Owen Massey McKnight ([info]addedentry) wrote,
@ 2003-10-23 15:15:00
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Invisible means of support
Tonight the BBC asks 'Does Prayer Work?' If you don't want to know the answer, look away now don't read the official spoiler. Francis Galton's Statistical Inquiries into the Efficacy of Prayer had this nailed in the nineteenth century:
It would be most unwise, from a business point of view, to allow the devout, supposing their greater longevity even probable, to obtain annuities at the same low rates as the profane.

Coming soon from the BBC's Religion & Ethics department: 'Are Bears Catholic?'


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[info]pseudomonas
2003-10-23 07:24 am UTC (link)
The BBC is running short of material, isn't it?

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[info]ex_kharin447
2003-10-23 07:35 am UTC (link)
Perhaps a study on the inverse of this is needed. For example, as I recall transcendental meditation has some rather poorly publicised health implications:

http://www.trancenet.org/research/toc.shtml

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[info]addedentry
2003-10-23 11:28 am UTC (link)
Thank goodness for the executive summary. I'm not sure vegetarianism counts as an adverse effect, but I enjoyed this:

"It is legitimate to suppose that it is a policy of the T.M. movement to change the attitudes of meditators, in as far as money will be unimportant (generally) to them in the first place, but that meditators will be ready to spend their money on expensive T.M. courses, or make it available to the organization for its expansion program."

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[info]ex_kharin447
2003-10-24 03:03 am UTC (link)
I was more thinking of the summary pointing to this:

"The acceptance of these teachings causes a loss in the sense of reality, altered social attitudes, which themselves lead to a breaking off of or reduction in contacts to the world of non-meditators.

The 'one-to-one' type of relationship is replaced by a narcissistic ego-centric "me" type of relationship."

I have come across other studies which suggested meditation leads to some parts of the brain becoming impaired.

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[info]award
2003-10-23 11:18 am UTC (link)
These lines in the report said:

"However, there were certain anomalies in the data. The results indicated that prayer may help reduce patients' distress levels."

I think I have heard of something like this before - Someone called it the 'Placebo Effect' I believe...

I think that if a person has faith then someone praying for them would be at least enough to raise their spirits at least and that can go a long way.

But quite frankly I prefer science and I'd choose a double bypass over a Hail Mary any day of the week!

Wardy

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[info]addedentry
2003-10-23 11:26 am UTC (link)
I'd also be happy to believe that prayer helps the mental state of the person praying.

As always we can rely on The Onion for tart comment on the Placebo drug [Google cache].

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[info]award
2003-10-23 03:24 pm UTC (link)
Absolutely - I am a firm beliver that if a person is in a better state mentally than it can by physically benificial, even if the benefit is so small it could be described as negligable.

Wardy

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[info]megadog
2003-10-23 11:59 am UTC (link)
Placebos - also known in the medical world as Confabulase, Gratifycin, Deludium, Hoaxacillin, Placebic Acid and Panacease...

Reminds me of the comment I made to someone who was extolling the undeniable virtues and universal-applicability of homeopathy:

OK smartarse - tell me what is the homeopathic treatment for gunshot-wounds?.

Is there some sort of equivalent of a donor-card which could be carried by us atheists - which states that "In the event that I am seriously injured, I do not want to be prayed-for or visited in hospital by any government health-minister" ??

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[info]addedentry
2003-10-23 01:37 pm UTC (link)
Private Eye, NTK and simply everyone has linked to the Barefoot Doctor getting a well-deserved roasting on The Guardian talkboards.

(It's arnica, usually.)

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[info]pseudomonas
2003-10-23 01:57 pm UTC (link)
How lovely. Thank you. http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/ is worth keeping an eye on, too.

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