| The largest-ever study of prayer offers nothing | | | | Charles F. Bethea, principal investigator at the |
| but discouragement to religious believers hoping | | | | Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, |
| for evidence that prayer for God's intervention in | | | | Okla. "Paradoxically, those who were indeed |
| the natural order is effective. The study of | | | | aware that prayer was being provided to them |
| third-party prayer, also known as intercessory | | | | actually fared worse," he said. |
| prayer, says that praying for the health of | | | | Methodology may be the issue behind the unusual |
| patients from a distance is not effective in | | | | Group 3 result. The STEP researchers speculated |
| reducing complications after heart surgery. | | | | that perhaps the introduction of the prayer |
| The $2.4 million Study of the Therapeutic Effects | | | | protocol itself -- confiding in some that they were |
| of Intercessory Prayer, or STEP, is the sixth and | | | | selected for prayer, for instance -- might have |
| most expensive study to find that intercessory | | | | induced a form of performance anxiety or made |
| prayer has no real effect on the wellbeing of | | | | the patients feel doubtful about their outcome. |
| patients. The nine-year research project was | | | | "One line we considered in this study was did the |
| partly supported by the John Templeton | | | | patient think 'am I so sick that they had to call in |
| Foundation, which also funds Science & | | | | the prayer team?'," said Bethea. |
| Theology News. | | | | Another question is the subjects themselves. "I |
| Another important yet unexpected and even | | | | wonder how free enrollees were in our study to |
| disturbing finding of STEP is that the group of | | | | say no to being prayed for, especially when asked |
| heart patients who knew they were receiving | | | | by a caregiver at such a crucial time," said the |
| prayers from strangers did not do as well as | | | | Rev. Dean Marek, director of chaplain services at |
| those who didn't know. | | | | the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. |
| The study used a sample of 1,802 bypass | | | | With these types of unresolved issues, |
| patients from six hospitals who were randomly | | | | investigators said that it is possible that |
| assigned to one of three groups: Group 1 | | | | intercessory prayer may not be amenable to |
| received intercessory prayer after being told they | | | | randomized control methodology and that a |
| may or may not receive it, Group 2 did not | | | | large-scale study like this may not be replicated. |
| receive intercessory prayers after being told they | | | | Marek also pointed to the problem with conducting |
| may or may not receive it, and Group 3 were | | | | studies on prayer that reduce it to a replicable |
| told they would be receiving intercessory prayer | | | | commodity -- because the effect of prayer can't |
| and did receive it. STEP findings are scheduled to | | | | be replicated. But a study such as STEP can yield |
| appear in the April issue of American Heart | | | | other benefits. "I hope this leads to some further |
| Journal. | | | | discussion as to the nature and relevance and |
| "Those receiving blinded prayer fared the same | | | | power of this thing we call prayer," he said. |
| as those who were not prayed for," said Dr. | | | | |