Christians do not truly believe prayer works

by Chitchensfan
Conversation overheard between a Christian and an Atheist at a hospital:

Christian: Did you see God’s miracle take place?

Athiest:  What miracle was that?

Christian: The man in this bed before you.  He was terminally ill.  I’ve been praying for him and he is recovering.  You see, prayer works.  Isn’t God’s love grand?

Atheist: But the man is a criminal.  He deserved to die.

Christian: But God forgives.

Athleist:  What about the poor sap beside him in the other bed?

Christian:  What about him?

Atheist: You’ve been praying for him as well.  He died.  Unlike the man who has recovered he was a good man with a nice family. He was a faithful Christian. Where was God’s love?

Christian: We aren’t intended to know God’s plan for us.

Athiest: But his family is without a husband, a father, a provider.  What possible explanation could there be?

Christian: (shrugs) God works in mysterious ways.

Ok, the conversation above was made up, but it’s a similar conversation I’ve had with many Christians who insist that God listens to all prayers and that prayer works.

Isn’t it all a bit too convenient? 

But then again religion was made by man and convenience had to be interjected to explain the unexplainable. It became necessary for early church leaders to have an answer for everything, even if the answer is as all-encompassing as, “We are not meant to know God’s master plan.” 

The claim is insulting but not as insulting as the claim other religious zealots cling to, that the person dying or suffering “did not pray hard enough” or that there was some other offense to God.

There was a great debate over a study made by Dr. Randolph Byrd in 1988 and a follow-up study reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 1999.  The study attempted to discern whether patients in hospitals who were prayed for, knowingly or unknowingly, were more likely to recover than patients who had no one praying for them.

http://www.gpposner.com/Harris_study.html

A great debate took place over nuances of the study’s variables and shortcomings in interpreting the results.  Those who believed in prayer place heavy weight to relatively tiny bits of positive information and those who did not believe prayer worked took great pride in the “statistical insignificance” between the prayer and non-prayer groups.

I believe both sides missed the greater picture altogether. For one thing, if prayer truly worked would there be any doubt whatsoever about the results?  Of course not.

Consider that the study took place in a hospital.  If prayer's effectiveness was truly being measured, why would a hospital or a doctor be needed at all?

If one wished to truly decide whether prayer works a study would be made of 1000 cancer patients.  Five hundred of the patients would rely on medical treatment and the other five hundred would rely on prayer alone.  Sounds ridiculous, right? Of course it is.  And yet if people truly believed that prayer worked, no hospital or doctor would be neccessary.

Let's try that study.  I promise you the results would be "statistically significant."  But such a study would never take place. It would be illegal and immoral because everyone knows the results would be disasterous, even the most convicted religious zealots wouldn't take part despite claims that "God can do anything."

An all-knowing, all-powerful, loving God would a need a hospital in the same manner that a man would need a hand grenade to dispose of an ant – if there were a God that is.

Religious types may pound their fists and scream about prayer from the rafters all they like, but they are lying if they tell you they truly believe prayer works.  They don’t believe it all.