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Duke MANTRA study: prayer doesn't cure

• Miracle Cures, Health Quackery

Scientific research conducted here in the City of Medicine at the hospital that once saved my life.

The MANTRA study, run from Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina, involved 750 patients.

Before their operations, they were randomly split into two groups, and half were prayed for by Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims.

However, checks revealed they had fared no better than those not prayed for.

The results of the controversial study contradict earlier findings from the same team which suggested a drop of a quarter or more in "adverse outcomes" - including death, heart failure or heart attack.

However, that trial involved only 150 patients, and the more extensive research, completed this year, found no evidence of any benefits. ...

Other experts are highly critical of the concept that the benefits of prayer might be "dose-dependent" - that is, that the benefits might increase as the number of people praying went up. ...

Dr Richard Sloan, from the New York Presbyterian Hospital, described the concept of a prayer "dose" as "absurd".

BBC: The world's largest study into the effects of prayer on patients undergoing heart surgery has found it appears to make no difference.

Richard Evans Lee
October 16, 2003 •
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Comments

In paragraph five, it indicates that there is a possiblity that volume prayer could bring these statistics to a different conclusion. I know that prayer does work and it would help if the person(s)you are praying for are believers in Christ. Then do you studies

Posted by: Stevie2053 | October 21, 2003 11:00 AM

No, it says that a foolish few think that God might answer the prayer if more people pray. Unsurprisingly most theologians thought the idea that God requires a minimum number of prayers before he performs a miracle embarassing. If the Christian God did answer prayer I'm sure you are right: he'd let the heathen suffer and die. No need to study something that you "know" is true. Silly Christians.

Posted by: Dr. Theology | October 21, 2003 11:05 AM

How do you feel?

Feel free to share your feelings about Duke MANTRA study: prayer doesn't cure. Please stick to the theme of the entry. Disagreement is fine. Homophobia, racism, and kindred expressions of hatred will be deleted. This site is one of my hobbies. I genuinely enjoy hearing from people and hate moderating or killing comments. Forthright disagreement is fine as long as it is civil.
My thanks,
Richard

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