[Social Experiment] Divine Intervention

[Cann!bal]

God is unfalsifiable, therefore untestable. However, God's intervention is testable whether it be prayer or faith healing.

A 2006 "Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP)" led by Harvard professor Herbert Benson was by far the most comprehensive and rigorous investigation of third-party prayer to date.[27] The STEP, commonly called the "Templeton Foundation prayer study or "Great Prayer Experiment", used 1,802 coronary artery bypass surgery patients at six hospitals. Using double-blind protocols, patients were randomized into three random groups, but without measuring individual prayer receptiveness. The experimental and control Groups 1 and 2 were informed they may or may not receive prayers, and only Group 1 received them. Group 3, which tested for possible psychosomatic effects, was informed they would receive prayers and subsequently did. Unlike some other studies, STEP attempted to standardize the prayer method. Only first names and last initial for patients were provided and no photographs were supplied. The congregations of three Christian churches who prayed for the patients "were allowed to pray in their own manner, but they were instructed to include the following phrase in their prayers: 'for a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications'.[28] Some participants complained that this mechanical way they were told to pray as part of the experiment was unusual for them. Major complications and thirty-day mortality occurred in 52 percent of those who received prayer (Group 1), 51 percent of those who did not receive it (Group 2), and 59 percent of patients who knew they would receive prayers (Group 3). Some prayed-for patients fared worse than those who did not receive prayers. In The God Delusion, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins wrote, "It seems more probable that those patients who knew they were being prayed for suffered additional stress in consequence: 'performance anxiety', as the experimenters put it. Dr Charles Bethea, one of the researchers, said, 'It may have made them uncertain, wondering am I so sick they had to call in their prayer team?'"[29] Study co-author Jeffery Dusek stated that: "Each study builds on others, and STEP advanced the design beyond what had been previously done. The findings, however, could well be due to the study limitations."[30] Team leader Benson stated that STEP was not the last word on the effects of intercessory prayer and that questions raised by the study will require additional answers.

And from observation, those who were prayed for and weren't had no significant difference in comparison of results, although, those who weren't prayed for had less complications than those who were prayed. And group 3 which knew they were being prayed for had a significantly higher death rate. Thus encouraging the proposition that God does intervene through prayer.

And regarding faith healing, well, I think it's unnecessary to provide a study, instead, I'll provide logic. If you have a malignant tumor and have faith in God that he'll stop it from expanding, will it stop? I think it's quite logical to conclude you will die soon unless you get medical attention to postpone and prevent it's growth.

The evidence does not encourage the proposition that there is divine intervention with the natural world and the supernatural world.

Explain to me now, does this evidence affect your belief in God? I have a hypothesis, but I would like to hear everyone else instead. I'm not trying to discourage anyone's beliefs, I'm just doing a social experiment of sort.

 

[Summon]

It seems that you're on the wrong forum...

 

[Cann!bal]

It seems that you're on the wrong forum...

I'm posting this on several forums, I wasn't suspecting to get a lot if not any feedback from this forum.

 

[Aura]

This doesnt change my opinion in any way shape or form. Within the first few sentences I had a pretty solid idea on where that article was going and dont need studies like these to make/break my beliefs. I know god doesnt exist, so the results didnt really matter. I guess if anything it was just another checkmark in the book, another head nod if you will..

 

[Cann!bal]

This doesnt change my opinion in any way shape or form. Within the first few sentences I had a pretty solid idea on where that article was going and dont need studies like these to make/break my beliefs. I know god doesnt exist, so the results didnt really matter. I guess if anything it was just another checkmark in the book, another head nod if you will..

This study, not article, was supporting the idea that there was no God, not the contrary. Reread the thread.

 

[Aura]

I was coming from a neutral perspective, my first two sentences could have been from either an Atheist or a Christian. Obviously im an Atheist but I didnt want to come off as bias, because like I said I already know what I believe haha. Sorry that wasnt very clear, it wasnt supposed to be.