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Prayer a Powerful Healer

My aunt Eliza is our family's "pray-er" -- the one who routinely offers up prayers whenever any of us are ill or about to undergo a medical procedure. So far, everyone has recovered. We've often wondered how much Eliza's prayers had to do with that -- and now a new study reveals perhaps more than the skeptics in my family think. A review of 17 studies on the effects of intercessory prayer -- prayer that is offered for the benefit of another person -- showed net positive effects for people who received prayers for their medical or psychological problems. While some of the studies showed statistically significant positive effects for prayer and others did not, when the effects are averaged across all 17 studies, researchers found that intercessory prayer may indeed help people heal. In all but one of those studies, participants were divided into two groups with one group receiving prayer in addition to conventional treatment for their condition, and the other group receiving only conventional treatment. These studies were double-blind. In other words, neither patients nor health-care providers knew who was receiving prayer.

The range of health problems in the studies varied widely, including heart disease, AIDS, infertility, leukemia, arthritis and psychiatric disorders, to name a few. The prayers offered varied by type, the number of "intercessors" and by religious faith. Sometimes prayers were part of a regular church service or group prayer session, and in other instances individuals prayed on their own, in their own homes. Interestingly, the results showed no correlation between the religion of the intercessor, the type of prayer invoked, the number of intercessors or the specific medical condition of the participants. The criteria for inclusion in this study review were simple -- intercessory prayer had to have been used with a population of clients or patients and efficacy had to be measured, preferably using standardized measures and a double-blind randomized control methodology. I called study author David R. Hodge, PhD, assistant professor at Arizona State University and a senior nonresident fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society, to ask him to elaborate on this fascinating work. According to Dr. Hodge, in seven of the 17 studies, those who received intercessory prayer demonstrated significant improvement compared with those who received standard treatment, devoid of prayer. In another five studies, he said that the trend favored the prayed-for group -- there were improvements, but the positive effects noted did not reach what are considered statistically significant levels. Then, when the results of all 17 studies were combined, there was indeed a small but significant overall positive finding for prayer. But Dr. Hodge added a cautionary note: Prayer appears to make a difference, but he does not advocate substituting prayer for medical treatment. Instead, prayer should be viewed as a supplement that may enhance positive effects.

So, should one pray for those who are ill?

Yes, if you or a loved one are inclined to do so. For that matter, you can pray for yourself and ask others to pitch in as well... because doing something supportive for someone such as saying a prayer for their well-being or health not only feels good, but may be healing, too.

Source(s): David R. Hodge, PhD, is assistant professor at Arizona State University and a senior nonresident fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society.

Ind. court restores prayers to capitol 11:05 AM, November 1

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 31 An appeals court panel Tuesday allowed prayers mentioning Jesus' name to be returned to the Indiana state legislature, tossing out a lawsuit two years ago that led to the prayers bing ruled unconstitutional. Social conservatives hailed the 2-1 decision by the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, although the justices avoided dealing directly with whether the prayers violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution as the lower court had ruled. The Indiana affiliate of the ACLU won the initial round in November 2005 when U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton ruled prayers must be "non-sectarian" and must not mention "Christ's name or title or any other denominational appeal." The majority ruled Tuesday that the four Indiana residents who brought the suit lacked standing because they had "not shown that the legislature has extracted from them tax dollars for the establishment and implantation" of a program that violates the Establishment Clause, Baptist Press reported Wednesday. Read More... Comment on this Story Printer Friendly Send Story to a Friend Top

Pope urges prayers for pro-life policies 11:05 AM, November 1
ROME, Vatican City, Nov. 1 Pope Benedict XVI announced his "general prayer intention" for November Wednesday: "That those dedicated to medical research and all those engaged in legislative activity may always have deep respect for human life, from its beginning to its natural conclusion." In his two-and-a-half years as Pontiff, Benedict consistently stressed the need for prayer to protect the sanctity of life and the family. His June prayer intent last year requested the Church to pray for Christian families, asking "That Christian families may lovingly welcome every child who comes into existence and surround the sick and the aged, who need care and assistance, with affection," LifeSiteNews.com reported Wednesday Read More...