Power of Prayer???

[Theist]

I found a site that I thought was interesting, thought I'd bring it up over here for those interested. It's a scientific study of how prayer and religion seem to have an effect on those diseased/injuried/sick etc.  Feedback would be nice
Web Page Name

[Big Mac]

I'm a little bit weary of the sources it cites. One of them is titled "Alternative and Contemporary medicine". That usually means one of those New Age hippie ones who talks about spirituality and such.

Even if this test was by someone I could trust more, it fails to prove a god at work.

[Theist]

no, and I'm not saying it does neccesarily prove that God is at work. One could easily argue that it's the psychological effect of having hope in something that can cause a person to heal, not neccesarily prayer in itself. As I said earlier "I found a site that I thought was interesting, thought I'd bring it up over here for those interested" it was merely a note of interest, not placed here as definitive evidence that God exists, because I'm smart enough to know it isn't.

[Faylen]

Double blind scientific tests have consistently revealed that prayer has no effect on healing.  In fact, in one that Richard Dawkins cited, people who were prayed for and Knew they were prayed for actually did worse - he surmised performance anxiety, although I doubt the study participants or leaders would have come out and said it that way.

[donkeyhoty]

James Brown consistently said, "I feel good!", and look what happened to him.

What happens when you pray all the time, and your cancer(or whatever) gets worse?  Do you simply resign yourself to the fact that god wants you to die?

[Big Mac]

Indeed, this doesn't appear to be a double-blind test. So I fail to see a reason to a point of interest. No offense but I don't think many of us would be interested. We've heard this before.

[Theist]

alright, fair enough. I found it interesting, but if you don't that's fine. I won't bother unless it's something particularily noteworthy.

[Squid]

There are psychological and biological reasons for some instances where people find that prayer and religious adherence "helped heal" them and they have nothing to do with the supernatural - more like secondary external locus of control, social support, and deep prayer has neural correlates similar to meditation which aid in relaxation and production of alpha waves in brain activity - the same waves found in people when they are relaxed and awake.  Couple such things with self fulfilling prophecies, attributional biases, priming and rationalization contra cognitive dissonance and you get people claiming prayer healed them.

[Whitney]

Thiest...google heart patients and prayer...you'll find a lot of news articles about a study conducted which had results of those who were prayed for actually did worse.  Sometimes prayer "works," sometimes it doesn't....even studies trying to figure out the effect of prayer indicated that being the case when you compare them all.  For the believer, it's god working in mysterious ways/sometimes he takes the best.  For everyone else, what Squid said is a more likely explaination..

[Tom62]

I heard somewhere that the psyche can have a positive or negative influence on the immune system. This would mean that if you believe that you will heal (either by yourself or with the help of [a] god) it becomes more likely that you actually will heal. Although the act of praying itself may look futile (for us atheists), it may actually help the person who is praying to buildup  the convidence to overcome the disease.

[crazycycoclown]

I'm a little bit weary of the sources it cites. One of them is titled "Alternative and Contemporary medicine". That usually means one of those New Age hippie ones who talks about spirituality and such.

Even if this test was by someone I could trust more, it fails to prove a god at work.

oh but doesnt it...

i have seen myself with my own eyes and ears the healing of God first hand

[donkeyhoty]

i have seen myself with my own eyes and ears the healing of God first hand

Wait, you see with your ears, that's some freaky deaky right there.

[Big Mac]

I'm a little bit weary of the sources it cites. One of them is titled "Alternative and Contemporary medicine". That usually means one of those New Age hippie ones who talks about spirituality and such.

Even if this test was by someone I could trust more, it fails to prove a god at work.

oh but doesnt it...

i have seen myself with my own eyes and ears the healing of God first hand

Great, so now I should believe because a guy on the internet said so! Not to mention one that can't even write English properly. Wow, you're a retarded little boy aren't you?

[Will]

Great, so now I should believe because a guy on the internet said so! Not to mention one that can't even write English properly. Wow, you're a retarded little boy aren't you?

You should pity those who are blinded by an inability to grasp the world around them, but you do nothing for anyone by ridiculing them. Would you ridicule someone with with obsesive compulsive disorder or disassociate identity disorder? I'm sure you wouldn't.

Also, you're named after a hamburger that has been well documented to have bovine fecal matter in it. Just fyi.

[Big Mac]

Actually my name derives from a portion of my surname. I didn't catch the famous sandwich tie-in until after the fact. Leave it to a hippie from San Fran to bash McDee's. I bet you couldn't live without your Starbucks or your designer clothes.

I wouldn't ridicule the conditions you mentioned because they can't help it. This retard (and apparently you as well) can pick up a book and read. I suggest something that admits that it's fiction.

FYI, you have no idea what I should or shouldn't do. I don't have to pity anyone because I obey only one ruler: MYSELF.

I do something by ridiculing such idiotic people. I make myself amused for a few minutes while I pick apart their stupid ideas. Not to mention I got you to comment about it.