The topic of scientific prayer studies recently came up on Twitter. As an outcome of that exchange, I committed to responding to the failure of one particular prayer study to establish a link between prayer and healing. The study in question is discussed in an article titled “Power of prayer flunks an unusual test” where […]
petitionary prayer
Does God’s perfection undermine petitionary prayer?
In the comment thread to my latest podcast, “Travis Dumsday on the atheist’s duty to pray,” philosopher Robert Gressis offered an objection to the practice of prayer. The objection is based on the assumption that God is a maximally perfect being (i.e. the Anselmian conception), and thus perfectly good and all knowing. Gressis explains: assuming that we’re […]
Petitionary prayer and the final hours of a Skoal hockey puck
Robert offered the following response to my delightful expostulation on a Bible being so inspired you can’t tell it’s inspired: “And intercessory prayer is so effective it’s effectiveness can’t be tested to have a measurable effect on our world.” Robert then added an explanatory notation for his statement. That qualification is helpful. But I’m going […]
