Following a high-profile event resulting in the loss of innocent human lives ― for example, a major flood or hurricane, or a mass shooting or terrorist attack ― it is standard operating procedure for public figures to mutter something like, “The victims (or their loved ones) are in our thoughts and prayers.” (This particular statement, in fact, seems to have been President Barack Obama’s personal favorite on such occasions.)
Vacuous utterances such as this are often taken to the point that claims are made about the deceased being with God in Heaven ― even though entry to Heaven is supposedly contingent on the behavior or fealty of the deceased, and the speaker has no way of knowing who was eligible and who was not. And these statements further seem to presume that everyone prays (“our thoughts and prayers”) to an imaginary friend in the sky on appropriate tragic occasions, or at least ought to, if he is a good person.
There isn’t enough space here to thoroughly analyze the true “Power of Prayer.” But a few rhetorical questions should be sufficient to expose its inherent absurdity:
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What is one supposed to say in such prayers? The people are dead and no amount of prayer is likely to bring them back to life. And it is not up to the person praying to determine or even suggest that someone is supposed to go to Heaven. That matter already has been decided by God.
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Why pray at all? If God is all-loving, all-knowing and all powerful, why would he allow such a tragedy to occur in the first place? And since he apparently condoned such an event, is praying for the victims or loved ones second-guessing him?
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Don’t white supremacists and Muslim terrorists convince themselves to perpetrate their heinous acts by praying themselves?
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How does one assess the results of prayer? Or is a prayer just hot air?
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Could a preemptive prayer (such as, “Dear God. Don’t allow me or those I love to be killed in a terrorist attack”) have prevented such a tragedy in the first place?
Perhaps the highest-profile case of prayer laying an egg was the John Templeton Foundation’s $2.4 million study of the effects of intercessory prayer in medicine in 2006. Over a period of several years, 1,802 subjects who underwent coronary-bypass surgery were monitored for the effects of prayer on the progress of their recovery. One-third of the patients were prayed for and knew it; one-third were prayed for and did not know it; one-third (the control group) was not prayed for at all. All prayers included the words “for a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications.”
The study found no differences between the progress of the recoveries of patients who were prayed for and didn’t know it, and those who were not prayed for. However, patients who knew they were being prayed for had a higher rate of complications than did those who did not know they were being prayed for (59 percent vs. 51 percent). Knowing I was being prayed for after heart surgery would rattle me, too.
This isn’t to say that prayer is entirely without “power.” Consider:
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Prayer is commonly used to avoid becoming involved in another person’s problems — that is, not doing what the mythical Jesus would allegedly do. Rather than help, you just say, “I’ll pray for you” and go obliviously on your way. Problem solved — from your perspective, anyway.
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Praying makes one feel good about oneself, period.
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Praying in a group is mandatory to avoid being treated as a social pariah.
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Praying in public demonstrates to those praying with you that you are good, moral, caring person, even if you are not.
Now, it is true that it is nearly impossible for a nonbeliever to get elected to public office in the United States. So whether a politician is truly religious or not, uttering theobabble is, unfortunately, part of his or her job description. (And heaven help us if a politician really does believe this stuff. Think of Mike Pence.)
Obviously, there isn’t much that can be done to prevent such crimes against reason. In the meantime, at least, I suggest that the righteous please consider the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 6:5-6:
“[When] you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. ... But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Apparently, Jesus ― in the true spirit of brotherly love ― wanted to spare nonbelievers the blatant insult to their intelligence that is ostentatious piety.
Richard E. Wackrow is author of the book Beginner’s Guide to Blasphemy.