Silence of Mind

Where God Speaks and Creation Listens

More Trouble For Atheists – German Study Shows Prayer Works

Poor atheists!  Their beloved science is just creaming every single one of their superstitious beliefs.

If it wasn’t bad enough that modern cosmology has conclusively proven that the universe is not eternal (therefore it had a beginning, therefore it had a First Cause), a scientific study has just shown that prayer works.

Here is the link to the story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2515637/Does-prayer-help-resist-temptation-Talking-God-boosts-self-control-emotional-stability-claims-study.html

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The big boohoo for atheists is that unless God is a jinni who gets activated by voice command (atheist prayer) then God doesn’t exist and prayer is worthless.

This is an example of how atheists cook up specially devised definitions, standards and requirements that are designed to fail and then declare victory when whatever they are trying to wish out of existence or discredit fails to meet those very same specially devised definitions, standards and requirements.

Atheists always use logical fallacies as the foundation for their arguments. 

That’s why all discussions with atheists end up being nothing more than a game of “Name That Phallus.”

But hope springs eternal even though the viagra begins to wear a little thin.

Silence of Mind

37 responses to “More Trouble For Atheists – German Study Shows Prayer Works”

  1. stylosharpen Avatar
    stylosharpen

    The article you linked to reports on a study (but does not link to it) that a purports to have found a correlation between prayer and self-control. How does that mean “prayer works”?

    The study suggests this:
    Prayer can lead to elevated sustainment of self-control.

    Your post suggests this:
    God exists and listens to our thoughts and then intervenes in human lives because of it.

    Do you see how those two things are not the same?

    I’m sure your discussion with atheists do result in a game of “Name That Phallus”, though likely not for the reasons you suspect.

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    1. silenceofmind Avatar
      silenceofmind

      Stylo,

      You do what atheists always do:

      You create an arbitrary standard or definition and then apply it to whatever you want to discredit.

      Atheists don’t get to define reality. Reality already is.

      Similarly, prayer already is.

      Ditch your atheist dogma. Then read the article with a clear, open mind and learn something about prayer.

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      1. stylosharpen Avatar
        stylosharpen

        If you’re willing to stop generalizing about atheists and have a conversation about the substance of my comment, I’m ready when you are.

        I did read the article, several times. And I understood it. The article says nothing about what participants prayed for, nor whether any of those prayers were “answered”. It doesn’t test the efficacy of prayer at all.

        What the study did was have participants either pray or not pray then take a series of tests that evaluate their self-control.

        Nowhere is it said or even suggested that participants prayed for better self-control. The could’ve prayed for it to rain unicorns for all we know.

        Speaking, as you so fondly do, of definitions; try looking up the definition of dogma. I have none, as a Christian you certainly do.

        Sorry, you don’t get to define reality either.

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        1. silenceofmind Avatar
          silenceofmind

          Stylo,

          I think you might be surprised at how uniform atheist thinking is. It’s like you guys came out of the same cookie cutter.

          So it is easy and accurate to generalize about atheists.

          Uniform brainwashing is a characteristic of the leftist postmodern.

          I took a course on self control. There is a biochemistry behind self control.

          The experiments on prayer show that prayer affects the biochemistry of self control.

          And since self control is fundamental to virtue, prayer helps with regard to virtuous living which is the foundation of holiness.

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          1. stylosharpen Avatar
            stylosharpen

            Well certainly there’s a least one thing in common about how all atheists think but, as an atheist who spends a vast amount of time with other atheists, I’m aware there also exists an incredible diversity of thought among us.

            I can happily make somewhat accurate generalizations about Christians but I don’t know if they apply to you specifically. So I’m trying not to bother as I’m not sure how it’d be useful.

            Here’s the generalization you made in reference to me:

            “You do what atheists always do:
            You create an arbitrary standard or definition and then apply it to whatever you want to discredit.”

            The thing is, I don’t think I did do that. Can you show me the the “arbitrary standard or definition” I created? And if not will you retract your accusation? And realize your generalization doesn’t apply here?

            Of course there’s bio-chemistry involved in self-control; it’s occurring in your brain. That’s entirely expected.

            So the study shows a link between prayer (a process occurring in your brain) and self-control (another process occurring in your brain). I believe we’re in agreement there.

            How do you get from that to the title of your article “More Trouble For Atheists – German Study Shows Prayer Works”?

            People use prayer as a method to attempt to communicate with a God in hopes he/she/it is listening and will grant their wishes, whatever those wishes may be. Again, nothing in the article suggests god exists, or answers prayers.

            I’m not troubled by the article at all, I think it’s an interesting insight into certain cognitive processes. That’s all. I’m not running scared, nor lapsing into denial, nor twisting my mind into knots trying to cope with some cognitive dissonance the study has caused.

            One thing about the article does perplex me though, how did we read the same thing, seem to grasp the same facts and, while my response was something akin to “huh, that’s neat”, yours was more along the lines “Ha, suck it atheists, God is real and prayer works”?

            Brains are so fascinating 😉

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          2. William Avatar
            William

            maybe you’re making giant leaps and pretending the study says something it doesnt. Does it draw any comparison to those who meditate? to those who think positively? have the ruled out a placebo?

            Does praying to your god or your specific religion matter, or does prayer to any god or deity work?

            and just a side note, disproving atheism (whether you can or cannot), does not prove the bible, much less your version of Christianity. At most, based on the article, is that you could say those who prayer tend to have better outcomes in the hospital. Cool.

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            1. Quackzalcoatl Avatar
              Quackzalcoatl

              What about voodoo and praying to the devil?? That seems to work. Spend a few days in Haiti with some of the locals, and then tell me there’s no such thing as the supernatural.

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  2. Arkenaten Avatar
    Arkenaten

    Ha ha ha ha ha,….ha ha ha ha ha,, lol….

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  3. john zande Avatar
    john zande

    SOM, where on earth did you get “prayer works” from “praying helps people maintain self-control”?

    Here’s an article concerning a real study which proved praying is useless.

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    1. silenceofmind Avatar
      silenceofmind

      John,

      If I said your penis is useless and I knew that because I’d interviewed all the nasty vermin females you’d been with (the atheist version of a study) would you believe me?

      I don’t think so.

      That’s because your penis is your own and who cares what a bunch of nasty vermin females think anyway, right?

      It’s the same with prayer.

      You, the atheist, don’t get to judge someone else’s.

      And I, the Great Me, don’t get to judge your penis, the object that brings the atheist the closest he’ll ever get to anything spiritual.

      Also, your study was about prayer healing illness. The study I cite is about prayer fostering virtue.

      You have a habit of comparing apples and oranges which is a logical fallacy and than making irrational, biased conclusions from your flawed phallus.

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      1. john zande Avatar
        john zande

        🙂

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        1. Allallt Avatar
          Allallt

          He’s harsher on his own blog, isn’t he?

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          1. john zande Avatar
            john zande

            He’s more wacky, which leads me to believe he’s just pulling everyone’s leg.

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            1. Allallt Avatar
              Allallt

              It’s difficult to tell. I’m going to have to remain content as an agnostic on this issue.

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  4. kellsbellsfrompc Avatar
    kellsbellsfrompc

    I enjoyed the article. I could actually bring up several to give you a homerun.

    Oftentimes, I wonder if I pray too nonchalantly with God; sorta like I’m talkin to one of my girl friends, or something. And I joke. 😯 I’m pretty sure God has a sense of humour as He created me, but I do get concerned about how forward I am in the prayer department. I am sincere.

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  5. Allallt Avatar
    Allallt

    There are psychological reasons that lying to yourself changes your behaviour. Google the psychological impact of forced compliance (by Festinger).
    So, this type of prayer, where you say something in your head and so something in your head changes, also needs to demonstration that there is an intervention. The psychological impact of forced compliance has been understood since 1959.

    What you really need is a prayer where you say something in your head and something outside your head that should have no relational cause with your head changes its behaviour. Can you find the positive result from a study of that nature.

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    1. Quackzalcoatl Avatar
      Quackzalcoatl

      I can’t tell you how many times I’ve prayed for someone to stop talking, and that person shut their mouth. BOOM. Prayer works. Your arguments are now invalid!

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  6. Allallt Avatar
    Allallt

    This study also doesn’t mention what the participants prayed for. Therefore there is not sign that the people praying got what they asked for. That makes prayer more akin to meditation that evidence of a supernatural.
    It also doesn’t tell you about religious splits, meaning that people who pray mean have not been doing it sincerely and people asked to think freely may have chosen to pray.
    Lastly, it doesn’t account for changes in locus of control. I’ve been studying psychology recently (auto-didactically) and studies would seem to suggest that religious people externalise their locus of control.

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    1. kellsbellsfrompc Avatar
      kellsbellsfrompc

      There have been specific studies done in hospitals where one patient is prayed for and another is not. The outcome was most definitely in favour of the person who was prayed for….. Can I get an Amen?!

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      1. Quackzalcoatl Avatar
        Quackzalcoatl

        Hellz yeah! Amen, sista!!!

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      2. Allallt Avatar
        Allallt

        Can I get a citation?!

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        1. kellsbellsfrompc Avatar
          kellsbellsfrompc

          You cannot, baby. Freedom OF speech, freedom OF religion……supreme law of the land…..pity our three branches haven’t read the Constitution. Well, they’re only sworn to uphold it, but that’s of no consequence as Miley Cyrus is twerking Santa, so we let our freedoms be taken bit by twerking bit….

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          1. Allallt Avatar
            Allallt

            You said people who are prayed for have better recoveries in hospital. Do you have a citation?

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            1. kellsbellsfrompc Avatar
              kellsbellsfrompc

              Oh, I get ya now. I thought it was a joke. Um, I read that study in Guidepost, I think….but a quick Google search brought a bunch up. Here’s one:http://www.dukehealth.org/health_library/news/5056
              I found that some of the negative outcomes in studies were due to the way they performed the study…..my opinion.

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            2. Arkenaten Avatar
              Arkenaten

              There is no evidence of exterior intervention. ie God shrugging his shoulders and metaphorically saying “Dammit, alright, as you prayed so nicely and begged I’ll cure his cancer.”

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  7. kellsbellsfrompc Avatar
    kellsbellsfrompc

    Arkanaten; I disagree. I started a new comment because on my computer everyone’s reply is difficult to read as I must go word by word downward.

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    1. Arkenaten Avatar
      Arkenaten

      You disagree that there is no evidence of a god intervening because of prayer?
      Are you serious?
      Well, I am all ears…please provide us with some evidence.

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      1. Spaghettittehgaps Avatar
        Spaghettittehgaps

        Ark, I just asked God to type this reply for me and He did.

        BOOM

        There’s your evidence right there, mothercrusher

        AMEN

        “If God is false, then nothing’s true”

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        1. Arkenaten Avatar
          Arkenaten

          Yeah, right.

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  8. Mortem Fide Avatar
    Mortem Fide

    Silence,

    Once again, you’re making unsupported arguments with little to no irrefutable evidence. I’m not going to argue with you about cosmology again, because you’re stuck on believing cosmology has conclusively proven God’s existence when it most certainly has not. If it had, there were would be studies and articles all over the place proclaiming it. Where are these articles? Where are these studies?

    In terms of your linked article on prayer, the article does not suggest prayer works in the sense you think it does. It suggests praying works in terms of helping with self-control, temptation, mental illness, etc., largely because it brings solace to the person doing it. This is not new information, and this article says nothing about prayers being answered, which would help support your argument.

    Prayer works because people believe it works. It’s essentially the placebo effect. Oh, and here’s a fun article for you: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/12082681/ns/health-heart_health/t/power-prayer-flunks-unusual-test/#.VEbhVPldV8E

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