clamp down on christian false claims about prayer

Originally posted by seagull
People believe in the power of prayer. Believe that miracles do happen.

No matter what people believe, it is more likely that miracles do not happen. Well, this is one's opinion, but miracle referes into something, that defies the laws of nature - hence being supernatural. And quite likely, in universe, there exists no such thing.

There are of course phenomenas that exceed our limited understanding, but there is no supernatural, as there are no miracles, unless one considers miracle as something that is unexplainable for one's reason. It is an erroneous conception tho:

A miracle is a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature, such that can be attempted to be explained by divine intervention, and is sometimes associated with a miracle worker. Many folktales, religious texts, and people claim various events they refer to as "miraculous". People in different cultures have substantially different definitions of the word "miracle".

Source

Healing as a result of prayer is not a miracle, but a psychological phenomena. Swiss psyciatrist C.G. Jung is reported to succeed in healing a women who was incapable to walk without the help of canes; but after dr. Jung talked to her for a while, projected himself (a succesful doctor) as her son (Lady's own bilogical son had failed her high expectations, hence causing a psychological defect in mother herself, resulting in physical incapacity), as a result of the psychological healing, also the physical incapacity was healed, and the lady left clinic without the canes.

So, our psyche is capable of creating physical defects - and prayer can heal those psychological locks, which cause physical defects and diseases. But there is nothing miraculous in there; if the disease or defect is of psychological cause, a prayer can heal it, but if it is of physical nature, praying is insuffient as medicine.

The placebo medicine works very much on same basis. They work admirably well on hypochondriacs who fear that they are ill even there is nothing wrong with their body - it is just the mind that makes up things, so feed them with placebo and tell them that it is the most effective medicine, and they will quite likely get better.

Furthemore, one might think that 'godmedicine' i.e prayer, works with same principle - one believes the god to be the superior power and maker of miracles, and if the illness is of psychological nature, it is quite likely healed. But if it of physiological nature and will not heal by the power of prayer, the unhealed poor bastard is most likely deemed to be a sinner and a fornicator, who deserves not the mercy of god and hence, not to be healed (as suggested in some post on previous page).

-v

[edit on 3-12-2009 by v01i0]