PRAYER4.CBS 10/11/04 12:00 AM-DLR   1:25
The science of prayer.  This is Dave Ross on the CBS Radio Network.
In the New York Times over the weekend was a story about a number of scientific studies designed to test the idea that sick people heal faster when you pray for them.
These are studies designed to find out - objectively, by measuring data - whether you truly can pray someone to health.
In one study, doctors at a San Francisco hospital intentionally make a tiny cut in the abdomens of volunteers.   Then as faith healers focus on the wounds, the researchers measure the rate of healing compared to wounds that get no spiritual attention.
Other experiments involve praying for heart patients.  One study in 1988 claimed that coronary patients who received prayers needed fewer drugs and less help breathing.
I'm curious though - if it turns out prayer does work, how do we know WHICH prayers?  The prayers for the heart patients, or the prayers of the researchers themselves, hoping for convincing data?
And even more fundamental, how can anyone look at the advancements in medicine - from outpatient heart surgery to spinal cord repair to Viagra - not see ALL that stuff as an answer to SOMEBODY's prayer?  
I know, the argument goes that since 45% of all adults use prayer when sickness strikes, and since many of them are poor people who don't get health care, we have an obligation to find out if prayer really works.
OK, but I can tell you this, people who are desperate are going to pray whether scientists prove it works or not, and even IF they can prove it works, I think it works a lot better if you have health insurance.
In fact, you might want to keep affordable premiums in your prayers.
Now this.
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