliminates the need for prayer at all, doesn't it?If prayers will not invoke Gods or help change their will to one's aid, then what is the utility of prayer? Why not simply walk around knowing whatever will happen will happen?Also, I'm sort of interested in opinions on the converse. Does prayer help Gods? What happened if people stopped praying altogether?

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holmes
"Some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age." (Lovecraft)

Well in this case they were praying for someone else so "they have their reward" wouldn't be quite accurate as other people were hurt.Unless God is willing to kick people already down just to spite some hypocrites?

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holmes
"Some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age." (Lovecraft)

Well the bible is full of it.BibleGateway.com - Bible words from Nave's Topical Bible and Torrey's New Topical Textbook.There is some verses that contain it, from a topical index search.If God exists, then you may have to thank the intercessors when you get there.26 The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."There are many of us praying for our leaders, the country, our president (he needs it), and in our corporate prayer time, I even have the group pray for every individual in this forum.So when schraf starts threads like "we didn't pray" little did she know that there was someone actually praying for them.Matter fact, I better go post that thought right now

The problem is that that side of things ushers in a whole new set of variables. The people told that they were being prayed for might have 'relaxed' a little rather than struggle down the path of recovery. If God refused to help because of the manner of the prayer (testing Him), then he wouldn't have tried to punish the sick. Its either a statistical anomaly or it shows that there is another reason that prayer should be kept secret - lest the person prayed for decides to stop fighting as hard.