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Related Experiment Videos

Science, medicine, and intercessory prayer.

Richard P Sloan1, Rajasekhar Ramakrishnan

  • 1Behavioral Medicine Program, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA. rps7@columbia.edu

Perspectives in Biology and Medicine
|December 6, 2006
PubMed
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Studies on distant intercessory prayer (IP) appear rigorous but fail scientific standards. Uncontrolled prayer exposure and undefined outcomes invalidate IP research, suggesting it should cease until methodological issues are resolved.

Area of Science:

  • Medical research
  • Psychology of religion
  • Methodology of randomized controlled trials

Background:

  • Intercessory prayer (IP) studies are methodologically strong attempts to link religious activity with medical benefits.
  • These studies often resemble randomized controlled trials (RCTs), making them appear scientifically valid.
  • However, a critical review reveals significant methodological flaws that undermine their conclusions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate the methodological rigor of studies investigating the effects of distant intercessory prayer (IP).
  • To identify specific shortcomings in IP research that prevent it from meeting the standards of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
  • To provide recommendations for the future conduct of research on religious activity and health outcomes.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of existing studies on distant intercessory prayer (IP) for adherence to randomized controlled trial (RCT) standards.
  • Examination of methods for measuring and controlling exposure to prayer.
  • Assessment of outcome variable specification and statistical analysis protocols.

Main Results:

  • IP studies fail to adequately measure and control for confounding prayer exposure from sources other than the intended intercessors.
  • The unknown magnitude and variability of supplemental prayer exposure significantly attenuate treatment and control group differences, necessitating unfeasibly large sample sizes.
  • Lack of specified outcome variables leads to issues with multiple comparisons and Type 1 errors, and findings conflict with established scientific principles.

Conclusions:

  • Current studies on intercessory prayer (IP) do not meet the rigorous standards of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
  • Significant methodological challenges, including uncontrolled confounding variables and statistical issues, must be addressed before further IP research is conducted.
  • The scientific community should refrain from conducting IP studies until these fundamental problems are resolved and the research is methodologically sound.