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Another Prayer Study

  • 01-04-2006 12:31pm
    #1
    pH
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,188 ✭✭✭


    Page 11 of today's Irish Times (Sat April 1st no less)

    Study finds that prayers are not really good for the heart
    Scientists hoped a $2.5m study would end controversy over the power of therapeutic prayer.

    Google news has plenty of reports to the same findings - here's the UK Independent's take on it

    http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article354938.ece


Comments

  • #2
    robindch
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,428 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    This study was mentioned over the christianity forum a couple of days ago:

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054910817

    ...but hasn't exactly set the forum aflame yet!


  • #3
    davros
    Closed Accounts Posts: 857 ✭✭✭davros


    A nice response to the study from the Ayn Rand Institute:
    Every minute these doctors spend conducting this sort of faith-based study is one minute less spent on reality-based research--research that actually has hope of leading to real medical cures.


  • #4
    pH
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,188 ✭✭✭pH


    From the letter:
    Such blind belief represents the rejection of reason and science, and is not worthy of serious, rational consideration. What's next? A study of the medical effects of blowing out birthday candles?

    This serves to highlight the everything that is wrong with prayer studies, yet I wonder is it would be possible to get funding to investigate 'Do Birthday wishes com true?'

    On a less frivolous not, while I agree with his sentiments, once a study is 'out there' and being quoted (like the previous prayer studies that showed positive results) do you just ignore them (or state they're rubbish) or do you spend time doing a proper study?

    If no-one had ever done a prayer-study then yes they're not worthy of serious rational consideration, but once one is out there (published and essentially peer-reviewed) - maybe the correct thing to do is to put the record straight.


  • #5
    davros
    Closed Accounts Posts: 857 ✭✭✭davros


    pH wrote:
    If no-one had ever done a prayer-study then yes they're not worthy of serious rational consideration, but once one is out there (published and essentially peer-reviewed) - maybe the correct thing to do is to put the record straight.
    It's a fair point. I think I'd ask myself what I was hoping to achieve by beginning such a trial. If I did not believe in the efficacy of prayer, what would I hope to gain from a (presumed) negative outcome? That people would pray less?

    I don't really see the value in a 10-year, $2.5m study of the power of prayer, if my assumption is that the result will be negative. I don't imagine it will have any effect on the faithful.

    An anticipated negative result for, say, homeopathy, would have more tangible benefits. It could be used to argue that a government should not subsidise homeopathic treatments, for example.


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