Prayer studies

[Hsitirb]

I know there have been a few 'scientific' studies of prayer done in the past. As far as I am aware, most or all came up either with negative correlations (i.e. prayer was actually detrimental to the desired outcome) or inconclusive.

A friend was asking if there are any that have shown any positive correlations at all? The closest I could think of was The Templeton Foundation's - but as I recall that came up inconclusive, too...

Anybody know of any that have?

 

[ebbixx]

How would one design such a study? Meaning: making it be a methodologically-sound study?

I'm almost sure some religiously funded foundation has underwritten such a study whose findings claim postive results, but you can Google as well as I can. Reviewing the methodology and other aspects of such a study would only interest me if the study had percolated up to a level where it was being taken seriously by significant numbers of people outside the tabloid press and Faux Network.

 

[ImprobableJoe]

Anybody know of any that have?

No. :lol:

 

[Ratman]

Not a scientific study but a good arguement.

Proving that prayer is superstition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0otFwCPR56Y&feature=channel_page

 

[Whisperelmwood]

I suggest reading http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/ they have entire sections on prayer.

 

[irmerk]

I think George Carlin addressed prayer with Joe Pesci. You can skip to it if you want - it is 7:00 in.

 

[Saladin]

Anybody know of any that have?

You're asking the wrong forum, guy.

 

[felixthecoach]

I read a few papers about prayer effecting the brain chemistry of some individuals. The correlation was not with changing events outside a person. The paper connected the meditation effects of relaxation, focusing, and releasing anxiety to the act of prayer. My interpretation was that acts like prayer help the praying individual, but nothing more.

It seems I read the article for the first time on CNN, but cant find it right now. If you really want proof it's out there, I'll find it.

 

[Hsitirb]

I read a few papers about prayer effecting the brain chemistry of some individuals. The correlation was not with changing events outside a person. The paper connected the meditation effects of relaxation, focusing, and releasing anxiety to the act of prayer. My interpretation was that acts like prayer help the praying individual, but nothing more.

It seems I read the article for the first time on CNN, but cant find it right now. If you really want proof it's out there, I'll find it.

Actually I think I remember seeing those headlines. New Scientist, perhaps...

Yes - I am not looking to prove that prayer works, but rather looking for the studies that (seem to) claim it does. Basically anything that would be used by the religius to point to and say "see!".

I'll admit I haven't googled; I am assuming my (areligious) mate who posed the question already had...must check

Cheers all - feel free to add anything that pops up!

 

[digitalbuddha48]

I think prayer is very much like the placebo effect. W/e Christians or anyone who prays prays (assuming they are actual believers) they feel a sense of relief that "it's in god's hands now" and this relief of tension, anxiety, depression, etc. make them preform better than if they were strung-out or distraught (basically what felix was saying).

 

[DarwinsOtherTheory]

Prayer is as efficient as crossing your fingers, there's also this thing with free will, how can alcoholics say god helped them with their addiction when he's not supposed to interfere with out free will.

Another thing is that god already knows what's going to happen so praying is useless, whatever it's going to happen will not be changed, not by prayer, but somehow christians think they can persuade god.