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Prayer in science
- Thread starter Knolraap
- Start date
You're going to need to be more specific, because this blanket statement isn't supported from what I know of the literature. Several key points need to be clarified in order to make an assessment:
1) What is the type and method of prayer?
2) What is the goal of the prayer? In other words, what is it supposed to "work" on?
3) Who is the target of the prayer?
4) If the target is someone other than the self, is the target aware they are being prayed for?
These are important questions, because the psychological effects of someone caring enough about you to pray for you can and does have an effect. Similarly, petitioning the gods to help yourself can and does have an effect. Call it a morale boost, call it placebo... whatever: the power of positive thinking is well known.
If, however, you're asking if prayer "works" to cure cancer for a perfect stranger halfway across the world, then there's no empirical evidence of that.
1) What is the type and method of prayer?
2) What is the goal of the prayer? In other words, what is it supposed to "work" on?
3) Who is the target of the prayer?
4) If the target is someone other than the self, is the target aware they are being prayed for?
These are important questions, because the psychological effects of someone caring enough about you to pray for you can and does have an effect. Similarly, petitioning the gods to help yourself can and does have an effect. Call it a morale boost, call it placebo... whatever: the power of positive thinking is well known.
If, however, you're asking if prayer "works" to cure cancer for a perfect stranger halfway across the world, then there's no empirical evidence of that.
Enai de a lukal
Well-Known Member
You're joking, right?
Tell that to me, my bro and my mother who won a vehicle. At the time we needed it, because we had 5 or more people living in our house.
Koldo
Outstanding Member
Won? Like in lottery?
Yeah like the lottery. It's sitten phat at the lake with our condo.
Koldo
Outstanding Member
Aquitaine
Well-Known Member
Actually all we won was a vechicle. It wasn't money. But its enough to take a boat or jet ski to the lake.Someone had to win.
At lest among Xians, prayer isn't supposed to work that way.
One doesn't pray for specific items, & then God delivers them (like ebay or Amazon).
But if you steal what you need, you can pray for forgiveness.
We didn't pray for a specific item either. I was an opportunity that I couldn't let pass me or us by.
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Actually, I've heard serious research that prayer DOES work. Of course others claim there is research that it DOESN'T work.
Everyone is quick to accept what they want to hear and pretty resistant to accepting what they don't want to hear.
I personally believe prayer can have effects as I've become very untrusting of the skeptics in recent years.
Monk Of Reason
༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
Essentially there is exactly zero scientific evidence that appealing to any deity causes any measurable change in the physical world. Its not for lack of study and trying.
Dozens, probably even hundreds of different lab tested scenarios of people who "pray" and those that don't and with measured outcomes. None have brought back a conclusive result that prayer would work. In fact there seems to be zero indication that prayer does anythin beyond its psychological placebo effect for people.
Which in of itself is not something to be trivialized. As far as I'm concerned, this means it works.
Koldo
Outstanding Member
Which in of itself is not something to be trivialized. As far as I'm concerned, this means it works.
Just not necessarily in the way most people would expect...
freethinker44
Well-Known Member
Did you learn that from Gary Schwartz? If so I call BS on that too.
It's one thing to call BS and quite another to show it..
Monk Of Reason
༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
Which in of itself is not something to be trivialized. As far as I'm concerned, this means it works.
Well yes and no. It works as a psychological tool no different than an illusion or mind trick. If you believe in something hard enough it will in fact come back on you in a pysical sense. However this doesn't hold true to ANY divine intervention or mystical power. So it works but not in any way a believer would assume it to.