Templeton Foundation Study: Prayer Has No Effect On Patients

According to an Associated Press story by Malcolm Ritter, "researchers found that having people pray for heart bypass surgery patients had no effect on their recovery. In fact, patients who knew they were being prayed for had a slightly higher rate of complications."

What conclusions, if any, can we draw from this study by the Templeton Foundation?

This study doesn't prove that there is no god, only that if there is a god, he is unmoved by supplications on behalf of sick or injured individuals.

The Almighty may be deaf to solicitations on behalf of patients, but it doesn't mean that prayer is a waste of time. If prayer helps the friends and family of a patient attain peace of mind that's a good thing, because a seriously ill person doesn't need to be around people who can't control their emotions.

I am at a loss to explain why patients who knew they were being prayed for had a slightly higher rate of complications. Perhaps it's because we all know how imperfect our loved ones are, and we imagine that god will never listen to them.

Those who don't believe in the efficacy of prayer shouldn't look down on people who pray. If a loved one is in a critical condition, and your family is praying for him, let them be, take care of the practical things while they intercede with their deity.

If prayer doesn't help patients recover or heal from their injuries or illnesses, then perhaps instead of beseeching god for miracles we should support the many charities that are seeking cures for cancer, AIDS and other sicknesses that befall us frail human beings.

Belief in a deity may give us peace of mind, but in the end it's up to us to find solutions to the perplexing problems that we face.