Is there any statistics on the how the power of prayer increases when
it is done together in a group?

Is there scientific evidence of the results of group prayer?

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Request for Question Clarification by bobbie7-ga on 08 Feb 2006 19:17 PST

Hello Thepeachcoach,

Please take a look at the studies below and let me know if this is the
kind of information you're looking for.


Click on the link to read the abstract of each one.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Display&dopt=pubmed_pubmed&from_uid=11993014


More studies here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Display&dopt=pubmed_pubmed&from_uid=3393937


Example:
Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in a coronary care
unit population.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=3393937&query_hl=6&itool=pubmed_docsum

Thank you, 
Bobbie7

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Clarification of Question by thepeachcoach-ga on 08 Feb 2006 20:30 PST

Hi, Thanks for the response.  I'm looking for any statistics/quotes on
how the results/impact of praying in a group (and at the same time) is
higher than a group praying dispersely or one person praying alone.

Its not necessary connected to health or medical condition.  

In the movie, "what the bleep", they quote a study  was done(on
meditation) where groups of people came to washington dc during one
summer and collectively prayed/meditated and the crime rate decreased
by 25%.

also I consider prayer/meditation the same so any statistics on
meditation is welcomed too.  thanks.

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Request for Question Clarification by bobbie7-ga on 08 Feb 2006 21:14 PST

Thank you for your clarification. 

The additional details provided will help me or another researcher
locate more precise information for you.

Best regards,
Bobbie7

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Clarification of Question by thepeachcoach-ga on 09 Feb 2006 08:42 PST

This section that contains bible references is NOT what I'm looking
for.  I can not use ANY of that information.

I'm looking for a statement that I can use in today's world that
supports group prayer.

For example, 
Participants in this prayer group saw a 15% increase in their peace
and life satisfaction levels by having participated in the group.

Participants saw a 50% increase of praying in a group as opposed to praying alone.

thank you

PRAYER

Worshipful address to the true God, or to false gods. Mere speech to
God is not necessarily prayer, as is seen in the judgment in Eden and
in the case of Cain. (Ge 3:8-13; 4:9-14) Prayer involves devotion,
trust, respect, and a sense of dependence on the one to whom the
prayer is directed. The various Hebrew and Greek words relating to
prayer convey such ideas as to ask, make request, petition, entreat,
supplicate, plead, beseech, beg, implore favor, seek, inquire of, as
well as to praise, thank, and bless.

Petitions and supplications, of course, can be made to men, and the
original-language words are sometimes so used (Ge 44:18; 50:17; Ac
25:11), but ?prayer,? used in a religious sense, does not apply to
such cases. One might ?beseech? or ?implore? another person to do
something, but in so doing he would not view this individual as his
God. He would not, for example, silently petition such one, nor do so
when the individual was not visibly present, as one does in prayer to
God.

The ?Hearer of Prayer.? The entire Scriptural record testifies that
Jehovah is the One to whom prayer should be directed (Ps 5:1, 2; Mt
6:9), that he is the ?Hearer of prayer? (Ps 65:2; 66:19) and has power
to act in behalf of the petitioners. (Mr 11:24; Eph 3:20) To pray to
false gods and their idol images is exposed as stupidity, for the
idols do not have the ability either to hear or to act, and the gods
they represent are unworthy of comparison with the true God. (Jg
10:11-16; Ps 115:4, 6; Isa 45:20; 46:1, 2, 6, 7) The contest
concerning godship between Baal and Jehovah, held on Mount Carmel,
demonstrated the foolishness of prayer to false deities.?1Ki 18:21-39;
compare Jg 6:28-32.

Though some claim that prayer may properly be addressed to others,
such as to God?s Son, the evidence is emphatically to the contrary.
True, there are rare instances in which words are addressed to Jesus
Christ in heaven. Stephen, when about to die, appealed to Jesus,
saying, ?Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.? (Ac 7:59) However, the
context reveals a circumstance giving basis for this exceptional
expression. Stephen at that very time had a vision of ?Jesus standing
at God?s right hand,? and evidently reacting as if he were in Jesus?
personal presence, he felt free to speak this plea to the one whom he
recognized as the head of the Christian congregation. (Ac 7:55, 56;
Col 1:18) Similarly, the apostle John, at the conclusion of the
Revelation, says, ?Amen! Come, Lord Jesus.? (Re 22:20) But again the
context shows that, in a vision (Re 1:10; 4:1, 2), John had been
hearing Jesus speak of his future coming and thus John responded with
the above expression of his desire for that coming. (Re 22:16, 20) In
both cases, that of Stephen and that of John, the situation differs
little from that of the conversation John had with a heavenly person
in this Revelation vision. (Re 7:13, 14; compare Ac 22:6-22.) There is
nothing to indicate that Christian disciples so expressed themselves
under other circumstances to Jesus after his ascension to heaven.
Thus, the apostle Paul writes: ?In everything by prayer and
supplication along with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known
to God.??Php 4:6.

The article APPROACH TO GOD considers the position of Christ Jesus as
the one through whom prayer is directed. Through Jesus? blood, offered
to God in sacrifice, ?we have boldness for the way of entry into the
holy place,? that is, boldness to approach God?s presence in prayer,
approaching ?with true hearts in the full assurance of faith.? (Heb
10:19-22) Jesus Christ is therefore the one and only ?way? of
reconciliation with God and approach to God in prayer.?Joh 14:6;
15:16; 16:23, 24; 1Co 1:2; Eph 2:18; see JESUS CHRIST (His Vital Place
in God?s Purpose).

Those Whom God Hears. People ?of all flesh? may come to the ?Hearer of
prayer,? Jehovah God. (Ps 65:2; Ac 15:17) Even during the period that
Israel was God?s ?private property,? his covenant people, foreigners
could approach Jehovah in prayer by recognizing Israel as God?s
appointed instrument and the temple at Jerusalem as his chosen place
for sacrifice. (De 9:29; 2Ch 6:32, 33; compare Isa 19:22.) Later, by
Christ?s death, the distinction between Jew and Gentile was forever
removed. (Eph 2:11-16) At the home of the Italian Cornelius, Peter
recognized that ?God is not partial, but in every nation the man that
fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.? (Ac 10:34,
35) The determining factor, then, is the heart of the individual and
what his heart is moving him to do. (Ps 119:145; La 3:41) Those who
observe God?s commandments and do ?the things that are pleasing in his
eyes? have the assurance that his ?ears? are also open to them.?1Jo
3:22; Ps 10:17; Pr 15:8; 1Pe 3:12.

Conversely, those who disregard God?s Word and law, shedding blood and
practicing other wickedness, do not receive a favorable hearing from
God; their prayers are ?detestable? to him. (Pr 15:29; 28:9; Isa 1:15;
Mic 3:4) The very prayer of such ones can ?become a sin.? (Ps 109:3-7)
King Saul, by his presumptuous, rebellious course, lost God?s favor,
and ?although Saul would inquire of Jehovah, Jehovah never answered
him, either by dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets.? (1Sa 28:6)
Jesus said that hypocritical persons who sought to draw attention to
their piety by praying received their ?reward in full??from men, but
not from God. (Mt 6:5) The pious-appearing Pharisees made long
prayers, boasted of their superior morality, yet were condemned by God
for their hypocritical course. (Mr 12:40; Lu 18:10-14) Though they
drew near with their mouths, their hearts were far from God and his
Word of truth.?Mt 15:3-9; compare Isa 58:1-9.

The individual must have faith in God and in his being ?the rewarder
of those earnestly seeking him? (Heb 11:6), approaching in ?the full
assurance of faith.? (Heb 10:22, 38, 39) Recognition of one?s own
sinful state is essential, and when serious sins have been committed,
the individual must ?soften the face of Jehovah? (1Sa 13:12; Da 9:13)
by first softening his own heart in sincere repentance, humility, and
contrition. (2Ch 34:26-28; Ps 51:16, 17; 119:58) Then God may let
himself be entreated and may grant forgiveness and a favorable hearing
(2Ki 13:4; 2Ch 7:13, 14; 33:10-13; Jas 4:8-10); no longer will one
feel that God has ?blocked approach to himself with a cloud mass, that
prayer may not pass through.? (La 3:40-44) Though a person may not be
cut off completely from receiving audience with God, his prayers can
be ?hindered? if he fails to follow God?s counsel. (1Pe 3:7) Those
seeking forgiveness must be forgiving toward others.?Mt 6:14, 15; Mr
11:25; Lu 11:4.

This section that contains bible references is NOT what I'm looking
for.  I can not use any of that information.

I'm looking for a statement that I can use in today's world that
supports group prayer.

For example, 
Participants in this prayer group saw a 15% increase in their peace
and life satisfaction levels by having participated in the group.

thank you

thepeach,
  As much as the faithful would like to believe, there is zero
evidence to support any kind of "power of prayer". The studies you are
hearing about are bogus and not scientific in any way. I will refer
you to a few articles on this subject. It is also important to realize
that the film "what the bleep" is pretty much a "load of bleep"...
most of the scientists quoted in the film haev come out against the
film saying their statements were taken out of context and they were
edited to make it appear they were support "woo" ( as James Randi
likes to say). I would not give any credibility to anything presented
in that film without serious further research... ( which is really
what you are doing now).

anyway here are some links to read.

Straight Dope: "Have studies shown that prayer can help cure the sick?"
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msciprayer.html

Several articles from James Randi's website---


"That Healing Prayer Brouhaha"
A heavy discussion has being going on for weeks now about a study that
appeared to validate the power-of-prayer notion that has been under
question for so many decades. I've declined to address the current
exposure of the farce until it was definitively settled; that time has
arrived.
http://www.randi.org/jr/070904that.html


Columbia University scandal - ""Does Prayer Influence the Success of
in Vitro fertilization?"
http://www.randi.org/jr/121704no.html

follow up "That Prayer Study"
http://www.randi.org/jr/123104my.html


WHY AREN'T FRAUD AND/OR INCOMPETENCY LOOKED UPON AS REAL POSSIBILITIES
IN SCIENTIFIC PROCEDURES?

"In the January/February 2000 issue of The Humanist, the journal of
the American Humanist association, author David Shafer, Ph.D.,
discusses scientific investigations of the claim that intercessory
prayer can affect cardiac patients who are not even aware that they
are being prayed for, bringing about alleviation of pain and faster
recovery times. If it were true, it would certainly be a paranormal
event....."
http://www.randi.org/jr/01-13-2000.html



 "Follow-Up Study on Prayer Therapy May Help Refute False and
Misleading Information About Earlier Clinical Trial"
http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/archives/2005/05-09-02.html


There are lots more, but I think you get the drift... In the end, if a
person believes strongly enough that they are being "prayed" for it
seems to help their attitude ( if they are strongly faithful), but its
all a placebo effect...

slakemoth-ga,

Do you work for Goggle or are you just sharing your opinion/research? 
I'm new to "Goggle answers" so I am not sure if the two comments added
are considered research from "Goggle Answers" or are they other
"goggle answer" members sharing their knowledge.  either care, thank
you for the information.

Thepeachcoach,

You can identify an official Google Answers Researcher by the blue colored
link in their nickname.

The two comments were not posted by official Google Answers Researchers.

pugwashjw65-ga and slakemoth-ga are commenters.

I hope this helps

There has never been any scientific evidence that prayer effects the
outcome of anything in the context you are talking about.  And there
would never be anyway to verify that, if something did happen, that
the prayer was the reason for it. All in all prayers only effect is
those doing the praying.

Thepeachcoach,
	As pointed out I am not a Google Answers Researcher, just a
knucklehead with intenet access.....

Commenters are sometimes not so circumspect as Researchers, especially
when offering opinion or interpretation, which doesn't necessarily
denigrate the comment.
But apparently the question is not about prayers of intercession for
health problems but rather about group prayer, per se, worshipping
together.
Personally, I have no doubt that persons who choose to pray together
feel better for it, strengthened in their moral beliefs by
experiencing that they are not alone in them.  As the prayer of St.
Chrysostom (4th c.) puts it:  "When two or three are gathered together
in Thy name, Thou wilt grant them their request."

But that is no answer to your question about statistics.
Regards, Myoarin

I have read articles in the past (I think [but memory is hazy] in New
Scientist and by a lecturer in positive psychology [at Cambridge, I
fuzzily remember] who used to write a column in the times)that
research seemed to show people who espose a siritual belief system
(not necessarily a religion)tend to live longer than those who don't. 
and those who participate in group worship regulary tended to live
longer still.  whether this was due to the worhip, prayer, etc., or
down to the moral support and social interaction, they could not say. 
There are also fringe benefits in that religiosity seems to bolster
marriage and folks in strong marriages tend to last a bit longer too.

'A 2004 study of older adults in the journal Health Psychology found
that those who attended religious services more than once weekly had
lower mortality and elevated levels of interleukin-6 -- a substance
produced by the body that can improve response to infection and
disease'.
http://www.supercentenarian.com/archive/compress.html

A possible article along these lines is on
http://www.hqlo.com/content/3/1/53 - Engagement of patients in
religious and spiritual practices: Confirmatory results with the
SpREUK-P 1.1 questionnaire as a tool of quality of life research

At the risk of sounding facetious, I googled: positive psychology
religion study longevity

Googling  positive psychology religion study prayer, there seemed
interesting links like
 http://www.stnews.org/Commentary-2402.htm  and

http://www.religioustolerance.org/medical4.htm

I claim no greater scientific understanding thatn being a fairly
typically educated person who tends to go phases of reading too much.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-2191.html

link to article on meditation - plenty more - googled positive
psychology  study meditation group benefits

I think I've had too much coffee again

I truly fail to understand how prayer CAN be separated from the Bible
and what the Bible has to say about it. Prayer is certainly NOT a
secular subject. It is communication with God direct. A "secular"
study of prayer seems to me to be an OXYMORON. Just a thought!.

I would agree with that statement to a degree. BUT the subject in
question, as far as the context I'm looking at it through, asks a very
real and scientific question. That being, is there any scientific
concrete evidence for prayer to effect people? The question asked
about evidence for prayer "power" to increase when done by a group.
This suggests that there is something there to begin with, and that
this "measurable effect" is increased when more people participate.
This  view takes prayer out of the realm of the personal and "faith"
aspect and pulls it into the realm of science, i.e. testable results.
We cannot look at what people think of prayer as it relates to
themselves..i.e. I "feel" better... We have to look at "blind test"
situations, or measurable results, and in that realm prayer offers no
evidence of success. I have no interest in interfering with someone's
faith, and their personal realtionship with God, BUT the moment people
begin to tell people "do not go for treatment, we can cure your
ailment by prayer"... well now we have a problem. I would ask that
before medical treatment is exchanged for the "power of prayer" ..that
"prayer" offer scientific credible evidence that disease can be cured
by prayer... To date there have been zero credible studies done that
show prayer to be anything other than a personal experience /
realtionship with a God....

In response to Slakemoth. An honest Christian will always pray to God
for help, regardless of the problem. But to replace commonsense
treatment for a medical problem, via a medical professional, with
singular or group prayer, is really "putting God to the test". It is
like saying " Here is my problem, God, please do something about it
because IF YOU DON'T, my little Timmy will die. I could save him
myself if we saw a doctor, but I am not going to take THAT option. I
am going to load it ALL onto you".
This approach lacks HUMBLENESS. 
1 CORINTHIANS 10; . 9 Neither let us put Jehovah to the test, as some
of them put [him] to the test, only to perish by the serpents.
A " group" prayer would have the same effect as a singlular prayer.
One person, on behalf of the others says the words, and they respond
in agreement by the word ' Amen', meaning, we agree. God would regard
this as the same prayer coming from each individual.

I have no problem with your theological interpretation.....

I would ask how you view the initial question, i.e. what is thepeachcoach asking?