STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

RyanJ · Coach

How does prayer work?

Irene · Dooney & Bourke

I am not sure I understand the question. Prayer is just when you speak to God on a one to one level. You don't necessarily have to ask for something; you can give thanks.

RyanJ · Coach

Irene wrote:

I am not sure I understand the question. Prayer is just when you speak to God on a one to one level. You don't necessarily have to ask for something; you can give thanks.

When someone is sick is always seems like the idea is to have as many people as possible pray for this person. My boyfriend's mother is alwasys making calls to people in their church to have them pray for Edith because she is getting her hip replaced on Tuesday. Why does Edith need 150 people praying for her? Why can't Edith just pray for herself?

-- Edited by RyanJ at 11:53, 2006-04-04

honey · Gucci

RyanJ wrote:

Irene wrote: I am not sure I understand the question. Prayer is just when you speak to God on a one to one level. You don't necessarily have to ask for something; you can give thanks. When someone is sick is always seems like the idea is to have as many people as possible pray for this person. My boyfriend's mother is alwasys making calls to people to the them to pray for Edith because she is getting her hip replaced on Tuesday. Why does Edith need 150 people praying for her? Why can't Edith just pray for herself?

i can't answer the part on how prayer works b/c if i knew that i'd be a millionaire several times over. however in the bible there's a scripture that talks about how if two or more people bind something on earth, it's the same in heaven (paraphrasing). which is essentially the same as saying the more people praying the better. so that's probably why your bf's mom is forming a prayer chain.

Irene · Dooney & Bourke

RyanJ wrote:

Irene wrote: I am not sure I understand the question. Prayer is just when you speak to God on a one to one level. You don't necessarily have to ask for something; you can give thanks. When someone is sick is always seems like the idea is to have as many people as possible pray for this person. My boyfriend's mother is alwasys making calls to people in their church to have them pray for Edith because she is getting her hip replaced on Tuesday. Why does Edith need 150 people praying for her? Why can't Edith just pray for herself? -- Edited by RyanJ at 11:53, 2006-04-04

Oh, I see. Well Edith can pray for herself. However, there is a general belief that the more people you have praying for one desire, the more chance you have it will be granted. I don't fully believe that myself. I believe that God will only help those that help themselves so in order to get something you want,sure it is nice to have others ask for it for you, but you MUST ask for it yourself too. But if you think of it, having a bunch of people pray for you can't hurt right?

-- Edited by Irene at 12:01, 2006-04-04

ayo · Coach

ok well I can answer this from my perspective as a born again Christian. So you can take it for what it's worth

The bible talks about the power of numbers " whenever two or more are gathered together in he's name he is there " (that's a big paraphrase but you get the idea)

So while you can certainly pray individually but born agains believe that if you want expediency then you get with a group and come to him in agreement

that's the very brief cliff notes version of it....if you want me to expound upon anything please ask.

Starstuff · Kenneth Cole

If you’d like an atheist’s view on it… I think it works because people gather together and have the same thoughts and desires for something, and the force of that mental energy effects (or doesn’t effect) the person who needs it. Now, I don’t know how much of it is a placebo effect (people are praying for me, so I must be getting better.) vs. the power of positive thinking, but really, it can’t hurt, right?

Sometimes I think prayer circles are designed to help people who are dealing with stressful situations – more so than the person for whom the prayers are being said.

Drew · Gucci

This is slightly off topic, but the other day on one of the morning shows they announced the result of a major scientific study looking at the power of prayer. I'm going to see if I can find the info on the net... easy enough, I found it and posted it below. Basically, in a nutshell the study found that people who didn't know for certain they would be prayed for did much better than the group that knew they would definately be prayed for. I think the greater complications arose because perhaps those people felt helpless to help themselves, like they had to rely on outside sources for healing, where as the other group knew they should rely on themselves. Just one theory... anyway, I think it relates enough to include in this post.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12082681/

Power of prayer flunks an unusual test
Large study had Christians pray for heart-surgery patients

The Associated Press
Updated: 3:23 p.m. ET March 30, 2006

NEW YORK - In the largest study of its kind, 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.

Researchers emphasized that their work can't address whether God exists or answers prayers made on another's behalf. The study can only look for an effect from prayers offered as part of the research, they said.

They also said they had no explanation for the higher complication rate in patients who knew they were being prayed for, in comparison to patients who only knew it was possible prayers were being said for them.

Critics said the question of God's reaction to prayers simply can't be explored by scientific study.

The work, which followed about 1,800 patients at six medical centers, was financed by the Templeton Foundation, which supports research into science and religion. It will appear in the American Heart Journal.

Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School and other scientists tested the effect of having three Christian groups pray for particular patients, starting the night before surgery and continuing for two weeks. The volunteers prayed for "a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications" for specific patients, for whom they were given the first name and first initial of the last name.

The patients, meanwhile, were split into three groups of about 600 apiece: those who knew they were being prayed for, those who were prayed for but only knew it was a possibility, and those who weren't prayed for but were told it was a possibility.

The researchers didn't ask patients or their families and friends to alter any plans they had for prayer, saying such a step would have been unethical and impractical.

The study looked for any complications within 30 days of the surgery. Results showed no effect of prayer on complication-free recovery. But 59 percent of the patients who knew they were being prayed for developed a complication, versus 52 percent of those who were told it was just a possibility.

Dr. Harold G. Koenig, director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at the Duke University Medical Center, who didn't take part in the study, said the results didn't surprise him.

"There are no scientific grounds to expect a result and there are no real theological grounds to expect a result either," he said. "There is no god in either the Christian, Jewish or Moslem scriptures that can be constrained to the point that they can be predicted."

Within the Christian tradition, God would be expected to be concerned with a person's eternal salvation, he said, and "why would God change his plans for a particular person just because they're in a research study?"

Science, he said, "is not designed to study the supernatural."

alb · Marc Jacobs

ayo wrote:

ok well I can answer this from my perspective as a born again Christian. So you can take it for what it's worth The bible talks about the power of numbers " whenever two or more are gathered together in he's name he is there " (that's a big paraphrase but you get the idea) So while you can certainly pray individually but born agains believe that if you want expediency then you get with a group and come to him in agreement that's the very brief cliff notes version of it....if you want me to expound upon anything please ask.

I agree with this, and have noticed a difference in my life through prayer.

alb · Marc Jacobs

Irene wrote:

Irene wrote: I believe that God will only help those that help themselves so in order to get something you want,sure it is nice to have others ask for it for you, but you MUST ask for it yourself too. -- Edited by Irene at 12:01, 2006-04-04

Huh? Sorry I have to disagree with this. God answers prayers of individuals about other people all the time (like for example, a prayer to soften someone's heart). There is no prerequisite that the person prayed for has to also ask or pray for God's help.

Hermes

Starstuff wrote:

If you’d like an atheist’s view on it… I think it works because people gather together and have the same thoughts and desires for something, and the force of that mental energy effects (or doesn’t effect) the person who needs it.

I ditto this. Also, to Drew's point, there are studies that show that those who are prayed for (without being aware they are prayed for) tend to improve more rapidly.

Even thought I don't believe in an organized religion or a supernatural being, I do believe there is an energy we all share - what that is, I don't know, but I think that this energy serves as a conduit for concentrated positive energy to flow from one being to an intended other.

Irene · Dooney & Bourke

alb wrote:

Huh? Sorry I have to disagree with this. God answers prayers of individuals about other people all the time (like for example, a prayer to soften someone's heart). There is no prerequisite that the person prayed for has to also ask or pray for God's help.

Ok, so we believe different things. No biggie.