Study fails to show healing power of prayer
I read an article in this morning's paper about a study that had been done in which heart bypass surgery patients received prayer with some unexpected, even to the doctors, results. They took 3 groups of patients, one that didn't receive prayer and one that did and they both didn't know about the study and the third group got prayer and knew about it. The first two groups showed no difference in healing, but the third group that knew they were receiving prayer did worse. They had more "post-surgical complications" than the other two groups and they suspect it is related to stress from fear of failure to perform, but they don't know. After 30 days there is no difference in recovery between the three groups.

This article really messed with my head at first until I looked into it further and found links to more in-depth information on it like the link in the title above or here. Interestingly enough, the article states that "The patients in the study had similar religious profiles with most believing in spiritual healing and almost all also thinking that friends or relatives would be praying for them as well." The study was done simply by telling the third group that essentially some "other people" (made up of "members of three Christian groups in monasteries and elsewhere -- two Catholic and one Protestant") would be praying for them as well. So now not only does this go against what I understand to be the effective practice of prayer (active, personal, laying on of hands, etc.) but it would appear to me that the third group had the additional burden of knowing they were part of some "scientific study" on their faith in prayer and healing. It's no wonder those poor folks had complications!