Simon Says: On the Magical Impulse of Studies on the Efficacy of Intercessory Prayer
Studies on intercessory prayer have an almost 150-year-long history. They have often been conducted by well-meaning Christians with a pious objective: scientifically to prove that prayer works to heal the sick. However, there is a deep irony at the foundation of empirical studies of intercessory pra...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2019]
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| In: |
Christian bioethics
Year: 2019, Volume: 25, Issue: 1, Pages: 69-85 |
| IxTheo Classification: | CB Christian life; spirituality CF Christianity and Science NCH Medical ethics |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Studies on intercessory prayer have an almost 150-year-long history. They have often been conducted by well-meaning Christians with a pious objective: scientifically to prove that prayer works to heal the sick. However, there is a deep irony at the foundation of empirical studies of intercessory prayer; the more "scientific" they become, the more magical they become. Although magic today is more commonly understood in terms of fantasy fiction, the concept and practice of magic have a more basic meaning. Magic is the attempt to subject supernatural forces to a human's will via a specific ritual, which is exactly what researchers are trying to do to God-whether they realize it or not. I will argue in this article that the empirical study of the efficacy of intercessory prayer is magical in its structure and aims, and for that reason it should not be conducted by Christian researchers and institutions. |
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| ISSN: | 1744-4195 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Christian bioethics
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/cb/cby020 |