Posted on 03/31/2006 9:09:57 AM PST by Tarkin
(2006-03-31) — A team of scientists today ended a 10-year study on the so-called “power of prayer” by concluding that God cannot be manipulated by humans, not even by scientists with a $2.4 million research grant.
The scientists also noted that their work was “sabotaged by religious zealots” secretly praying for study subjects who were supposed to receive no prayer.
The allegations came at a news conference where researchers announced their findings that intercessory prayer by two Roman Catholic religious communities and a group from the Missouri-based Unity church failed to produce better results for patients recovering from heart surgery.
“As it turns out, God was not impressed by our academic credentials, our substantial funding base, and our rigorous study protocols,” said lead researcher Dr. Herbert Benson, a cardiologist and director of the Mind/Body Medical Institute near Boston. “I get the feeling we just spent 10 years looking through the wrong end of the telescope.”
While patients who knew they were the targets of the study’s intercessory prayer team actually had more post-operative complications, Dr. Benson admitted he failed to prevent friends and relatives from praying for the “no prayer” control group.
“It really burns me up that we worked so hard, only to be undermined by an anonymous army of intellectual weaklings on their knees,” he said.
Dr. Benson said he would now seek $10 million in grants to explore whether fire can be called down from heaven to kindle a pile of wood. The control group’s wood will be drenched in water to prevent combustion.
Outstanding.
AMEN!
In other news, water has been declared wet.
The problem with any scientific study of God's reaction is that it assumes God doesn't know he's being studied.
"Dr. Benson said he would now seek $10 million in grants to explore whether fire can be called down from heaven to kindle a pile of wood. The control group’s wood will be drenched in water to prevent combustion."
Nah. Just go to th Witch of Endor and have her call on Elijah. He'll call fire down from heaven...
The weather report for tonight is dark - moving to lightly scattered light in the morning.
I thought this was another article on the original study, not scrappleface's take on it. Fooled me completely.
...and the assumption that the scientists were on good enough terms with Him for Him to answer their prayers...
:-)
LOL, great article.
Any comments on the title alone, or the article that follows? (I'm holding onto my hat because I feel a strom brewing.) :-)
wow ... i could have answered that without a lengthy study ... how can you manipulate an imaginary being?
How would they even know if they failed or didn't?
Ausgezeichnet!
Quite easily. Judging from your gullibility you're easily manipulable and you are a figment of God's imagination.
Your history and anthropology are way off.
Which is consistent with your willingness to be brainwashed by the nostrums of postmodern pop culture.
keep living in that closed minded existance.
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