[AndrewC]

The pregnant women were unaware of the prayer. This is a double blind and is indicative of true science. The JRM article is here

Comments, explanations?

[AndrewC]

Ping

[AndrewC]

Ping

[PatrickHenry]

"Every time I put the line down I would say a Hail Mary, and every time I said a Hail Mary, I would catch a fish."
-- Fredo to Anthony, the Godfather

[Gumlegs]

Interesting, if somewhat disquieting. I mean disquieting in the sense that I was taught that petitioning for any given "x" in prayer was a misuse of prayer. We pray for guidance and to accept God's will, do we not?

Anyway, I'm sure someone is out there somewhere attempting to replicate the experiment.

[Physicist]

Comments, explanations?

My comment is that the true test would be to repeat the experiment, but have the pilgrims praying for half the pregnancies to fail. Will the correlation be positive or negative?

The most interesting explanation would be one from the Catholic church. According to the Pope, IVF is immoral. This must be a real dilemma for them.

[Zon]

Hey folks. The people praying are doing something that they hope will help women get pregnant. That's it. Makes no validation of a God any more than it validates the existence of a consciously controlled universal computer. Which I happen to believe exists.

There has been numerous replication tests (blind and double blind) that validate remote viewing does work. I proved to myself that associative remote viewing does work. 

Prayer and/or religion had nothing to do with it. People of several denominations, atheists and agnostics alike are able to remote view.

I know remote healing is a "practice". I haven't looked at any test results to validate or refute its effectiveness. I have read a few discussions by people that do it. If you're interested here's a link to the discussion board. (Click the 'messages' link in the upper left sidebar.) You'll have to pose the questions. People on the forum will be able to provide information via their own experiences and links to more information. 

[StoneColdGOP]

OK, but I don't get it. They pray for the invitro to work, that's all well and good I suppose.

But why not pray for the old fashioned bedroom fertilization method to work?

"Dear Lord,

Please bless and watch over our horizontal mambo as we attempt to become parents.
Allow us the strength and stamina to endure the task at hand as long as is necessary.
Give us the tencity to try again if we fail. And to try again and again and again and again and again...
Bless us with the inspired will to enter into fruitful procreative frenzy at any time.
Watch over and guide us as in this task, and at least make it good for both of us.

In your name, Amen."

[Godel]

Prayer can double the success rate of IVF treatments, according to a double blind study published in the respected Journal of Reproductive Medicine.

This is interesting, especially considering the fact that many religious groups consider IVF to go against God's will, due to the fact that it results in unused embryos that will be destroyed.

If God doesn't like IVF why does praying to him make it more successful?