Prayer Does Not Help Heart Bypass Patients

**Adam** · 31st March 2006, 09:18 AM

Interesting story,

Quote:

NEW YORK (AP)—In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that having people pray for heart bypass surgery patients had no effect on their recovery. In fact, patients who knew they were being prayed for had a slightly higher rate of complications.

Researchers emphasized that their work can't address whether God exists or answers prayers made on another's behalf. The study can only look for an effect from prayers offered as part of the research, they said.

They also said they had no explanation for the higher complication rate in patients who knew they were being prayed for, in comparison to patients who only knew it was possible prayers were being said for them.

Critics said the question of God's reaction to prayers simply can't be explored by scientific study.

The work, which followed about 1,800 patients at six medical centers, was financed by the Templeton Foundation, which supports research into science and religion. It will appear in the American Heart Journal.

Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School and other scientists tested the effect of having three Christian groups pray for particular patients, starting the night before surgery and continuing for two weeks. The volunteers prayed for "a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications'' for specific patients, for whom they were given the first name and first initial of the last name.

The patients, meanwhile, were split into three groups of about 600 apiece: those who knew they were being prayed for, those who were prayed for but only knew it was a possibility, and those who weren't prayed for but were told it was a possibility.

The researchers didn't ask patients or their families and friends to alter any plans they had for prayer, saying such a step would have been unethical and impractical.

The study looked for any complications within 30 days of the surgery. Results showed no effect of prayer on complication-free recovery. But 59 percent of the patients who knew they were being prayed for developed a complication, versus 52 percent of those who were told it was just a possibility.

Dr. Harold G. Koenig, director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at the Duke University Medical Center, who didn't take part in the study, said the results didn't surprise him.

"There are no scientific grounds to expect a result and there are no real theological grounds to expect a result either,'' he said. "There is no god in either the Christian, Jewish or Moslem scriptures that can be constrained to the point that they can be predicted.''

Within the Christian tradition, God would be expected to be concerned with a person's eternal salvation, he said, and "why would God change his plans for a particular person just because they're in a research study?''
Science, he said, "is not designed to study the supernatural.''

Flutter · 31st March 2006, 09:39 AM

Maybe God got mad that people were doing the experiment in the first place.

**Adam** · 31st March 2006, 09:40 AM

That was my first thought

Minotaur2k · 31st March 2006, 11:43 AM

Maybe there is no god. OMG my whole belief structure is crumbling around me!
Ahhhh Save me Jebus!

Som · 31st March 2006, 08:57 PM

maybe they prayed to the wrong god? I'm sure the martian gods would have done something about it. hmm or maybe they did

Snowy · 31st March 2006, 11:23 PM

Maybe they started out with that expectation in the first place. It has been shown many times that experiments can be 'tainted' by the expectations of the staff. I am sure someone will counter this one with one which leans the other way, and once more, it is a matter of Faith, not experimentation and science. Faith cannot be weighed and measured.

**Ezekiel** · 1st April 2006, 04:40 AM

Hrm, next theyll be doing a study to see if prayer helps SAT scores...

Flutter · 1st April 2006, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kettlewhistle78

Hrm, next theyll be doing a study to see if prayer helps SAT scores...

It does.

**Adri** · 2nd April 2006, 03:25 PM

Judging by the intellect of some of my former college class mates, I imagine prayer was the only way they passed the SATs.

31st March 2006, 09:40 AM	#3
Adam Lead Administrator Owner Join Date: Oct 1990 Posts: 6,423 Gold: 149,500 Thanks: 59 Thanked 943 Times in 310 Posts	Re: Prayer Does Not Help Heart Bypass Patients That was my first thought Get your own personal forum Like these ones - Personal forum listing Bored @ work? Play in our arcade! Useful Tips on how to use UOForums Open your own blog

31st March 2006, 11:43 AM	#4
Minotaur2k Meow Join Date: Feb 2006 Shard: Catskills Posts: 580 Gold: 13 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Prayer Does Not Help Heart Bypass Patients Maybe there is no god. OMG my whole belief structure is crumbling around me! Ahhhh Save me Jebus! There are no stupid questions......only stupid people!

31st March 2006, 08:57 PM	#5
Som Nomad Join Date: Mar 2005 Shard: GL Posts: 340 Gold: 9 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Prayer Does Not Help Heart Bypass Patients maybe they prayed to the wrong god? I'm sure the martian gods would have done something about it. hmm or maybe they did Insert fabulous signature here

31st March 2006, 11:23 PM	#6
Snowy Pretty Nice Disguise, isn't it? Join Date: Nov 2005 Shard: Lake Superior Posts: 1,126 Gold: 15 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Prayer Does Not Help Heart Bypass Patients Maybe they started out with that expectation in the first place. It has been shown many times that experiments can be 'tainted' by the expectations of the staff. I am sure someone will counter this one with one which leans the other way, and once more, it is a matter of Faith, not experimentation and science. Faith cannot be weighed and measured. ~ "It's definitely a Bubble Bath Day.". ~ Dove Promise ~

1st April 2006, 04:40 AM	#7
Ezekiel Wycorp--Dwarf Hunter Join Date: Jul 2005 Shard: Area 52 Posts: 2,433 Gold: 96 Thanks: 0 Thanked 8 Times in 6 Posts	Re: Prayer Does Not Help Heart Bypass Patients Hrm, next theyll be doing a study to see if prayer helps SAT scores...

2nd April 2006, 03:25 PM	#9
Adri Wearing metal panties in a lightning storm Join Date: May 2004 Shard: Pacific/Landroval Posts: 3,841 Gold: 970 My Mood: Thanks: 209 Thanked 117 Times in 84 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 2	Re: Prayer Does Not Help Heart Bypass Patients Judging by the intellect of some of my former college class mates, I imagine prayer was the only way they passed the SATs. We are all broken and wounded in this world. Some choose to grow strong at the broken places. --Harold J. Duarte-Bernhardt

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