does prayer help?

1. 0

   jomineposted 14 years ago

   god has a plan for everyone. he had planned it even before the beginning of this universe. so is he going to change his plans just because you prayed?
   again if he has a plan he might have already decided who all will be going to hell. so how can you help yourself, if he has already decided that you would be going to hell?

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      A la carteposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      nope..prayer is for the weakminded

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      spookyfoxposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Do you know George Carlin?

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   3. 91

      Paragliderposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      No-one is going to hell. Or heaven, for that matter. Don't worry

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      Beelzedadposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That would explain the tens of thousands of starving children who die daily. It's gods plan and no amount of prayer will change that.

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   5. 60

      kessposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      All will live the plan of God...
      
      Some in ignorance...
      
      some with knowledge...
      
      who truly desires to know will know

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      caribgal20posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Prayer does help. In fact it works like a miracle but not everything that we pray for we will get. A lot of us doesn't believe in God but when something happens the first person we call upon or pray to is God. IF he sees it's best he would answer ur prayers.

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   7. 0

      Onusonusposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Prayer is a way of increasing one's faith. To build a relationship with your creator you must communicate with him consistantly. Not only shouuld you pray when you are afflicted but also to give thanks to that being who preserves you from one moment to the next by lending you breath.
      It has been my personal experience that God does answer prayer. I have seen many diverse miracles in my life from extraordinary healings to simple fortunate turns of events.

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   Iontachposted 14 years ago

   Prayer helps if you believe it helps.

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3. 62

   Stump Parrishposted 14 years ago

   Largest Study of Third-Party Prayer Suggests Such Prayer Not Effective In Reducing Complications Following Heart Surgery
   
   http://web.med.harvard.edu/sites/RELEAS … 1STEP.html
   
   The STEP team, composed of investigators at six academic medical centers, including Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts; Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Florida; Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C; and the Mind/Body Medical Institute, found that intercessory prayer had no effect on recovery from surgery without complications. The study also found that patients who knew they were receiving intercessory prayer fared worse. The paper appears in the April issue of American Heart Journal.
   
   STEP investigators enrolled 1,802 bypass surgery patients from six hospitals and randomly assigned each to one of three groups: 604 patients received intercessory prayer after being informed they may or may not receive prayers (Group 1); 597 patients did not receive prayer after being informed they may or may not receive prayer (Group 2); and 601 patients received intercessory prayer after being informed they would receive it (Group 3).
   
   Unlike traditional intercessory prayers, STEP investigators imposed limitations on the usual way prayer-givers would normally provide prayer. The researchers standardized the start and duration of prayers and provided only the patients' first name and last initial. Prayers began on the eve or day of surgery and continued daily for 14 days. Everyone prayed for received the same standardized prayer. Providing the names of patients directed prayer-givers away from a desire to pray for everyone participating in the study. Because the study was designed to investigate intercessory prayer, the results cannot be extrapolated to other types of prayer.
   
   "Our study was never intended to address the existence of God or the presence or absence of intelligent design in the universe. The study did not endeavor, either, to compare the efficacy of one prayer form over another or to assess participants' understanding of the nature and purpose of prayer. Finally, it was not our objective to discover whether prayers from one religious group work better than prayers from another," said co-author Father Dean Marek, Director, Chaplain Services, Mayo Clinic. Patients across the three groups had similar religious profiles. Most believed in spiritual healing and almost all believed friends or relatives would be praying for them. Investigators did not ask patients to have their friends and families withhold prayers, and assumed that many patients prayed for themselves during the study.

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   wildernessposted 14 years ago

   Yes, prayer can help.  It seems to provide a great feeling of contentment, a lessening of stress, a more peaceful attitude.  It is much like a hug from Mom when a child is distraught - it makes the world all right again.
   
   That prayer cannot affect the world outside of your own mind and body is immaterial - it can and does affect the mental attitude of the faithful and in that respect can be quite beneficial.

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