The Power of Prayer

By Groff Schroeder

Surveys suggest 90% of Americans pray, 30-40% pray daily and some 70% believe prayer can help cure illness.¹ Even “common sense” suggests if prayers do not help, they cannot hurt – right?

How can we know?

Scientific medical studies divide participants into random groups of similar size experiencing similar conditions except for the treatment under study. For example, a study might divide 100 participants into two groups, one receiving a new treatment and the other receiving a “placebo,” a substance (such as sugar) administered by the same route with minimal known effect. The group receiving the placebo is the “control” group and provides a means of comparing data for participants receiving the treatment with similar participants receiving no treatment. Since participants can alter data (inadvertently or otherwise), careful studies are “blind” (most participants remain unaware of which group receives the treatment). Studies evaluating large numbers of patients at multiple locations also improve the reliability of the recorded data.

Medical researchers compare the “morbidity and mortality” data (rates of illness and death) associated with the treatment (or lack thereof) to assess the treatment’s value. If the group receiving the treatment experiences a statistically significant improvement after the treatment, the study suggests that the treatment might be useful. If there is no difference between the group receiving the treatment and the control group, the study suggests that the treatment is probably not useful. If the control group experiences less morbidity and mortality than the group receiving the treatment, the study suggests that the treatment harms patients – which is the surprising outcome of the “Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer” (STEP).

The STEP was “…a multicenter, controlled trial of complications in coronary bypass surgery involving 1802 patients in 6 US hospitals, randomized into [3 groups].” “The goals of the Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) [was] to evaluate the effects of receipt of additional study IP and awareness of receipt of additional study IP [intercessory prayer] on outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.”²

Researchers told Groups 1 and 2 that they may or may not receive IP. Group 1 received IP while Group 2 did not. Three mainstream religious websites provided 14 consecutive days of Intercessory Prayer (IP) for patients assigned to receive IP, starting the night before their coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Researchers told Group 3 that they would receive IP and they received IP.

Employing Society for Thoracic Surgeons definitions, research nurses at participating hospitals unaware of patient group assignment reviewed medical records to determine whether complications occurred. Finally, a blinded nurse auditor reviewed every study patient’s data against the medical record before release of study forms.”³

“Complications occurred in 52 percent of those who received prayer (Group 1) versus 51 percent of those who did not receive prayer (Group 2). Complications occurred in 59 percent of patients who were told they would receive prayer (Group 3) versus 52 percent, who also received prayer, but were uncertain of receiving it (Group 1).”⁴

Surprisingly, those who knew they were being prayed for were more likely to have complications after surgery than those who were unsure and those who knew they would not receive prayer.

So when someone offers to pray for you or a loved one perhaps its best to politely decline – or at least try to forget about it.