Assume a third world: God answers all prayers.
In this world, would it be possible for those of finite perception to second-guess the infinite? Could we possibly be able to distinguish between the "no", the "maybe" and the "no response"? Could we be sure that having something go the way we wanted was truly a "yes" answer and not just laissez-faire?
I submit to you that there is no way for the finite to put the infinite to the test. He has told us to turn to Him in prayer--and so we do. If we truly acknowledge Him in all His Glory, we will have to trust the outcome of our relationship.
Your logical stream is interrupted by your sample size. You may statistically test a hypothetical behavior based on certain stimuli to a statistically significant number of people. There is no way to make a statistical, empirical nor scientific conclusion from the actions of one being.
Time to go home. I enjoyed our discussion. Happy Easter--may the risen Christ bless you.
>Could we possibly be able to distinguish between the "no", the "maybe" and the "no response"? Could we be sure that having something go the way we wanted was truly a "yes" answer and not just laissez-faire?
We should be able to, yes. For this simple reason: those without prayers will have a recovery rate of X. Those *with* prayers should have a recovery rate of X+Y. If Y is indistinguishable from 0, then you've demonstrated that prayer is ineffective in attaining the goal of the prayer.
These experiments are not designed to see if God exists, or how tall he is or how much he weighs, but simply to see if prayer is effective in aiding heart surgery patients. Assuming 1800 patients is a statistically valid sample size... they have demonstrated that there seems to be little validity to prayers as a means to improve recovery from such surgeries.
> I submit to you that there is no way for the finite to put the infinite to the test.
This experiment showed one way to do just that.