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Is that really all there is to it bcaeuse that'd be flabbergasting.

I saw that study or at least the headlines. There are two efftces I would expect to see here a placebo effect (positive) of those who knew they were being prayed for and believed that would help them.I also see the potential for a negative effect (actually a correlation) as follows: friends and family who know the sick person have a certain sense of their prognosis based on judgments they make based on interactions with doctors, nurses, hospital staff, the patient, and their knowledge of the patient's history. If they believe the illness is an extremely hopeless case, they are probably far more likely to pray. Ergo the so-called negative effect of prayer.Of course, the politically incorrect study to do would be a double-blind trial of prayers for the patient without their knowledge. Thus the prayer itself would have to be causing the healing: the fabled Power of Prayer . Don't know if such a study has been done but if I wouldn't bet on Pat Robertson being pleased with the outcome.

I liked the first two para's of Claire's response. Are we serious in asking for two different curricula? I thought the ideal was education about all major religions, and perhaps how religions are formed, with parity of esteem given to non-religious worldviews, and the removal of religious observance (prayers). I recall the headteacher at our school used to start morning assembly with the 'before you remove the speck from your neighbouts eye, first remove the plank from your own' but had no idea what he was going on about. Also recall wondering why we were expected to lower our heads for Lords Prayer in church services etc - eventually I didn't. Religious and Moral and Philosophical eduction fine, Religious Observance not so much.