Does Intercessory Prayer Work?

[JoeMama]

The Bible says, "Ask and you shall receive."

A Harvard University study of about 2000 hospitalized coronary artery bypass graph surgeries showed that prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the patients' recoveries. God may have heard the prayers, but they seem to have been ignored.

(Google: intercessory prayer Dr. Herbert Benson)

Is this evidence that a prayer-answering god doesn't exist?

[POI]

The Bible says, "Ask and you shall receive."

A Harvard University study of about 2000 hospitalized coronary artery bypass graph surgeries showed that prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the patients' recoveries. God may have heard the prayers, but they seem to have been ignored.

(Google: intercessory prayer Dr. Herbert Benson)

Is this evidence that a prayer-answering god doesn't exist?

Christians will always find loopholes to substantiate their position: viewtopic.php?t=39281&start=40

[Miles]

The Bible says, "Ask and you shall receive."

A Harvard University study of about 2000 hospitalized coronary artery bypass graph surgeries showed that prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the patients' recoveries. God may have heard the prayers, but they seem to have been ignored.

(Google: intercessory prayer Dr. Herbert Benson)

Is this evidence that a prayer-answering god doesn't exist?

Depending on the god, not necessarily, but for the atheist the evidence for the nonexistence of god is the lack of convincing evidence.

For the theist, however, I believe the issue boils down to a god who either doesn't care to intercede or can't. Take your pick.

.

[JoeMama]

The Bible says, "Ask and you shall receive."

A Harvard University study of about 2000 hospitalized coronary artery bypass graph surgeries showed that prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the patients' recoveries. God may have heard the prayers, but they seem to have been ignored.

(Google: intercessory prayer Dr. Herbert Benson)

Is this evidence that a prayer-answering god doesn't exist?

Depending on the god, not necessarily, but for the atheist the evidence for the nonexistence of god is the lack of convincing evidence.

.

I believe there is a vast amount of evidence (not proof) that the god described in the Bible doesn't exist, and darn little evidence that he DOES exist, and certainly no proof, either. For me to believe in the god of the Bible, I would have to be witness to a miracle prayed for, such as, please god, cause that mountain to slide into that lake, right now.

[1213]

I believe there is a vast amount of evidence (not proof) that the god described in the Bible doesn't exist, and darn little evidence that he DOES exist, and certainly no proof, either. For me to believe in the god of the Bible, I would have to be witness to a miracle prayed for, such as, please god, cause that mountain to slide into that lake, right now.

If I pray California to slide into the ocean, you would believe in God?

Sorry, I don't pray that, because I don't think the belief in God's existence is crucial. Bible shows that even demons know God exists. It doesn't seem to be useful for them. In Biblical point of view, more important would be that person is righteous, or becomes righteous, because eternal life is promised for them.

[TRANSPONDER]

I believe there is a vast amount of evidence (not proof) that the god described in the Bible doesn't exist, and darn little evidence that he DOES exist, and certainly no proof, either. For me to believe in the god of the Bible, I would have to be witness to a miracle prayed for, such as, please god, cause that mountain to slide into that lake, right now.

If I pray California to slide into the ocean, you would believe in God?

Sorry, I don't pray that, because I don't think the belief in God's existence is crucial. Bible shows that even demons know God exists. It doesn't seem to be useful for them. In Biblical point of view, more important would be that person is righteous, or becomes righteous, because eternal life is promised for them.

You wouldn't need to pray for anything horrific (so as to 'price yourself out of the market') but just a tree to uproot and plant itself in the ocean. not just a claim...."oh...I did that last week...prove I didn't"... but doing it, and moreover similar answered prayer being done so everyone would know it was done. . But it isn't done, and Christians know it isn't done, so they try to claim everyday stuff (especially coincidences and as yet unexplained occurrences) as miracles or excuse without even trying, why they shouldn't even try.

There was even a study done on intercessionary prayer. It showed that there was no evidence that it had any helpful effect. I recall that I mentioned a week ago maybe that I looked for prayers for a dying mother and there seemed nothing but sites doing damage limitation for people who prayed and their mother still died. I'm not celebrating, but just saying we have to accept that people died in droves 100 years ago when there was more prayer and less medicine, but now survival rates have gone up amazingly since the '40's. Because of medicine, not prayer.

[1213]

...one on intercessionary prayer. It showed that there was no evidence that it had any helpful effect. I recall that I mentioned a week ago maybe that I looked for prayers for a dying mother and there seemed nothing but sites doing damage limitation for people who prayed and their mother still died. I'm not celebrating, but just saying we have to accept that people died in droves 100 years ago when there was more prayer and less medicine, but now survival rates have gone up amazingly since the '40's. Because of medicine, not prayer.

Is it reasonable to pray that people don't die, when Bible says:

Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment,
Heb. 9:27

In Biblical point of view this "life" is just temporary, and could be called the first death. And those who are righteous, can have eternal life with God. We don't know who got, or gets that, so we don't really know did the praying work, because it is possible that they are in eternal life with God.

I don't believe in medicines. It is possible that they work only because of placebo and happenstance. And it may be that the medicines are actually the reason for many problems people have.

[TRANSPONDER]

...one on intercessionary prayer. It showed that there was no evidence that it had any helpful effect. I recall that I mentioned a week ago maybe that I looked for prayers for a dying mother and there seemed nothing but sites doing damage limitation for people who prayed and their mother still died. I'm not celebrating, but just saying we have to accept that people died in droves 100 years ago when there was more prayer and less medicine, but now survival rates have gone up amazingly since the '40's. Because of medicine, not prayer.

Is it reasonable to pray that people don't die, when Bible says:

Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment,
Heb. 9:27

In Biblical point of view this "life" is just temporary, and could be called the first death. And those who are righteous, can have eternal life with God. We don't know who got, or gets that, so we don't really know did the praying work, because it is possible that they are in eternal life with God.

I don't believe in medicines. It is possible that they work only because of placebo and happenstance. And it may be that the medicines are actually the reason for many problems people have.

Well....that's rather nice. Some argue that praying is a waste of time as God has decided already, though of course you would say it was worth doing if it appeared to work. As to your science - denial, it is your decision to disbelieve medicine. The understanding, diagnosis, treatment and pretty reliable results refute you. So you gain nothing much from your declaration of science -denial.

[POI]

I don't believe in medicines.

I'm not sure I completely believe you here. Sure, I understand the drive behind 'big pharma', or that people are overly prescribed medications, abuse, medicine getting into the wrong hands, etc....

However, if Penicillin were never discovered, well.....

It is possible that they work only because of placebo and happenstance.

Ironically enough, your statement above seems to more-so fit with the term 'prayer' <vs> 'medicine'. Don't you think? (i.e.)

"It is possible prayer works only because of placebo and happenstance."

[TRANSPONDER]

[Replying to POI in post #9]

it's also a bit of a red herring (though I suspect it was not intended that way) to have a swipe at medical science when the topic is about whether prayer demonstrably work. Demonstrably it doesn't,as if it demonstrably did demonstrably we would never have needed doctors after the 1st c A. D