Frasch Ideas—Examine, Inquire, Explore

Does Prayer Work?

Posted by Theresa on July 5th, 2006 filed in Believe It or Not

I read two articles this week on the same subject involving the same study (The Verdict is in and the Results are Null and No Prayer Prescription):

In a long-awaited comprehensive scientific study on the effects of intercessory prayer on the health and recovery of 1,802 patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery in six different hospitals, prayers offered by strangers had no effect.

In fact, contrary to common belief, patients who knew they were being prayed for had a higher rate of post-operative complications such as abnormal heart rhythms, possibly the result of anxiety caused by learning that they were being prayed for and thus their condition was more serious than anticipated.

Trying to ascertain the effect of third-party prayer, the research team (a psychologist, clergy and doctors from six institutions) found no evidence for divine intervention.

On the contrary, they may have found possible proof for the power of negative thinking.

Although the following findings were not statistically significant, 59% of patients who knew that they were being prayed for suffered complications, compared with 51% of those who were uncertain whether they were being prayed for or not; and 18% in the uninformed prayer group suffered major complications such as heart attack or stroke, compared with 13% in the group that received no prayers.

The research team thinks that nerves might have been to blame knowing that high levels of adrenaline from the anxiety response (”Am I so sick that they have to call in the prayer team?”) can make fibrillation worse.

Michael Shermer defines the theological implications:

The ultimate fallacy of all such studies is theological. If God is omniscient and omnipotent, He should not need to be reminded or inveigled that someone needs healing. Scientific prayer makes God a celestial lab rat, leading to bad science and worse religion.

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2 Responses to “Does Prayer Work?”

lil angel Says:
July 5th, 2006 at 9:39 am
I always find it interesting when finite minds in science try to pigeon hole an infinite
God. The whole idea of prayer being cause and affect is flawed. For science to work you need either a positive or negative outcome to a set criteria. Yes God answered. No God didn’t answer. Neither measures the intent of God’s dealing with the event. Not only that but if God had willed that a person pass what amount of prayer would change that. Jesus is my friend and I like talking to my friends. Call it prayer if you like or give it a different name. Not all my conversations with my friends come out as I had anticipated. Doesn’t mean I will stop talking to them. My friend once said, “Blessed are those who have not see and yet still believe.”
Theresa Says:
July 6th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
Prayers began on the eve or day of surgery and continued daily for 14 days. Everyone prayed for received the same standardized prayer. The volunteers were given a patient’s given name and last initial, and prayed for “a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications.”

The John Templeton Foundation supported STEP. The Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation supported the Baptist Memorial Hospital site.

The STEP study co-authors are: Herbert Benson MD and Jeffery A. Dusek PhD of Harvard Medical School and Mind/Body Medical Institute; Charles F. Bethea MD, Rev. William Carpenter MDiv, and Sue Rollins RN, MPH of Integris Baptist Medical Center; Sidney Levitsky MD of Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Peter C. Hill MD and Rev. Donald W. Clem Jr. MA of Washington Hospital Center; Manoj K. Jain MD, MPH and Rev. David Drumel MDiv of Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation; Stephen L. Kopecky MD, Paul S. Mueller MD, and Fr. Dean Marek of Mayo Clinic; and Patricia L. Hibberd MD, PhD, Jane B. Sherwood RN, and Peter Lam PhD, consultants.

The work was funded by the Templeton Foundation, which supports research into science and religion.

I’ll be posting more vies on this as well. Keep on reading.