Reed
Posts: 274
Joined: Feb. 2008
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| Quote (RFJE @ Feb. 11 2009,18:18) | | Have you ever seen a man who couldn't walk get up after African pastors prayed for him in the name of Jesus? |
Even if this anecdote had evidence to back it up, it's not terribly compelling in the grand scheme of things.
Consider smallpox: It seems reasonable to assume any believer in prayer would pray for a cure if affected by it. Yet for the last few thousand years, about 1 in 3 of those infected died, without regard to who they prayed to.
Unlike prayer, variolation brought the fatality rate down significantly. In other words... snorting smallpox scabs is a demonstrably more effective than praying. A lot more effective.
Humans, with a bit of science and a lot of hard work accomplished what the preceding millennia of prayer could not: the complete eradication of the disease.
Or how about rabies. Without modern treatment, it is essentially 100% fatal. God cures your sisters lactose intolerance, but ignores every single rabies victim until Pasteur comes along ? Nice!
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