The Power Of Prayer...Online

Prayer has found a home on the Web. Sites such as prayabout.com and ipraytoday.com have recently joined longstanding toll-free telephone services that allow anyone to request, for free, that strangers pray for them.

The sites are not all Christian, but most share a belief that if more people pray for something, it has a better chance of happening.

The requests for prayers can be seen as a voyeuristic window into what Americans are most concerned with, but they are also a potent sign that as hard as times might get, many people still believe in the kindness of strangers.

Keep reading.

Comments

[hortonhearsawho]

can you get a virus while praying online?

[CIgarCityGirl]

Prayer in the form of AFFIRMATION is powerful.

Prayer in the form of supplication (asking for something) is not.

If we accept that our power is WITHIN, affirmation is empowering. When we believe all power is from outside ourselves (magical friend in the sky) asking and waiting for results is useless. IF we are all created in the image of our "Creator," wouldn't that powerful, creative and healing force be part of our nature as well?

[ollie2]

try getting whole public involed in recovery try starting R bond with resonable intrest return due in seven years enact regulations that bar casino style investments bring realism back to wallstreet include john doe

[tenzindorje]

Check out Dr. Larry Dossey's work on prayer. Apparently prayer works - without the need of believing
in an intermediary god.

[woodcut]

Prayer is a 50 / 50 throw of the dice. I ask "why bother?" but if people need it, and keep it private, then go ahead.

[VirginiaScott]

Dumbest thing I ever heard of. Ever.

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

What a pantload.

[MovingtoNorway]

Agree. And on line two is the phone s*x customer on hold.

[Karma7]

Numerous clinical studies say otherwise.

The findings of a ten month double-blind study involving 383 newly admitted patients in the Coronary Care Unit at San Francisco General Hospital showed that "prayed-for patients were five times less likely to require antibiotics, three times less likely to develop pulmonary edema... and none of the prayed-for patients required endotracheal intubation, whereas twelve of the non-prayed-for patients required this procedure.
http://www.qigongenergyhealing.com/distant-healing.htm

A similar 6 month study involving 40 AIDS patients showed significantly fewer new AIDS-defining illnesses; lower illness severity; significantly fewer doctor visits and fewer days of hospitalization¦
http://www.goodsamiam.com/sicher_etal.htm

See other studies at- http://www.goodsamiam.com/distant_healing_research.htm

[Pacific231]

Note to all atheists/agnostics: this appears to a good development! The two sites noted above appear to be free (hopefully no "pay for premium service" offers) which will hopefully help eliminate those pesky televangelist middlemen who make a fortune off of gullible people, many of whom are elderly and lonely; making them very easy marks.

[JohnFromCensornati]

I don't understand this concept. Is God's hearing aid on the fritz? I was under the impression that The Invisible One was tuned into all of our thoughts.

[Channel4NewsTeam]

Prayer is insolence. Either the god figure knows what it is doing, or it needs your guidance.

[edgraham]

Another gimick to make money.

Send me money, I'll pray for you, butu it won't work either.

[adampap]

This is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard of. What a waste of time and energy.