Behold the (lack of) power of prayer

[luvtinayothers]

http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/10/15/npray15.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/10/15

[Ipecac]

Isn't it incredible that they felt they needed to spend the money and time to actually test this nonsense?

But the experiment, which will be detailed in a BBC2 Everyman documentary to be broadcast next week, was criticised as crude by Church leaders. The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Tom Wright, said: "Prayer is not a penny-in-the-slot machine. You can't just put in a coin and get out a chocolate.

"This is like setting an exam for God to see if God will pass it or not."

He said both the Old and New Testaments said "very clearly" that you must not put God to the test.

Well, isn't that convenient?

[A_Feeble_Mind]

Originally posted by Ipecac
Isn't it incredible that they felt they needed to spend the money and time to actually test this nonsense?


This is something that SO many people believe in that I feel that it was important to debunk. Even though most will discard these results (hmmm... would they have done the same "don't test god" song and dance if it showed prayer actually helped? ;) ) at least there is now evidence in direct contrast to what they claim.

[davidhorman]

(hmmm... would they have done the same "don't test god" song and dance if it showed prayer actually helped? )

The editing of the programme gave the impression that the "you can't test God" comment was made before the results were announced. The guy who said that wasn't rejecting the results (which is what Randi implied in last week's commentary) but the test itself*

David

*or so it appeared - I don't know if he said it before or after the test, but the results weren't collated long before the programme was broadcast.

[phildonnia]

Don't put God to the test? Hmm...

"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." 1 Th 5:21(KJV)

Seems like this Author approves of the scientific method.

[Peter Jenkins]

The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Tom Wright, said: "Prayer is not a penny-in-the-slot machine. You can't just put in a coin and get out a chocolate.

"This is like setting an exam for God to see if God will pass it or not."

then

The Rev Leslie Francis, professor of practical theology at the University of Wales, said two major studies, in 1988 and 1999, had found that prayer had a beneficial effect.

Heads I win the argument, Tails you lose

Peter