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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!decvax!ittvax!wxlvax!rlw
From: rlw@wxlvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Prayer, efficacy of
Message-ID: <1345@ittvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 19-Mar-84 08:29:12 EST
Article-I.D.: ittvax.1345
Posted: Mon Mar 19 08:29:12 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 20-Mar-84 01:26:46 EST
Lines: 21

In the late 1800s, a statistician published a paper (approximately) entitled
'A statistical enquiry into the efficacy of prayer' in which he posited
that perhaps the most common prayer in the British Empire was for the long
life of the monarch.  Therefore, if prayer is measurably effective, he
should be able to detect a lifespan for kings and queens of England greater
than that of nobles and upper class citizens.  In fact he discovered that
their lifespan (including only those who died naturally and whose dates
were reliably known) was below the norm.

Therefore, either prayer is ineffective or those praying were in some sense
insincere.  (??Don't Buddhists accept rote prayer as worthwhile??)  An
alternative explanation is that the prayer is contraindicated and was
effective but got a/the Deity pissed off.

A quick review of the limited figures indicates not too much statistical
significance.

This was, so far as I know, the only sincere attempt at applying scientific
method to religion.

--Dick Wexelblat (...decvax!ittvax!wxlvax!rlw)