From the AZ Rep -
Prayer works.
That's the conclusion of an Arizona State University professor who did an analysis of 17 major studies of prayer and its effects on people with psychological or medical problems.
The article goes on the recount how a professor from ASU, David Hodge, did a study that showed a relationship between people recovering from mental or medical problems and intercessory prayer.
Umm, I am most definitely *not* saying that prayer doesn't help, but this study doesn't prove that it does.
A couple of my reservations with the study:
It doesn't show an actual cause-and-effect relationship, nor does it show that prayer exerts any measurable force or causes a force to be exerted by another upon a third person.
It would be nice for a study of the medical and/or psychological benefits of prayer on third parties do have been conducted by a medical doctor or a psychologist, or even someone with a background in biology. However, Professor Hodge, while he does have a PhD, it is a PhD in social work.
From Dr. Hodge's bio page at ASU-West -
Courses Taught
SWG 534: Diversity and Underserved Populations
SWG 598: Spiritual Assessment
SWG 691: Spirituality and the Helping Professions
Achievements & Pursuits
David R. Hodge, Ph.D. is an assistant professor at ASU-west and a senior nonresident fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society. Dr. Hodge is a nationally recognized scholar in spirituality whose work appears in a wide array of leading journals, including Social Work, Social Work Research , Journal of Social Service Research, Journal of Martial and Family Therapy, Research on Social Work Practice, and Families in Society. He is also the author of the book, Spiritual assessment: A handbook for helping professionals.
I have never met Dr. Hodge, so this is a bit of a guess, but it seems that he conducted a study that found exactly what he wanted it to find.
In the scientific community, that fact can undermine or even destroy a researcher's credibility.
...Don't tell State Rep. Russell Pearce or State Sen. Ron Gould about this, they might get some ideas:
From AP, via the Concord Monitor -
A panel of Georgia lawmakers signed off yesterday on a plan to create a Confederate heritage month, even as legislative leaders reacted coolly to a push to apologize for the state's role in slavery.
State Sen. Jeff Mullis's bill would dub April as Confederate History and Heritage Month to honor the memory of the Confederacy and "all those millions of its citizens of various races and ethnic groups and religions who contributed in sundry and myriad ways to the cause of Southern Independence."
Coming soon to a "strike-everything" amendment near you.
Later!
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