On Efficacy of Prayer
God answers prayers in the form of “yes”, “no” and “wait”.
Christianity.com (christianity.com/faith/1430201.aspx)
The statement is not unique to the source quoted, thus I feel it important to spend time exposing the superstition of prayer.
Every question ever conceived by the human mind can be rewritten to a number of yes / no compatible queries. When all conditions are defined, either something is, or is not. Wait can also be reduced. It means no in the present, and yes in the future.
Just as an answer to everything tells us nothing - it’s entirely blue, and entirely orange; round, but also square; rough and smooth, good and bad; all conditions being true, you have no idea what I’m talking about -, the same goes for our supposed answers from god. God’s answers cover all available options and potential outcomes, thus cannot be used as an affirmation of the efficacy of prayer.
If you see nothing wrong with the quote and suggested concept, I’d like you to conduct an experiment: for a change pray not to god, but to the flying spaghetti monster (FSM). For my hypothetical scenario, I’ll assume your current job leaves a lot to be desired, and you pray for a new one.
Scenario 1: Your prayer worked! Less than a week passes from interview to starting date. The FSM answered your prayer with a resounding “Yes!”
Scenario 2: Six months later you’re at the same job, doing exactly what you were doing when you started prayer for a new one. How long need you wait? Is the answer “No”?
Scenario 3: A year later, after several interviews, you’re almost ready to give up on the position with a new employer. That morning, a letter arrives with a job offer. Thank the FSM, for all this time the answer was “Wait”!
Regardless of what happens, in the end the scenario aligns with one of the potential answers attributed to the FSM. Reality could not have brought by any other scenario, no miracle took place, yet you might get the illusion that you got an answer.
Your faith in god should not increase as a result of any ‘outcome to prayer’. ‘Answered prayers’ can not be a confirmation in favour of god’s existence since they are a manifestation of the faith in god which you started with. Affirming faith with faith is akin to worshiping another kind of god.
No scientific proof exists for the efficacy of prayer. You may have heard and believe otherwise, as did I for much of my life. Reputable and scientific research into the matter yielded no evidence suggesting that prayer positively changes anything outside of the brains of those doing the praying. Interestingly, those in the study whom knew a group prayed for their health had it decline. The phenomenon is commonly believed to be a result of ‘performance anxiety’.
Consider this: the Queen of England has many a prayer dedicated to her in the Church of England. Shouldn’t she be the healthiest person on earth?