Comments on: Unnecessary Study: Praying Doesn’t Heal Heart Patients http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/03/31/unnecessary-study-praying-doesnt-heal-heart-patients/ Human Animals at the Crossroads of Culture, Science, Religion and Media Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:12:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Devi http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/03/31/unnecessary-study-praying-doesnt-heal-heart-patients/#comment-11766 Devi Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:33:42 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=55#comment-11766 Why isn't the "Why would God change his plans..." also considered supportive of the science? After all, if God had planned to heal the person, why would their participation in a study change that? Wouldn't the person still be healed? Do the nay sayers believe that scientists were able to pick only the people god had decided not to heal for participants in the study? Why isn’t the “Why would God change his plans…” also considered supportive of the science? After all, if God had planned to heal the person, why would their participation in a study change that? Wouldn’t the person still be healed? Do the nay sayers believe that scientists were able to pick only the people god had decided not to heal for participants in the study?

]]> By: Doug http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/03/31/unnecessary-study-praying-doesnt-heal-heart-patients/#comment-16 Doug Sat, 01 Apr 2006 02:28:30 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=55#comment-16 Dr. Koenig's rhetorical question, "why would God change his plans for a particular person just because they’re in a research study?" is clearly a red herring. Obviously, God cannot be expected to change His plans for a research study, but He *is* supposed to change His plans in response to prayer. At least, that seems to be what most Jews, Christians and Muslims are taught to believe. Indeed, if God doesn't change His plans in response to prayer, then what is left to recommend these religions to a prospective Believer? Subtract the power of prayer from any of the three aforementioned religions and what do they have left to offer us lowly humans, other than the worship of a God who is terminally deaf to the pleas of His followers? Subtract the power of prayer, and free will would also seem to be on thin ice: God has his plan and ruthlessly carries it out. Since having God change His plans in response to prayer is really the only customer benefit that God can offer His subjects, I wonder why no controlled studies have ever shown prayer to have an impact, despite more than two millenia available to test the hypothesis. One would have though that if prayer really did achieve anything, then this would have been conclusively proven centuries ago, and there would be no further doubt about whether God exists and is listening to us. The fact that no such proof exists should make any Believer ask why. Dr. Koenig’s rhetorical question, “why would God change his plans for a particular person just because they’re in a research study?” is clearly a red herring. Obviously, God cannot be expected to change His plans for a research study, but He *is* supposed to change His plans in response to prayer. At least, that seems to be what most Jews, Christians and Muslims are taught to believe. Indeed, if God doesn’t change His plans in response to prayer, then what is left to recommend these religions to a prospective Believer? Subtract the power of prayer from any of the three aforementioned religions and what do they have left to offer us lowly humans, other than the worship of a God who is terminally deaf to the pleas of His followers? Subtract the power of prayer, and free will would also seem to be on thin ice: God has his plan and ruthlessly carries it out.

Since having God change His plans in response to prayer is really the only customer benefit that God can offer His subjects, I wonder why no controlled studies have ever shown prayer to have an impact, despite more than two millenia available to test the hypothesis. One would have though that if prayer really did achieve anything, then this would have been conclusively proven centuries ago, and there would be no further doubt about whether God exists and is listening to us. The fact that no such proof exists should make any Believer ask why.

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