Elder Robert C. Gay Uses The Priesthood To Resurrect A Gnat He Had Just Murdered

[huckelberry]

Somehow that just does not make any sense unless it means prayer instead of medical care and proper Health activities. Otherwise a skeptic would expect no change.

What doesn't make sense? It was a study done by the Templeton Foundation (not Pew). They are a religious organization they weren't critics.

Rivendell, my question didn't have anything to do with who did the study. No matter who did the study, I was puzzled by the result. I wonder what was the cause of the strange result? One would expect much the same results for either group would one not? It is natural to wonder what caused fewer prayed for people to be healed?

[malkie]

What dosen't make sense? It was a study done by the Templeton Foundation (not Pew). They are a religious organization they weren't critics.

Rivendell, my question didn't have anything to do with who did the study. No matter who did the study, I was puzzled by the result. I wonder what was the cause of the strange result? One would expect much the same results for either group would one not? It is natural to wonder what caused fewer prayed for people to be healed?

One possibility that occurs to me is that prayed-for people (if they knew, or expected, that they were being prayed for) may have followed good medical advice less carefully, because they expected divine intervention to outweigh science.

[Rivendale]

What dosen't make sense? It was a study done by the Templeton Foundation (not Pew). They are a religious organization they weren't critics.

Rivendell, my question didn't have anything to do with who did the study. No matter who did the study, I was puzzled by the result. I wonder what was the cause of the strange result? One would expect much the same results for either group would one not? It is natural to wonder what caused fewer prayed for people to be healed?

Your questions have been answered on this thread.

[I Have Questions]

What doesn't make sense? It was a study done by the Templeton Foundation (not Pew). They are a religious organization they weren't critics.

Rivendell, my question didn't have anything to do with who did the study. No matter who did the study, I was puzzled by the result. I wonder what was the cause of the strange result? One would expect much the same results for either group would one not? It is natural to wonder what caused fewer prayed for people to be healed?

What caused the result was the vagaries of human physiology. One would not expect one collection of humans to perform exactly the same as any other group of humans, on the basis that each individual is unique. I would hazard a guess that were the exercise to be repeated, it may not show the exact same thing. But what it would show is that medical attention is what makes the difference.

People promoting prayer remind me of a folk tale about making stone soup…

Some travelers come to a village, carrying nothing more than an empty cooking pot. Upon their arrival, the villagers are unwilling to share any of their food stores with the very hungry travelers. Then the travelers go to a stream and fill the pot with water, drop a large stone in it, and place it over a fire. One of the villagers becomes curious and asks what they are doing. The travelers answer that they are making "stone soup", which tastes wonderful and which they would be delighted to share with the villager, although it still needs a little bit of garnish, which they are missing, to improve the flavor.

The villager, who anticipates enjoying a share of the soup, does not mind parting with a few carrots, so these are added to the soup. Another villager walks by, inquiring about the pot, and the travelers again mention their stone soup which has not yet reached its full potential. More and more villagers walk by, each adding another ingredient, like potatoes, onions, cabbages, peas, celery, tomatoes, sweetcorn, meat (like chicken, pork and beef), milk, butter, salt and pepper. Finally, the stone (being inedible) is removed from the pot, and a delicious and nourishing pot of soup is enjoyed by travelers and villagers alike. Although the travelers have thus tricked the villagers into sharing their food with them, they have successfully transformed it into a tasty meal which they share with the donors.

And so it goes with prayer.