To know if the prayer works we need to isolate the effect of prayer from the effect of knowing about the prayer. Those studies show no effect.

What were the prayers? Who were they offered to? Who were they offered by?

I'm not so much atheist, not so much agnostic -- I mostly don't care about the existence of a deity. However I can't but feel that efforts to prove or disprove the existence of most gods are so incredibly flawed that I can't believe anyone spends time on them. What sorts of controls can you even use?

For the hopelessly gentile among us, what's a Succoth?

Jilli, how about looking them in the eye and saying "and I'll hope (or pray, if you do that sort of thing) that you stop judging people based on appearance"

then what will you use to kill and skin the kangaroos for your dinner?

You use a big knife for Roo killing, not some wimpy dagger.

What's that got to be like, praying for a total stranger, who has no idea you're praying? I would have a hard time taking such a duty seriously, which, you know, par for the course of me. But it's got to be easier to pray for somebody you actually know and care about, right?

Who pulls for the Milwaukee Brewers except people from the upper midwest?

What is the proper response when a complete stranger comes up to you and says, in a very earnest and friendly tone, "I'm going to pray for you."

"Okay. I'll eat a block of cheese, that you may come to know the light of our One True God, Lord Snarky. Unless.... Are you lactose intolerant? In which case, DIE, SINNER! DIE! DIE!"

For the hopelessly gentile among us, what's a Succoth?

Succoth (or Sukkot) is the Jewish holiday that immediately follows Yom Kippur. Jews traditionally sit in a Sukkah which is a type of ceremonial hut to eat (and some also sleep in it) for seven days. [link]

P.S. A Succoth is a treehouse made of fir branches. It is a Jewish holiday in the fall, and involves Essrogs somehow. (I don't remember how, I just always like that word.) There are fruits involved, too. It is sort of like an outside Thanksgiving, only earlier so as to avoid snow. Also, no turkey or football.

[link]

edit: trust me to be x-posted. Alas, it turns out that my spelling is off, and they are etrogs, and those ARE the fruits.

Oh, dear.

An Air France flight from Paris to Toronto has skidded off the runway during landing and burst into flames. Sounds pretty dire.

What were the prayers? Who were they offered to? Who were they offered by?

Studies differ, but a typical study would recruit Christian volunteers who are randomly assigned to pray for people undergoing a risky medical treatment.

If this seems too artificial, there are naturalistic studies as well. The first was done by Francis Galton over a hundred years ago. He showed that Kings did not live longer than their siblings, even though millions of people prayed for their health every day.

I'm not so much atheist, not so much agnostic -- I mostly don't care about the existence of a deity. However I can't but feel that efforts to prove or disprove the existence of most gods are so incredibly flawed that I can't believe anyone spends time on them. What sorts of controls can you even use?

The question of the existence of God or gods is not accessible to science. The question of whether prayer affects the outcome of football games, on the other hand, can be answered.