(November 19, 2013 at 1:02 am)Darkstar Wrote:Yeah I'd agree with that.(November 18, 2013 at 11:50 am)max-greece Wrote: It is inherent in the testing (as it always is in medicine) that in order to evaluate whether a given treatment "works" it has to outperform a placebo. Anything that hasn't performed better (or as in the case of prayer actually worse) than the placebo has not worked.This.
So, for example, a pain tablet that produces the same results as a placebo is deemed to have failed - or not to have worked.
So again I repeat - you are playing with the definition of "work" to include the placebo effect.
Also, this placebo effect only works for the prayer (that is, the one praying). If a million people prayed for that person in secret, it would not even have a placebo effect. At this point, arguing that prayer technically sorta kinda "works" is just avoiding the real issue. Even granting the placebo effect, it doesn't work in any way even vaguely close to the manner most Christians seem to think it does, or the way the Bible suggests it should.
"Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken."
Sith code
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken."
Sith code
