Studies say that prayer is a waste of money

Studies say that prayer is a waste of money Step six of the hospital project, the largest study ever conducted on the distance the prayer of intercession, has just confirmed that the distance of prayer had no beneficial effect on cardiac patients. The largest hospital MANTRA II study published last year also revealed that prayer had no beneficial effects.What distance are the implications? There is no God? There is a God who does not answer prayer? In my opinion, the conclusion should be a little 'more mundane. Rather than waste time and money in similar studies, scientists need to do for science and theologians should focus on theology.For thousands of years, presumably responds to prayer and healing? Miracles? were used as evidence of the existence of God or gods. Today, some people would like to demonstrate scientifically that the distance prayer works in order to demonstrate that their concept of God is correct. But there is one disadvantage of playing those games: What if the studies show that at a distance of prayer still does not work? From a scientific point of view, the concept of scientific research of alleged supeatural phenomena is paradoxical. Science is heavily based on the assumption of a natural, although very complex universe. Science can not comment on alleged supeatural realms precisely because, by definition, it says that there are outside the natural world. If prayer could cause supeatural events in the natural world, so there might be the scientific study of trust. How do we know if once the results of the study were modified from prayers at a distance? PrayerInterestingly think about the concept of investigating alleged supeatural phenomena is also absurd seen from a theological perspective. If you doubt this, consider the following questions:   Intercession prayer is a competition in which the sentences are more wins?   God is so busy that can only help people when they are enough prayers in his name?   Make sentences of five persons who represent a greater and more effective dose of punishment of two people? What happens if two people have a strong faith that the five?   God can be tricked into participating in a research study prayer?   For God can cure the defects functional but not structural defects? For example, the phrase apparently has helped countless people suspected? Paralyzed legs? discard their wheelchairs, but strangely, prayer has never caused a single-leg amputee to grow again.   These are the prayers to Allah to cure or effective as the Lord Jesus' prayer and God the Father? If these issues are investigated by randomized controlled trials?   Discussions of faith and healing at a distance in prayer jouals are religious, not scientific jouals. It is one thing to say to an audience of religious prayers made a miracle cure, but another to say the same thing in a scientific joual.For some people, miracles, or perhaps symbolic miracles, are metaphors for love God. Science does not deal with metaphors. Science deals with facts that can be tested, verified and reproduced. Throughout the history of mode science, no claim of any kind of phenomenon has been replicated under strictly controlled conditions.If intercession prayer actually worked, one would expect that the faithful are far less disease and life is much higher nonbelievers. This obviously is not the case. Despite the persistence of the faithful prayers of friends and relatives, religious, as people die horribly, and as often as people who receive no intercession prayers.What? S damage prayer? It is often argued that intercession prayer can not work, but at least do not hurt. However, dependence on faith healing can cause serious harm and even death. Avoid the consequences of medical care because of reliance on religious rituals and faith healing have been well documented. Another report in the joual Pediatrics in 1998, identified 158 children who died for their faith, confidence in healing and religion for medical reasons neglect.The STEP publication concludes that research can not address many issues of religion, as if God exists or whether God answers prayer intercession. The first question is obviously beyond the scope of the investigation, but it seems to be the point of this important study. Intercession prayer in this study were clearly directed at God Why do a large multi-center randomized study when not to take seriously the results? As a wise man once said? If it is not possible, as the answer, not ask the question. Dr. Bruce L. Flamm is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Califoia, Irvine. This article was written for Science and Theology News.