There have been a couple of controlled studies looking at the issue of whether ill people who are prayed for do better than the control. They showed no evidence of efficacy. If I have time I'll try to find them.
A physician at a major university teaching hospital once told me that they were beginning to teach doctors that faith seems to have a role in healing. He could not say whether it was because of a positive attitude. He only said that faith could have a positive impact.
There is a famous fraudulent study that said prayer did work. The Journal retracted and the editor was punished. It turned out that the whole thing was faked.
Of course
Leibovici, L., “Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients with bloodstream infection: randomised controlled trial,” BMJ 2001;323:1450-1451, found that prayer was effective (p < .05).
I’m not sure why (other than materialist bias) the headline should make it a “vs.” There is a strong tradition among Orthodox Christians that the intercessions of St. John Maximovich are effective for healing only in cases where the patient has submitted himself or herself to modern medical care. (There are other saints whose intercessions are held to be effective for healing w/o such a caveat.)
“There have been a couple of controlled studies looking at the issue of whether ill people who are prayed for do better than the control. They showed no evidence of efficacy. If I have time I’ll try to find them.”
Bad sample in the study.
“and we ask, dear Father, for miraculous healing for those whose names we do not know and for comfort for their relatives during this diffcult time.”
Very common prayer in our church as well as others. You cannot get a clean samole. Prayer works.