| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Dr. Jai Maharaj" |
| Date: |
03 May 2005 04:05:27 PM |
| Object: |
ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG |
ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG
Five items below:
1 Dawkins claims faith, being belief, is not based on evidence
2 Science discovers link between physical healing and religious commitment
3 New Study Shows Prayer Has Positive Effect on Health
4 Medicine for the soul - More therapists talking spirituality with patients
5 Excerpts from "Faith and Healing," TIME, June 24, 1996
Item 1:
"Faith, being belief that isn't based on evidence, is
the principal vice of any religion."
- Richard Dawkins, "Is Science a Religion?", Humanist,
January-February 1997.
Item 2:
[ Subject: SCIENCE DISCOVERS LINK BETWEEN PHYSICAL HEALING AND RELIGIOUS
[ COMMITMENT
[ From: Dr. Jai Maharaj
[ Date: September 3, 1997
SCIENCE DISCOVERS LINK BETWEEN PHYSICAL HEALING AND RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT
healing and the faith factor
worldwide english feature
by jane hughes
edited by kleinfeldt
voice of america
washington
september 2, 1997
introduction
science has discovered a link between a religious
commitment and physical healing. and that beliefs or
expectations can have a profound impact on our health.
scientists call this phenomenon the "placebo" effect,
which has been shown to heal from 50 to 80 percent of
many disorders. health reporter jane hughes has
details:
text according to a number of studies, people who regularly
attend church, for example, have 50 percent fewer deaths
from coronary artery disease and 74 percent fewer from
liver cirrhosis. a link has also been established
between religious beliefs and reduced stress and
depression. and one study showed that patients, who
were prayed for, had fewer complications after heart
surgery.
dr. david larson is the author of the teaching workbook,
"the forgotten factor" which discusses the relationship
between religion and health.
tape cut one - larson :11
"there is enough of a research base for us to look and
see that faith can make a difference -- whether it's in
prevention, coping with illness or recovering from major
interventions."
text many doctors are uncomfortable discussing a person's
faith and believe it is not their place to inquire about
it. however, nationwide polls show that a growing
number of americans want physicians to pay more
attention to their spiritual needs and are eager to
include spirituality in their treatment. according to
cnn, gallup, time and other polls, sixty to seventy
percent of americans say they would like to discuss
spirituality with their doctors. and, says dr. larson,
they also want their physicians to join with them in
prayer.
tape cut two - larson :19
"sixty-three percent of patients -- five out of eight --
want their doctor to pray with them. and, yet, only one
out of ten doctors ever even ask about spirituality.
faith and spirituality is not left out of these
practices because people are against it. it's because
they don't know what to do. they don't know how to ask
the questions."
text david larson hopes younger doctors can be trained to
talk comfortably about faith with their patients. he
founded the national institute for healthcare research
in rockville, maryland in 1994 to provide health
professionals with information about spiritual
approaches to healing. one sixth of the 126 medical
schools in the united states are now offering courses on
the element of faith in the healing process.
spirituality is part of the curriculum at george
washington university medical school, here in
washington. a popular course being offered at harvard
medical school is called "spirituality and healing in
medicine."
dr. herbert benson is author of the bestseller "timeless
healing." he says that physicians have long known that
belief can heal. and with 99 percent of americans
professing a belief in god, he is not surprised at the
studies that show a link between religious belief and
health. however, he says spirituality is just one part
of the total healing process.
tape cut three - benson :27
"you should view this kind of healing as being part of
an overall approach to medicine -- like a three-legged
stool, where one leg is drugs, another leg is surgery
and the third leg is what you can do for yourself. and
in that third leg, we have relaxation techniques, we
have belief, we have nutrition and exercise. belief is
definitely an important part of how we can help heal
ourselves."
text belief is at the heart of the "placebo effect" which is
improvement in the condition of a sick person who has
received a "sugar pill" -- an inactive substance --
rather than medication -- during a controlled medical
test.
dr. benson defines belief as being much broader than
belief in god. he emphasizes that the benefits of the
faith factor are not the exclusive domain of the devout.
he says people don't have to have a professed belief in
god to benefit from it.
how does the faith factor work? why does there seem to
be a connection between faith and healing? doctor
benson:
tape cut four - benson :32
"we are beginning to understand -- and i point this out
in my book, 'timeless healing' -- that we have patterns
of brain activity that remember sickness. other
patterns that remember being well. and, if you believe
that you can be well -- and i am not saying this is for
all diseases and in every case -- but, if you believe
you can be well, your brain will remember that, and the
mind-body connection will help develop that wellness in
your body. it should be used, in addition, again, to
pills and surgery."
text dr. herbert benson emphasizes that balance is the key.
he says he could not imagine a world without penicillin
or cataract surgery. he urges us to let our instincts
guide us, to follow them up with research, to find a
trusted physician, and to invest in self-care,
medications and surgery for maximum results. herbert
benson says in that way, we can make the most of the
faith factor.
(signed) jh/rpk
02-sep-97 4:11 pm edt (2011 utc) nnnn report 7-17315
source - voice of america
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Item 3:
[ Subject: NEW STUDY SHOWS PRAYER HAS POSITIVE EFFECT ON HEALTH
[ From: Dr. Jai Maharaj
[ Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003
New Study Shows Prayer Has Positive Effect on Health
By Meredith Buel
Washington
The Voice of America
Saturday, September 20, 2003
Can praying be good for your health? A decade ago, most
doctors and scientists would have dismissed any
connection between prayer and medicine. However, recent
studies drawing a positive connection between faith and
healing have sparked new debate in the United States over
the issue.
A recent Gallup poll shows that 95 percent of the
population of the United States believes in God, and
nearly 80 percent of people over 65-years-old are members
of a church.
A number of studies have shown that individuals who pray
regularly and attend religious services stay healthier
and live longer than those who rarely or never go to a
[temple,] church, synagogue or mosque.
Duke University recently released a study of 4,000 women
and men of different faiths. All the participants were 65
or older.
The study found that the relative risk of dying was 46
percent lower for those who frequently attend religious
services.
A study by the same group says those who pray regularly
have significantly lower blood pressure than those who do
not.
It also found that those who attend religious services
have healthier immune systems.
Dr. Harold Koenig of Duke University is the director and
founder of the Center for the Study of Religion,
Spirituality and Health.
Dr. Koenig says, when he first opened the center in the
1990's he was afraid, as he puts it, "of being run out of
town for practicing voodoo medicine."
But he says his own research and recent studies by other
universities have convinced him that prayer, much like
exercise and diet, has a connection with better health.
"A religion-medical connection is not new or unnatural,"
he said. "Many patients are religious, and use it to cope
with illness. Religion is related to mental health,
social support and health behaviors. Better mental
health, in turn, better social support, better health
behaviors are related to better physical health. Thus
religion should be related to physical health, and when
you examine it, it is."
Studies at several medical centers conclude that prayer
and faith help in the recovery from heart attacks, drug
addiction, stroke, alcoholism and depression.
At the University of Miami, research showed AIDS patients
who became long-term survivors were more frequently
engaged in religious worship and involved in volunteer
work.
Cynthia Cohen is a senior researcher at the Kennedy
Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University in
Washington.
"So far, the studies seem to show that prayer, in
particular, seems to work on some patients," said Ms.
Cohen. "There are studies that show that prayer has
apparently been associated with improved healthcare
outcomes for a high proportion of patients in certain
studies. However, there are other studies that show that
prayer doesn't seem to have the same degree of
effectiveness."
Dr. Richard Sloan is a professor of behavioral medicine
at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia
University in New York.
Dr. Sloan questions how the research linking prayer and
good health is being done, and says evidence is not
convincing.
"Most of those studies have significant methodological
flaws, which render their conclusions wrong," he said.
"Now, there are some relatively good studies recently.
But by and large, the body of evidence is weak and
inconclusive linking religion and health."
Dr. Sloan argues that involving physicians with a
patient's religion could lead to ethical problems.
He says some doctors might treat patients differently
because of their faith, or even attempt to convert them
to a specific religion during a difficult time of life.
"The principal concern is a threat to the patient's
religious freedom," said Mr. Sloan. "The patient should
be as religious or not religious as they choose without
interference from physicians. Physicians should not make
recommendations that suggest to patients that they ought
to behave in one way or another religiously, either more
or less religiously. Patients ought to behave
religiously, as they see fit, without interference from
physicians. So there are substantial ethical questions
raised by involving religion with medicine."
Also controversial is whether intercessory prayer or
prayer seeking divine help to improve the health of
others, actually works.
At nine medical centers around the country, hundreds of
patients with severe heart problems participated in a
survey of long distance healing.
The names of half the patients were given to Buddhist
monks, Carmelite nuns, Sufi Muslims and Christian
congregations who prayed for their recovery.
The results are expected to be released next month, but
in a similar pilot survey prayer recipients had
significantly fewer medical complications.
Listen to Meredith Buel's report (RealAudio)
http://www.voanews.com/mediastore/buel_prayer_health_20sep03.ram
Bueal report - Download 574k (RealAudio)
http://www.voanews.com/mediastore/buel_prayer_health_20sep03.rm
Source -
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectid=1A7E1BA1-5538-4F7A-9E924CDD6A13840D&title=New%20Study%20Shows%20Prayer%20Has%20Positive%20Effect%20on%20Health&db=current
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Item 4:
[ Subject: MEDICINE FOR THE SOUL - MORE THERAPISTS TALKING SPIRITUALITY
[ WITH PATIENTS
[ From: Dr. Jai Maharaj
[ Date: May 20, 1999
Medicine for the soul...More therapists
are talking spirituality with patients
By Lori Teresa Yearwood with Mark Angeles
The Philadelphia Inquirer
May 20, 1999
Miami - It was nearly three centuries ago that a
Christian mystic explained the paradox of human life on
earth: "We are not human beings having a spiritual
experience. We are spiritual beings having a human
experience." But it has taken the late 20th-century
pursuit of serenity to integrate the philosophy into
mainstream psychotherapy.
As more of their clients demand treatment for the soul
as well as the psyche, therapists are expanding their
repertoire to include talk of God and the power of
prayer.
Experts point to statistics that show a growing number
of Americans consider religion as one of the most
important influences in their lives.
"Even if the therapist is not religious, it's clear
that religion is a helpful coping mechanism," said Paul
Crits-Christoph, a professor of psychology in the
psychiatric department of the University of
Pennsylvania Medical School and director of Penn's
center for psychotherapy research. "As a therapist, it
just doesn't make sense to ignore that."
In the Philadelphia Archdiocese, where priests are used
to linking religion with counseling, lay social workers
are seeing an increasing number of clients who are
seeking a similar combination.
"The spiritual piece of a person is not separate," said
Mary Ann S. Wall, clinical supervisor of the family
services department of Catholic Social Services in
Philadelphia. "We're looking at the whole person."
Wall stressed that her social workers do not take the
place of priests and other traditional Catholic
spiritual advisers. Instead, a person's faith is taken
into consideration during counseling sessions, which
sometimes even take place in a chapel.
"[Our social workers] don't necessarily treat the
soul," Wall said. "But at the same time, they don't
ignore it."
The trend, experts say, is driven by a collective hunch
that there is more to life than can be explained by the
models of normalcy and dysfunction quoted in the
diagnostic journals of modern psychology.
"There is a broad spiritual awakening taking place
around us," says Henry Grayson, executive director of
New York's National Institute for the Psychotherapies,
a training ground for postgraduate students studying to
become therapists. Last year, the institute opened the
Center for Spirituality and Psychotherapy. Its first
conference drew more than 500 therapists from the East
Coast alone.
Indeed, the blending of traditional therapy and
spirituality has become so mainstream that a recent
"Beverly Hills, 90210" featured a psychiatrist
performing a past-life regression.
There is a sense of emptiness in so many of us, said
Deborah Saland, who has a doctorate in psychology and
is director and founder of the Institute for Human
Potential in North Miami Beach, a center that offers a
mix of traditional psychological therapy and spiritual
counseling.
Saland agrees that people who suffer must often turn to
the past to find the root of their hopelessness. But
there is something else, another problem that must be
addressed if people are to heal.
She calls it a "deficit in the soul," a lack of faith
that there is something out there greater than
ourselves.
"That there is a purpose, even in the pain," she said,
that God allows us to "stumble and bumble, to fall down
and get back up and keep going."
Some might dismiss the trend as a New Age fad. But the
focus on therapy for the soul is merely the
popularization of an idea that has been around since
Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung insisted the spiritual
component of the human psyche could not be ignored.
God isn't separate from psychotherapy, Jung declared,
departing from the teachings of his mentor, Sigmund
Freud. Rather, psychotherapy is a way to help connect
patients with their own internal "collective
unconscious" or "God awareness," Jung said.
Then came the 1960s and the "medicalization of mental
health," said Tony Carvajal, executive director of the
Florida Association of Psychology in Tallahassee. There
were diagnoses for everything from cancer to kidney
problems, and people wanted that scientific approach in
therapy as well.
Now, as the millennium nears, that cerebral approach to
mental health is shifting, bolstered by recent Gallup
polls that show the number of Americans who believe in
a power greater than themselves has doubled in the last
decade.
"There's quite a bit of research that shows there's a
strong positive correlation between holding spiritual
beliefs and health," Penn's Crits-Christoph said.
"People who are more religious are healthier."
Crits-Christoph is currently seeking funding for a Penn
study on the difference between spiritually oriented
psychotherapy and traditional therapy using medication
to treat depression.
Still, it's not quite time to jump on the psycho-
spiritual bandwagon.
"There may be a science to spirituality, but it has not
been proven yet," Carvajal insisted. "And the prudent
practitioner is not going to move in that direction
either."
Though there is increased interest in spirituality -
"It's everywhere, in books, in the media, you name it,"
Carvajal said - most therapists are not shifting their
therapeutic focus. It may be, in fact, that patients
prefer a spiritual approach to problems because it's
easier for them to grasp than the complex dynamics of
psychotherapy.
"I think people are clinging to what they feel they
have control over," he said. "For example, I couldn't
possibly explain the mechanics of chemotherapy to you.
But I can explain to you how to pray."
Maybe so. But Kelly Martin of Hollywood, Fla., tried
years of traditional therapy. It got her nowhere.
"Before spiritual therapy, I used to live from crisis
to crisis," she says. "Now I live from moment to
moment."
A client at Saland's Institute of Human Potential,
Martin, 33, said her therapists have helped her deal
with a painful history of eating disorders and sexual
abuse. They encourage her to embrace her pain, not run
from it.
But she does not dwell in her past, she said. And the
concept that helps her most is God. "I have beeped my
therapist, and all I needed for her to say is, `Where's
God, Kelly?' And I remember and I am OK."
Jo-Anne Carlucci, an administrative assistant in Miami,
sought spiritual psychotherapy after suffering a
debilitating depression.
"I tried traditional therapy for a year. I would talk
back and forth with my therapist and we would talk
about the past. And I felt like I was going in circles.
So I quit."
When panic attacks began keeping her from work,
Carlucci sought the help of Dr. Tasha Mansfield, a
South Miami psychologist and author of "When God Talks
Back - Madness or Mysticism?" (Centauro Publishing,
$18.50).
The panic attacks subsided within a year, and Carlucci
said she is happier and more centered than ever.
"Spiritual therapy goes right to the soul," Carlucci
said.
While traditional therapists are trained to look at
what is wrong with patients and to focus on their
problems and personality dysfunctions, Mansfield says
she tries to look beyond her clients' neuroses.
"I use my spiritual vision to look at their essence,"
Mansfield says. "And I really work on trying to let
them develop that, get to know that."
Psychoanalytic training, on the other hand, does not
acknowledge that there is such a thing as a soul. If
someone confides that he or she has seen an omen or
received messages from God, some psychotherapists may
think it a sign of mental illness. And a
psychotherapist who delves into the spiritual world may
be considered a little crazy himself.
That's what happened to Dr. Brian Weiss, former
chairman of the department of psychiatry at Mount Sinai
Medical Center in Miami Beach and best-selling author
of "Many Lives, Many Masters" and "Only Love Is Real, a
Story of Soulmates Reunited."
It took Weiss seven years to garner the courage to
write "Many Lives, Many Masters," an autobiographical
account of how the hypnotherapy he conducted with a
patient named Catherine opened the door to past-life
revelations that forever changed Weiss' outlook on
life. During those seven years, the Yale-trained
psychiatrist performed his past-life regressions
unbeknownst to his peers.
"I was worried about my house with its large mortgage
and my two young children," he admits. Turns out his
fear was not unfounded: When colleagues learned of his
avant-garde approach to traditional therapy, rumors
roared that the doctor had "lost his mind." One member
of a local hypnosis group headed a movement to censure
Weiss. Support from the other side drowned out the
opposition.
"So many are aware of the survival of the soul and
things like near-death experiences and after-death
experiences," Weiss says.
"People are not satisfied with traditional
psychotherapy. Because they know there is more."
Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for
the educational purposes of research and open
discussion.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mix psycho-babble with spirituality and sprinkle lightly
with religion.
Cincinatus' wife
Posted by: Cincinatus 5/20/99 12:59:16 PDT
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- To: Cincinatus
spirituality = secular christianity = government
approved religion = politically correct 'religion'
Are we supposed to feel warm & fuzzy over this
substitute?
-From: chit*chat 5/20/99 14:13:10 PDT
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- To: Cincinatus
Here are some recent journal articles from a Medline
search on prayer.
(1) Aust N Z J Psychiatry 1998 Dec;32(6):867-72
Religious -- sociocultural psychotherapy in patients
with anxiety and depression.
Razali SM, Hasanah CI, Aminah K, Subramaniam M
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences,
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian Kelantan.
mrazali@kb.usm.my
OBJECTIVE: To show the effectiveness of incorporating
religious-sociocultural components in the management of
patients with generalised anxiety disorders and major
depression who have strong religious and cultural
backgrounds as compared with a normal psychotherapeutic
approach. METHODS: One hundred and three cases of
anxiety and 100 cases of depression with strong
religious and cultural backgrounds were randomly
assigned to the study or control groups. Both groups
received standard treatment for their respective
illnesses. The study group was given additional
religious-sociocultural psychotherapy. They were
followed for 6 months and were assessed in a double-
blind fashion using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale
or the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. RESULTS:
Patients receiving additional religious-sociocultural
psychotherapy responded significantly faster than those
who received standard treatment. However, the
difference became non-significant at the end of 6
months. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating a religious and
sociocultural component in the treatment program
rapidly improved anxiety and depressive symptoms in
patients with strong religious and cultural
backgrounds. The present study demonstrates a need for
more sensitivity to religious-sociocultural issues in
the field of mental health.
- - -
(2)
West J Med 1998 Dec;169(6):356-63
A randomized double-blind study of the effect of
distant healing in a population with advanced AIDS.
Report of a small scale study.
Sicher F, Targ E, Moore D 2nd, Smith HS Geraldine Brush
Cancer Research Institute, California Pacific Medical
Center, San Francisco, USA.
Various forms of distant healing (DH), including prayer
and "psychic healing," are widely practiced, but
insufficient formal research has been done to indicate
whether such efforts actually affect health. We report
on a double-blind randomized trial of DH in 40 patients
with advanced AIDS. Subjects were pair-matched for age,
CD4+ count, and number of AIDS-defining illnesses and
randomly selected to either 10 weeks of DH treatment or
a control group. DH treatment was performed by self-
identified healers representing many different healing
and spiritual traditions. Healers were located
throughout the United States during the study, and
subjects and healers never met. Subjects were assessed
by psychometric testing and blood draw at enrollment
and followed for 6 months. At 6 months, a blind medical
chart review found that treatment subjects acquired
significantly fewer new AIDS-defining illnesses (0.1
versus 0.6 per patient, P = 0.04), had lower illness
severity (severity score 0.8 versus 2.65, P = 0.03),
and required significantly fewer doctor visits (9.2
versus 13.0, P = 0.01), fewer hospitalizations (0.15
versus 0.6, P = 0.04), and fewer days of
hospitalization (0.5 versus 3.4, P = 0.04). Treated
subjects also showed significantly improved mood
compared with controls (Profile of Mood States score -
26 versus 14, P = 0.02). There were no significant
differences in CD4+ counts. These data support the
possibility of a DH effect in AIDS and suggest the
value of further research.
- - -
(3)
Altern Ther Health Med 1997 Nov;3(6):79-86
Intercessory prayer in the treatment of alcohol abuse
and dependence: a pilot investigation.
Walker SR, Tonigan JS, Miller WR, Corner S, Kahlich L
University of New Mexico, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To conduct a pilot study of the effect of
intercessory prayer on patients entering treatment for
alcohol abuse or dependence. DESIGN: In addition to
standard treatment, 40 patients admitted to a public
substance abuse treatment facility for treatment of
alcohol problems who consented to participate were
randomized to receive or not receive intercessory
prayer (double-blind) by outside volunteers.
Assessments were conducted at baseline, 3 months, and 6
months. RESULTS: No differences were found between
prayer intervention and nonintervention groups on
alcohol consumption. Compared with a normative group of
patients treated at the same facility participants in
the prayer study experienced a delay in drinking
reduction. Those who reported at baseline that a family
member or friend was already praying for them were
found to be drinking significantly more at 6 months
than were those who reported being unaware of anyone
praying for them. Greater frequency of prayer by the
participants themselves was associated with less
drinking, but only at months 2 and 3. CONCLUSION:
Intercessory prayer did not demonstrate clinical
benefit in the treatment of alcohol abuse and
dependence under these study conditions. Prayer may be
a complex phenomenon with many interacting variables.
- - -
(4)
Altern Ther Health Med 1997 Nov;3(6):38-53
An experimental study of the effects of distant,
intercessory prayer on self-esteem, anxiety, and
depression.
O'Laoire S
DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, double-blind study.
PATIENTS: 496 volunteers: those who prayed (agents, n =
90) and those who were prayed for (subjects, n = 406).
INTERVENTION: Agents were randomly assigned to either a
directed or nondirected prayer group; photos and names
of subjects were used as a focus. Subjects were
randomly assigned to three groups: those prayed for by
nondirected agents, a control group, and those prayed
for by directed agents. Prayer was offered for 15
minutes daily for 12 weeks. Each subject was prayed for
by three agents. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Five pretest
and posttest objective measures and six posttest
subjective measures were taken. RESULTS: Subjects
improved significantly on all 11 measures. Agents
improved significantly on 10 measures. A significant
positive correlation was found between the amount of
prayer the agents did and their scores on the five
objective tests. Agents had significantly better scores
than did subjects on all objective measures. Subjects'
views of the locus of God's action showed significance
in three objective measures. Improvement on four
objective measures was significantly related to
subjects' belief in the power of prayer for others.
Improvement on all II measures was significantly
related to subjects' conviction concerning whether they
had been assigned to a control or an experimental
group. Possible explanations include the placebo/faith
effect, the time displaced effect, and extraneous
prayer.
- - -
(5)
J Altern Complement Med 1996 Winter;2(4):493-502
Wound healing and complementary therapies: a review.
Wirth DP, Richardson JT, Eidelman WS Healing Sciences
Research International, Orinda, California 94563, USA.
A series of five innovative experiments conducted by
Wirth et al. which examined the effect of various
complementary healing interventions on the
reepithelialization rate of full thickness human dermal
wounds was assessed as to specific methodological and
related factors. The treatment interventions utilized
in the series included experimental derivatives of the
Therapeutic Touch (TT), Reiki, LeShan, and Intercessory
Prayer techniques. The results of the series indicated
statistical significance for the initial two
experiments and nonsignificance or reverse significance
for the remaining three studies. This review article
examines the methodological designs of the series of
studies, along with the TT practitioners'
phenomenologically based journal reports, to provide
potential contributing correlative factors for the
differential results obtained. These factors include:
(1) methodological design restrictions, (2) a
transference/inhibitory effect (3) the influence of
experimental assistants, (4) healer visualization
/imagery techniques, (5) variations in subject
populations, and (6) a potential cancellation effect.
While the placebo controlled double-blind
methodological designs used in the series were as
stringent as those used in other fields of scientific
inquiry, the overall results of the experiments were
inconclusive in establishing the efficacy of the
treatment interventions for accelerating the rate of
reepithelialization of full thickness dermal wounds.
- - -
(6)
J Holist Nurs 1997 Sep;15(3):318-24; discussion 325-6
Prayer and healing. A case study.
Hughes CE
University of Texas at Austin, USA.
This article examines the relationship between prayer
and healing and its relationship to holistic health.
The apparent healing that results from prayer mystifies
researchers. Numerous theories may be offered as to the
mechanism by which this healing occurs. The belief of
the praying person in the power of the prayer itself
may stimulate healing, as the placebo effect suggests.
The relaxation response and the sense of self-efficacy
gained through the act of praying may enhance the
immune system. Despite these explanations of the
mechanisms through which prayer promotes healing, there
some-times exists a facet of prayer and healing that
defies rational explanation and seems to suggest the
existence of a higher power. A case is presented that
explores assistance from a higher power as a potential
explanation for the healing.
- - -
(7)
Int J Psychosom 1994;41(1-4):68-75
The psychophysiology of nontraditional prayer.
Wirth DP, Cram JR
Healing Sciences Research International, Orinda,
California.
This study was a replication and extension of previous
research which indicated that Non-Contact Therapeutic
Touch had a significant effect in normalizing the
activity of the "end organ" for the central nervous
system (CNS). The study utilized a randomized double-
blind within subject crossover methodological design to
examine the effect of nontraditional distant prayer
upon autonomic and CNS parameters. The impact of
complementary healing was assessed utilizing multi-site
surface electromyographic (sEMG) recordings located at
the frontalis, Cervical 4 paraspinals, Thoracic 6
paraspinals, and Lumbosacral 3 paraspinals. The
autonomic indicators of physiological activity included
hand temperature, heart rate, skin conductance levels
(SCL), and blood volume pulse (BVP). Twenty-one
subjects were randomly assigned to treatment and
control conditions for two thirty minute evaluation
sessions for a total of forty-two psychophysiological
monitoring periods. All participants were blinded to
the true nature of the experimental protocol as well as
the fact that a healing study was being conducted in
order to control for suggestion, expectation of
healing, and the placebo effect. The analysis of
autonomic indicators demonstrated a slight decrease in
BVP and heart rate, coupled with a minor increase in
SCL suggesting a mild "anticipatory effect" arousal
trend. The data also showed that two of the four muscle
regions monitored-T6 and L3 paraspinals-indicated a
significant reduction in electromagnetic energy during
and following the distant healing treatment
intervention for a majority of the subjects. For
example, the T6 SEMG showed significance at the p <
0002 level, while the L3 SEMG indicated significance
at the p < .001 level.
- - -
(8)
Int J Psychosom 1994;41(1-4):61-7
Complementary healing therapies.
Wirth DP, Barrett MJ Healing Sciences Research
International, Orinda, CA.
The effect of non-contact therapeutic touch (NCTT) in
isolation and in combination with Reiki, LeShan, and
Intercessory Prayer on the healing rate of full
thickness human dermal wounds was examined utilizing a
randomized, double-blind, within subject, crossover
design. The protocol incorporated an integral
biofeedback, guided imagery, and
visualization/relaxation component in order to assess
the influence of psychophysiological factors on the
healing process. Biopsies were performed on the lateral
deltoid in healthy subjects and assessed by two
independent physicians for the rate of
reepithelialization at day 5 and day 10. Subjects met
as a group on odd numbered days for a one hour
visualization/relaxation session which incorporated
guided imagery with either a specific intent to heal
their biopsy wound or a specific intent to relax.
Treatment intervention included two NCTT healers or two
mimic practitioners who worked in-person for a duration
of 6 minutes per subject. LeShan and Intercessory
Prayer healers worked at a distance and a Reiki healer
worked in-person with the NCTT healers. On even
numbered days, subjects were trained in hand
temperature biofeedback with either a specific intent
to heal or a specific intent to relax. Results showed
significance for the treated versus the control group
but in the opposite direction from that expected.
Several factors could have contributed to the
nonsignificance obtained including: (a) the natural
healing ability of the two mimic practitioners; (b) the
subjects' increased proficiency with the self-
regulatory techniques; and (c) a carryover effect from
the two NCTT healers and/or the Reiki, LeShan, or
Intercessory Prayer healers.
- - -
(9)
Indian J Physiol Pharmacol 1991 Jul;35(3):191-4
A comparative study of the driving effects of
dextroamphetamine and yogic meditation on muscle
control for the performance of balance on balance
board.
Dhume RR, Dhume RA
Department of Physiology, Goa Medical College,
Bambolim.
The work is aimed to compare the relative strength of
dextroamphetamine and yogic meditation on the
performance of 3 different groups of medical students
to concentrate on the task to balance on a balance
board. Group A subjects were mediators, group B
subjects were given orally 5 and 10 mg of
dextroamphetamine in a capsule, 1 hr prior to the test.
Group C subjects were given same capsule but with
lactose in place of the drug (placebo). This last
groups served as control for the study. The balance
index calculated taking into account their balance time
and error score at each trial of 5 min duration showed
that the performance of the group B (drug) had declined
with overall percentile fall of 40.6% as compared to
the performance of the controls (placebo) whereas, the
performance of Group A (meditators) went on steadily
and progressively increasing throughout the period of
10 trial days with overall percentile rise of 27.8%.
The results were conclusive to confirm earlier reports
that amphetamine is not of use for improvement of task
rather, it deteriorates the task performance. Contrary
to that, yogic meditation is of merit to achieve
concentration for mental as well as physical task.
- - -
(10)
Lancet 1990 Jun 9;335(8702):1381-3
Effect of yoga breathing exercises (pranayama) on
airway reactivity in subjects with asthma.
Singh V, Wisniewski A, Britton J, Tattersfield A
Respiratory Medicine Unit, City Hospital, Nottingham,
UK.
The effects of two pranayama yoga breathing exercises
on airway reactivity, airway calibre, symptom scores,
and medication use in patients with mild asthma were
assessed in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-
controlled, crossover trial. After baseline assessment
over 1 week, 18 patients with mild asthma practised
slow deep breathing for 15 min twice a day for two
consecutive 2-week periods. During the active period,
subjects were asked to breathe through a Pink City lung
(PCL) exerciser--a device which imposes slowing of
breathing and a 1:2 inspiration:expiration duration
ratio equivalent to pranayama breathing methods; during
the control period, subjects breathed through a matched
placebo device. Mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s
(FEV1), peak expiratory flow rate, symptom score, and
inhaler use over the last 3 days of each treatment
period were assessed in comparison with the baseline
assessment period; all improved more with the PCL
exerciser than with the placebo device, but the
differences were not significant. There was a
statistically significant increase in the dose of
histamine needed to provoke a 20% reduction in FEV1
(PD20) during pranayama breathing but not with the
placebo device. The usefulness of controlled
ventilation exercises in the control of asthma should
be further investigated.
- - -
(11)
South Med J 1988 Jul;81(7):826-9
Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in
a coronary care unit population.
Byrd RC
Medical Service, San Francisco General Medical Center,
CA.
The therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer (IP) to
the Judeo-Christian God, one of the oldest forms of
therapy, has had little attention in the medical
literature. To evaluate the effects of IP in a coronary
care unit (CCU) population, a prospective randomized
double-blind protocol was followed. Over ten months,
393 patients admitted to the CCU were randomized, after
signing informed consent, to an intercessory prayer
group (192 patients) or to a control group (201
patients). While hospitalized, the first group received
IP by participating Christians praying outside the
hospital; the control group did not. At entry, chi-
square and stepwise logistic analysis revealed no
statistical difference between the groups. After entry,
all patients had follow-up for the remainder of the
admission. The IP group subsequently had a
significantly lower severity score based on the
hospital course after entry (P less than .01).
Multivariant analysis separated the groups on the basis
of the outcome variables (P less than .0001). The
control patients required ventilatory assistance,
antibiotics, and diuretics more frequently than
patients in the IP group. These data suggest that
intercessory prayer to the Judeo-Christian God has a
beneficial therapeutic effect in patients admitted to a
CCU.
-From: mjp 5/20/99 14:33:48 PDT
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- To: mjp
"The control patients required ventilatory assistance,
antibiotics, and diuretics more frequently than
patients in the IP group. These data suggest that
intercessory prayer to the Judeo-Christian God has a
beneficial therapeutic effect in patients admitted to a
CCU."
I have heard about these studies....Not really
surprising. The above article seems unable to
distinguish between past life regression and
religion....and how the "scientific" community views
them. Actually quite insightful.
Cincinatus' wife
-From: Cincinatus 5/20/99 15:35:23 PDT
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
End of forwarded messages
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Item 5:
[ Subject: FAITH AND HEALING
[ From: Dr. Jai Maharaj
[ Date: July 16, 1996
Excerpts from "Faith and Healing," TIME, June 24, 1996:
o A 1995 study at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical
Center found that one of the best predictors of
survival among 232 heart surgery patients was the
degree to which the patients said they drew comfort
and strength from religious faith. Those who did not
had three times the death rate of those who did.
o A survey of 30 years of research on blood
pressure showed that churchgoers have lower blood
pressure than non-churchgoers -- 5 mm lower,
according to Larson, even when adjusted to account
for smoking and other risk factors.
o Other studies have shown that men and women
who attend church regularly have half the risk of
dying from coronary-artery disease as those who
rarely go to church. Again, smoking and
socioeconomic factors were taken into account.
o A 1996 National Institute on Aging study of
4,000 elderly living at home in North Carolina found
that those who attend religious services are less
depressed and physically healthier than those who
don't attend or who worship at home.
o In a study of 30 female patients recovering from
hip fractures, those who regarded God as a source of
strength and comfort and who attended religious
services were able to walk farther upon discharge and
had lower rates of depression than those who had
little faith.
o Numerous studies have found lower rates of
depression and anxiety-related illness among the
religiously committed. Nonchurchgoers have been found
to have a suicide rate four times higher than church
regulars.
There are many possible explanations for such
findings. Since churchgoers are more apt than
nonattendees to respect religious injunctions against
drinking, drug abuse, smoking and other excesses,
it's possible that their better health merely
reflects these healthier habits.
Some of the studies, however, took pains to
correct for this possibility by making statistical
adjustments for lifestyle differences. [Dr. David]
Larson likes to point out that in his own study the
benefits of religion hold up strongly, even for those
who indulge in cigarette smoking. Smokers who rated
religion as being very important to them were one-
seventh as likely to have an abnormal blood-pressure
reading as smokers who did not value religion.
[...]
Excerpts from "Faith and Healing," TIME, June 24, 1996.
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Hindu Holocaust Museum
http://www.mantra.com/holocaust
Hindu life, principles, spirituality and philosophy
http://www.hindu.org
http://www.hindunet.org
The truth about Islam and Muslims
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate
The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.
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.
|
|
| User: "Denis Loubet" |
|
| Title: Re: ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG |
03 May 2005 05:20:54 PM |
|
|
"Dr. Jai Maharaj" <usenet@mantra.com> wrote in message
news:GOIgi2170OlNTA@HtaOf...
ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG
Five items below:
1 Dawkins claims faith, being belief, is not based on evidence
And he's absolutely correct.
2 Science discovers link between physical healing and religious
commitment
Does the study say WHY there's a link?
Why yes, it does. It says it's the placebo effect.
So how does this "prove Dawkins wrong"? Faith is still faith, it's still
belief that's not based on evidence. That the belief has a beneficial side
effect is irrelevant.
(snip)
--
Denis Loubet
dloubet@io.com
http://www.io.com/~dloubet
.
|
|
|
| User: "Dr. Jai Maharaj" |
|
| Title: Re: ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG |
03 May 2005 05:35:03 PM |
|
|
In article <IYGdnUWMXb_OZ-rfRVn-oQ@io.com>,
"Denis Loubet" <dloubet@io.com> posted:
"Dr. Jai Maharaj" <usenet@mantra.com> wrote in message
news:GOIgi2170OlNTA@HtaOf...
ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG
Five items below:
1 Dawkins claims faith, being belief, is not based on evidence
And he's absolutely correct.
He's been proven wrong.
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
.
|
|
|
| User: "Elf M. Sternberg" |
|
| Title: Re: ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG |
04 May 2005 10:46:51 AM |
|
|
(Dr. Jai Maharaj) writes:
In article <IYGdnUWMXb_OZ-rfRVn-oQ@io.com>,
"Denis Loubet" <dloubet@io.com> posted:
"Dr. Jai Maharaj" < > wrote in message
1 Dawkins claims faith, being belief, is not based on evidence
And he's absolutely correct.
He's been proven wrong.
And black is white, and up is down, and freedom is slavery.
Dawkins is correct; you're merely a troll.
Elf
.
|
|
|
| User: "Dr. Jai Maharaj" |
|
| Title: Re: ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG |
04 May 2005 01:01:41 PM |
|
|
In article <87fyx3ro2c.fsf@drizzle.com>,
"Elf M. Sternberg" <elf@drizzle.com> posted:
Dawkins is correct; . . .
No, he is incorrect:
ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG
Five items below:
1 Dawkins claims faith, being belief, is not based on evidence
2 Science discovers link between physical healing and religious commitment
3 New Study Shows Prayer Has Positive Effect on Health
4 Medicine for the soul - More therapists talking spirituality with patients
5 Excerpts from "Faith and Healing," TIME, June 24, 1996
Item 1:
"Faith, being belief that isn't based on evidence, is
the principal vice of any religion."
- Richard Dawkins, "Is Science a Religion?", Humanist,
January-February 1997.
Item 2:
[ Subject: SCIENCE DISCOVERS LINK BETWEEN PHYSICAL HEALING AND RELIGIOUS
[ COMMITMENT
[ From: Dr. Jai Maharaj
[ Date: September 3, 1997
SCIENCE DISCOVERS LINK BETWEEN PHYSICAL HEALING AND RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT
healing and the faith factor
worldwide english feature
by jane hughes
edited by kleinfeldt
voice of america
washington
september 2, 1997
introduction
science has discovered a link between a religious
commitment and physical healing. and that beliefs or
expectations can have a profound impact on our health.
scientists call this phenomenon the "placebo" effect,
which has been shown to heal from 50 to 80 percent of
many disorders. health reporter jane hughes has
details:
text according to a number of studies, people who regularly
attend church, for example, have 50 percent fewer deaths
from coronary artery disease and 74 percent fewer from
liver cirrhosis. a link has also been established
between religious beliefs and reduced stress and
depression. and one study showed that patients, who
were prayed for, had fewer complications after heart
surgery.
dr. david larson is the author of the teaching workbook,
"the forgotten factor" which discusses the relationship
between religion and health.
tape cut one - larson :11
"there is enough of a research base for us to look and
see that faith can make a difference -- whether it's in
prevention, coping with illness or recovering from major
interventions."
text many doctors are uncomfortable discussing a person's
faith and believe it is not their place to inquire about
it. however, nationwide polls show that a growing
number of americans want physicians to pay more
attention to their spiritual needs and are eager to
include spirituality in their treatment. according to
cnn, gallup, time and other polls, sixty to seventy
percent of americans say they would like to discuss
spirituality with their doctors. and, says dr. larson,
they also want their physicians to join with them in
prayer.
tape cut two - larson :19
"sixty-three percent of patients -- five out of eight --
want their doctor to pray with them. and, yet, only one
out of ten doctors ever even ask about spirituality.
faith and spirituality is not left out of these
practices because people are against it. it's because
they don't know what to do. they don't know how to ask
the questions."
text david larson hopes younger doctors can be trained to
talk comfortably about faith with their patients. he
founded the national institute for healthcare research
in rockville, maryland in 1994 to provide health
professionals with information about spiritual
approaches to healing. one sixth of the 126 medical
schools in the united states are now offering courses on
the element of faith in the healing process.
spirituality is part of the curriculum at george
washington university medical school, here in
washington. a popular course being offered at harvard
medical school is called "spirituality and healing in
medicine."
dr. herbert benson is author of the bestseller "timeless
healing." he says that physicians have long known that
belief can heal. and with 99 percent of americans
professing a belief in god, he is not surprised at the
studies that show a link between religious belief and
health. however, he says spirituality is just one part
of the total healing process.
tape cut three - benson :27
"you should view this kind of healing as being part of
an overall approach to medicine -- like a three-legged
stool, where one leg is drugs, another leg is surgery
and the third leg is what you can do for yourself. and
in that third leg, we have relaxation techniques, we
have belief, we have nutrition and exercise. belief is
definitely an important part of how we can help heal
ourselves."
text belief is at the heart of the "placebo effect" which is
improvement in the condition of a sick person who has
received a "sugar pill" -- an inactive substance --
rather than medication -- during a controlled medical
test.
dr. benson defines belief as being much broader than
belief in god. he emphasizes that the benefits of the
faith factor are not the exclusive domain of the devout.
he says people don't have to have a professed belief in
god to benefit from it.
how does the faith factor work? why does there seem to
be a connection between faith and healing? doctor
benson:
tape cut four - benson :32
"we are beginning to understand -- and i point this out
in my book, 'timeless healing' -- that we have patterns
of brain activity that remember sickness. other
patterns that remember being well. and, if you believe
that you can be well -- and i am not saying this is for
all diseases and in every case -- but, if you believe
you can be well, your brain will remember that, and the
mind-body connection will help develop that wellness in
your body. it should be used, in addition, again, to
pills and surgery."
text dr. herbert benson emphasizes that balance is the key.
he says he could not imagine a world without penicillin
or cataract surgery. he urges us to let our instincts
guide us, to follow them up with research, to find a
trusted physician, and to invest in self-care,
medications and surgery for maximum results. herbert
benson says in that way, we can make the most of the
faith factor.
(signed) jh/rpk
02-sep-97 4:11 pm edt (2011 utc) nnnn report 7-17315
source - voice of america
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Item 3:
[ Subject: NEW STUDY SHOWS PRAYER HAS POSITIVE EFFECT ON HEALTH
[ From: Dr. Jai Maharaj
[ Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003
New Study Shows Prayer Has Positive Effect on Health
By Meredith Buel
Washington
The Voice of America
Saturday, September 20, 2003
Can praying be good for your health? A decade ago, most
doctors and scientists would have dismissed any
connection between prayer and medicine. However, recent
studies drawing a positive connection between faith and
healing have sparked new debate in the United States over
the issue.
A recent Gallup poll shows that 95 percent of the
population of the United States believes in God, and
nearly 80 percent of people over 65-years-old are members
of a church.
A number of studies have shown that individuals who pray
regularly and attend religious services stay healthier
and live longer than those who rarely or never go to a
[temple,] church, synagogue or mosque.
Duke University recently released a study of 4,000 women
and men of different faiths. All the participants were 65
or older.
The study found that the relative risk of dying was 46
percent lower for those who frequently attend religious
services.
A study by the same group says those who pray regularly
have significantly lower blood pressure than those who do
not.
It also found that those who attend religious services
have healthier immune systems.
Dr. Harold Koenig of Duke University is the director and
founder of the Center for the Study of Religion,
Spirituality and Health.
Dr. Koenig says, when he first opened the center in the
1990's he was afraid, as he puts it, "of being run out of
town for practicing voodoo medicine."
But he says his own research and recent studies by other
universities have convinced him that prayer, much like
exercise and diet, has a connection with better health.
"A religion-medical connection is not new or unnatural,"
he said. "Many patients are religious, and use it to cope
with illness. Religion is related to mental health,
social support and health behaviors. Better mental
health, in turn, better social support, better health
behaviors are related to better physical health. Thus
religion should be related to physical health, and when
you examine it, it is."
Studies at several medical centers conclude that prayer
and faith help in the recovery from heart attacks, drug
addiction, stroke, alcoholism and depression.
At the University of Miami, research showed AIDS patients
who became long-term survivors were more frequently
engaged in religious worship and involved in volunteer
work.
Cynthia Cohen is a senior researcher at the Kennedy
Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University in
Washington.
"So far, the studies seem to show that prayer, in
particular, seems to work on some patients," said Ms.
Cohen. "There are studies that show that prayer has
apparently been associated with improved healthcare
outcomes for a high proportion of patients in certain
studies. However, there are other studies that show that
prayer doesn't seem to have the same degree of
effectiveness."
Dr. Richard Sloan is a professor of behavioral medicine
at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia
University in New York.
Dr. Sloan questions how the research linking prayer and
good health is being done, and says evidence is not
convincing.
"Most of those studies have significant methodological
flaws, which render their conclusions wrong," he said.
"Now, there are some relatively good studies recently.
But by and large, the body of evidence is weak and
inconclusive linking religion and health."
Dr. Sloan argues that involving physicians with a
patient's religion could lead to ethical problems.
He says some doctors might treat patients differently
because of their faith, or even attempt to convert them
to a specific religion during a difficult time of life.
"The principal concern is a threat to the patient's
religious freedom," said Mr. Sloan. "The patient should
be as religious or not religious as they choose without
interference from physicians. Physicians should not make
recommendations that suggest to patients that they ought
to behave in one way or another religiously, either more
or less religiously. Patients ought to behave
religiously, as they see fit, without interference from
physicians. So there are substantial ethical questions
raised by involving religion with medicine."
Also controversial is whether intercessory prayer or
prayer seeking divine help to improve the health of
others, actually works.
At nine medical centers around the country, hundreds of
patients with severe heart problems participated in a
survey of long distance healing.
The names of half the patients were given to Buddhist
monks, Carmelite nuns, Sufi Muslims and Christian
congregations who prayed for their recovery.
The results are expected to be released next month, but
in a similar pilot survey prayer recipients had
significantly fewer medical complications.
Listen to Meredith Buel's report (RealAudio)
http://www.voanews.com/mediastore/buel_prayer_health_20sep03.ram
Bueal report - Download 574k (RealAudio)
http://www.voanews.com/mediastore/buel_prayer_health_20sep03.rm
Source -
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectid=1A7E1BA1-5538-4F7A-9E924CDD6A13840D&title=New%20Study%20Shows%20Prayer%20Has%20Positive%20Effect%20on%20Health&db=current
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Item 4:
[ Subject: MEDICINE FOR THE SOUL - MORE THERAPISTS TALKING SPIRITUALITY
[ WITH PATIENTS
[ From: Dr. Jai Maharaj
[ Date: May 20, 1999
Medicine for the soul...More therapists
are talking spirituality with patients
By Lori Teresa Yearwood with Mark Angeles
The Philadelphia Inquirer
May 20, 1999
Miami - It was nearly three centuries ago that a
Christian mystic explained the paradox of human life on
earth: "We are not human beings having a spiritual
experience. We are spiritual beings having a human
experience." But it has taken the late 20th-century
pursuit of serenity to integrate the philosophy into
mainstream psychotherapy.
As more of their clients demand treatment for the soul
as well as the psyche, therapists are expanding their
repertoire to include talk of God and the power of
prayer.
Experts point to statistics that show a growing number
of Americans consider religion as one of the most
important influences in their lives.
"Even if the therapist is not religious, it's clear
that religion is a helpful coping mechanism," said Paul
Crits-Christoph, a professor of psychology in the
psychiatric department of the University of
Pennsylvania Medical School and director of Penn's
center for psychotherapy research. "As a therapist, it
just doesn't make sense to ignore that."
In the Philadelphia Archdiocese, where priests are used
to linking religion with counseling, lay social workers
are seeing an increasing number of clients who are
seeking a similar combination.
"The spiritual piece of a person is not separate," said
Mary Ann S. Wall, clinical supervisor of the family
services department of Catholic Social Services in
Philadelphia. "We're looking at the whole person."
Wall stressed that her social workers do not take the
place of priests and other traditional Catholic
spiritual advisers. Instead, a person's faith is taken
into consideration during counseling sessions, which
sometimes even take place in a chapel.
"[Our social workers] don't necessarily treat the
soul," Wall said. "But at the same time, they don't
ignore it."
The trend, experts say, is driven by a collective hunch
that there is more to life than can be explained by the
models of normalcy and dysfunction quoted in the
diagnostic journals of modern psychology.
"There is a broad spiritual awakening taking place
around us," says Henry Grayson, executive director of
New York's National Institute for the Psychotherapies,
a training ground for postgraduate students studying to
become therapists. Last year, the institute opened the
Center for Spirituality and Psychotherapy. Its first
conference drew more than 500 therapists from the East
Coast alone.
Indeed, the blending of traditional therapy and
spirituality has become so mainstream that a recent
"Beverly Hills, 90210" featured a psychiatrist
performing a past-life regression.
There is a sense of emptiness in so many of us, said
Deborah Saland, who has a doctorate in psychology and
is director and founder of the Institute for Human
Potential in North Miami Beach, a center that offers a
mix of traditional psychological therapy and spiritual
counseling.
Saland agrees that people who suffer must often turn to
the past to find the root of their hopelessness. But
there is something else, another problem that must be
addressed if people are to heal.
She calls it a "deficit in the soul," a lack of faith
that there is something out there greater than
ourselves.
"That there is a purpose, even in the pain," she said,
that God allows us to "stumble and bumble, to fall down
and get back up and keep going."
Some might dismiss the trend as a New Age fad. But the
focus on therapy for the soul is merely the
popularization of an idea that has been around since
Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung insisted the spiritual
component of the human psyche could not be ignored.
God isn't separate from psychotherapy, Jung declared,
departing from the teachings of his mentor, Sigmund
Freud. Rather, psychotherapy is a way to help connect
patients with their own internal "collective
unconscious" or "God awareness," Jung said.
Then came the 1960s and the "medicalization of mental
health," said Tony Carvajal, executive director of the
Florida Association of Psychology in Tallahassee. There
were diagnoses for everything from cancer to kidney
problems, and people wanted that scientific approach in
therapy as well.
Now, as the millennium nears, that cerebral approach to
mental health is shifting, bolstered by recent Gallup
polls that show the number of Americans who believe in
a power greater than themselves has doubled in the last
decade.
"There's quite a bit of research that shows there's a
strong positive correlation between holding spiritual
beliefs and health," Penn's Crits-Christoph said.
"People who are more religious are healthier."
Crits-Christoph is currently seeking funding for a Penn
study on the difference between spiritually oriented
psychotherapy and traditional therapy using medication
to treat depression.
Still, it's not quite time to jump on the psycho-
spiritual bandwagon.
"There may be a science to spirituality, but it has not
been proven yet," Carvajal insisted. "And the prudent
practitioner is not going to move in that direction
either."
Though there is increased interest in spirituality -
"It's everywhere, in books, in the media, you name it,"
Carvajal said - most therapists are not shifting their
therapeutic focus. It may be, in fact, that patients
prefer a spiritual approach to problems because it's
easier for them to grasp than the complex dynamics of
psychotherapy.
"I think people are clinging to what they feel they
have control over," he said. "For example, I couldn't
possibly explain the mechanics of chemotherapy to you.
But I can explain to you how to pray."
Maybe so. But Kelly Martin of Hollywood, Fla., tried
years of traditional therapy. It got her nowhere.
"Before spiritual therapy, I used to live from crisis
to crisis," she says. "Now I live from moment to
moment."
A client at Saland's Institute of Human Potential,
Martin, 33, said her therapists have helped her deal
with a painful history of eating disorders and sexual
abuse. They encourage her to embrace her pain, not run
from it.
But she does not dwell in her past, she said. And the
concept that helps her most is God. "I have beeped my
therapist, and all I needed for her to say is, `Where's
God, Kelly?' And I remember and I am OK."
Jo-Anne Carlucci, an administrative assistant in Miami,
sought spiritual psychotherapy after suffering a
debilitating depression.
"I tried traditional therapy for a year. I would talk
back and forth with my therapist and we would talk
about the past. And I felt like I was going in circles.
So I quit."
When panic attacks began keeping her from work,
Carlucci sought the help of Dr. Tasha Mansfield, a
South Miami psychologist and author of "When God Talks
Back - Madness or Mysticism?" (Centauro Publishing,
$18.50).
The panic attacks subsided within a year, and Carlucci
said she is happier and more centered than ever.
"Spiritual therapy goes right to the soul," Carlucci
said.
While traditional therapists are trained to look at
what is wrong with patients and to focus on their
problems and personality dysfunctions, Mansfield says
she tries to look beyond her clients' neuroses.
"I use my spiritual vision to look at their essence,"
Mansfield says. "And I really work on trying to let
them develop that, get to know that."
Psychoanalytic training, on the other hand, does not
acknowledge that there is such a thing as a soul. If
someone confides that he or she has seen an omen or
received messages from God, some psychotherapists may
think it a sign of mental illness. And a
psychotherapist who delves into the spiritual world may
be considered a little crazy himself.
That's what happened to Dr. Brian Weiss, former
chairman of the department of psychiatry at Mount Sinai
Medical Center in Miami Beach and best-selling author
of "Many Lives, Many Masters" and "Only Love Is Real, a
Story of Soulmates Reunited."
It took Weiss seven years to garner the courage to
write "Many Lives, Many Masters," an autobiographical
account of how the hypnotherapy he conducted with a
patient named Catherine opened the door to past-life
revelations that forever changed Weiss' outlook on
life. During those seven years, the Yale-trained
psychiatrist performed his past-life regressions
unbeknownst to his peers.
"I was worried about my house with its large mortgage
and my two young children," he admits. Turns out his
fear was not unfounded: When colleagues learned of his
avant-garde approach to traditional therapy, rumors
roared that the doctor had "lost his mind." One member
of a local hypnosis group headed a movement to censure
Weiss. Support from the other side drowned out the
opposition.
"So many are aware of the survival of the soul and
things like near-death experiences and after-death
experiences," Weiss says.
"People are not satisfied with traditional
psychotherapy. Because they know there is more."
Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for
the educational purposes of research and open
discussion.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mix psycho-babble with spirituality and sprinkle lightly
with religion.
Cincinatus' wife
Posted by: Cincinatus 5/20/99 12:59:16 PDT
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- To: Cincinatus
spirituality = secular christianity = government
approved religion = politically correct 'religion'
Are we supposed to feel warm & fuzzy over this
substitute?
-From: chit*chat 5/20/99 14:13:10 PDT
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- To: Cincinatus
Here are some recent journal articles from a Medline
search on prayer.
(1) Aust N Z J Psychiatry 1998 Dec;32(6):867-72
Religious -- sociocultural psychotherapy in patients
with anxiety and depression.
Razali SM, Hasanah CI, Aminah K, Subramaniam M
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences,
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian Kelantan.
mrazali@kb.usm.my
OBJECTIVE: To show the effectiveness of incorporating
religious-sociocultural components in the management of
patients with generalised anxiety disorders and major
depression who have strong religious and cultural
backgrounds as compared with a normal psychotherapeutic
approach. METHODS: One hundred and three cases of
anxiety and 100 cases of depression with strong
religious and cultural backgrounds were randomly
assigned to the study or control groups. Both groups
received standard treatment for their respective
illnesses. The study group was given additional
religious-sociocultural psychotherapy. They were
followed for 6 months and were assessed in a double-
blind fashion using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale
or the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. RESULTS:
Patients receiving additional religious-sociocultural
psychotherapy responded significantly faster than those
who received standard treatment. However, the
difference became non-significant at the end of 6
months. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating a religious and
sociocultural component in the treatment program
rapidly improved anxiety and depressive symptoms in
patients with strong religious and cultural
backgrounds. The present study demonstrates a need for
more sensitivity to religious-sociocultural issues in
the field of mental health.
- - -
(2)
West J Med 1998 Dec;169(6):356-63
A randomized double-blind study of the effect of
distant healing in a population with advanced AIDS.
Report of a small scale study.
Sicher F, Targ E, Moore D 2nd, Smith HS Geraldine Brush
Cancer Research Institute, California Pacific Medical
Center, San Francisco, USA.
Various forms of distant healing (DH), including prayer
and "psychic healing," are widely practiced, but
insufficient formal research has been done to indicate
whether such efforts actually affect health. We report
on a double-blind randomized trial of DH in 40 patients
with advanced AIDS. Subjects were pair-matched for age,
CD4+ count, and number of AIDS-defining illnesses and
randomly selected to either 10 weeks of DH treatment or
a control group. DH treatment was performed by self-
identified healers representing many different healing
and spiritual traditions. Healers were located
throughout the United States during the study, and
subjects and healers never met. Subjects were assessed
by psychometric testing and blood draw at enrollment
and followed for 6 months. At 6 months, a blind medical
chart review found that treatment subjects acquired
significantly fewer new AIDS-defining illnesses (0.1
versus 0.6 per patient, P = 0.04), had lower illness
severity (severity score 0.8 versus 2.65, P = 0.03),
and required significantly fewer doctor visits (9.2
versus 13.0, P = 0.01), fewer hospitalizations (0.15
versus 0.6, P = 0.04), and fewer days of
hospitalization (0.5 versus 3.4, P = 0.04). Treated
subjects also showed significantly improved mood
compared with controls (Profile of Mood States score -
26 versus 14, P = 0.02). There were no significant
differences in CD4+ counts. These data support the
possibility of a DH effect in AIDS and suggest the
value of further research.
- - -
(3)
Altern Ther Health Med 1997 Nov;3(6):79-86
Intercessory prayer in the treatment of alcohol abuse
and dependence: a pilot investigation.
Walker SR, Tonigan JS, Miller WR, Corner S, Kahlich L
University of New Mexico, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To conduct a pilot study of the effect of
intercessory prayer on patients entering treatment for
alcohol abuse or dependence. DESIGN: In addition to
standard treatment, 40 patients admitted to a public
substance abuse treatment facility for treatment of
alcohol problems who consented to participate were
randomized to receive or not receive intercessory
prayer (double-blind) by outside volunteers.
Assessments were conducted at baseline, 3 months, and 6
months. RESULTS: No differences were found between
prayer intervention and nonintervention groups on
alcohol consumption. Compared with a normative group of
patients treated at the same facility participants in
the prayer study experienced a delay in drinking
reduction. Those who reported at baseline that a family
member or friend was already praying for them were
found to be drinking significantly more at 6 months
than were those who reported being unaware of anyone
praying for them. Greater frequency of prayer by the
participants themselves was associated with less
drinking, but only at months 2 and 3. CONCLUSION:
Intercessory prayer did not demonstrate clinical
benefit in the treatment of alcohol abuse and
dependence under these study conditions. Prayer may be
a complex phenomenon with many interacting variables.
- - -
(4)
Altern Ther Health Med 1997 Nov;3(6):38-53
An experimental study of the effects of distant,
intercessory prayer on self-esteem, anxiety, and
depression.
O'Laoire S
DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, double-blind study.
PATIENTS: 496 volunteers: those who prayed (agents, n =
90) and those who were prayed for (subjects, n = 406).
INTERVENTION: Agents were randomly assigned to either a
directed or nondirected prayer group; photos and names
of subjects were used as a focus. Subjects were
randomly assigned to three groups: those prayed for by
nondirected agents, a control group, and those prayed
for by directed agents. Prayer was offered for 15
minutes daily for 12 weeks. Each subject was prayed for
by three agents. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Five pretest
and posttest objective measures and six posttest
subjective measures were taken. RESULTS: Subjects
improved significantly on all 11 measures. Agents
improved significantly on 10 measures. A significant
positive correlation was found between the amount of
prayer the agents did and their scores on the five
objective tests. Agents had significantly better scores
than did subjects on all objective measures. Subjects'
views of the locus of God's action showed significance
in three objective measures. Improvement on four
objective measures was significantly related to
subjects' belief in the power of prayer for others.
Improvement on all II measures was significantly
related to subjects' conviction concerning whether they
had been assigned to a control or an experimental
group. Possible explanations include the placebo/faith
effect, the time displaced effect, and extraneous
prayer.
- - -
(5)
J Altern Complement Med 1996 Winter;2(4):493-502
Wound healing and complementary therapies: a review.
Wirth DP, Richardson JT, Eidelman WS Healing Sciences
Research International, Orinda, California 94563, USA.
A series of five innovative experiments conducted by
Wirth et al. which examined the effect of various
complementary healing interventions on the
reepithelialization rate of full thickness human dermal
wounds was assessed as to specific methodological and
related factors. The treatment interventions utilized
in the series included experimental derivatives of the
Therapeutic Touch (TT), Reiki, LeShan, and Intercessory
Prayer techniques. The results of the series indicated
statistical significance for the initial two
experiments and nonsignificance or reverse significance
for the remaining three studies. This review article
examines the methodological designs of the series of
studies, along with the TT practitioners'
phenomenologically based journal reports, to provide
potential contributing correlative factors for the
differential results obtained. These factors include:
(1) methodological design restrictions, (2) a
transference/inhibitory effect (3) the influence of
experimental assistants, (4) healer visualization
/imagery techniques, (5) variations in subject
populations, and (6) a potential cancellation effect.
While the placebo controlled double-blind
methodological designs used in the series were as
stringent as those used in other fields of scientific
inquiry, the overall results of the experiments were
inconclusive in establishing the efficacy of the
treatment interventions for accelerating the rate of
reepithelialization of full thickness dermal wounds.
- - -
(6)
J Holist Nurs 1997 Sep;15(3):318-24; discussion 325-6
Prayer and healing. A case study.
Hughes CE
University of Texas at Austin, USA.
This article examines the relationship between prayer
and healing and its relationship to holistic health.
The apparent healing that results from prayer mystifies
researchers. Numerous theories may be offered as to the
mechanism by which this healing occurs. The belief of
the praying person in the power of the prayer itself
may stimulate healing, as the placebo effect suggests.
The relaxation response and the sense of self-efficacy
gained through the act of praying may enhance the
immune system. Despite these explanations of the
mechanisms through which prayer promotes healing, there
some-times exists a facet of prayer and healing that
defies rational explanation and seems to suggest the
existence of a higher power. A case is presented that
explores assistance from a higher power as a potential
explanation for the healing.
- - -
(7)
Int J Psychosom 1994;41(1-4):68-75
The psychophysiology of nontraditional prayer.
Wirth DP, Cram JR
Healing Sciences Research International, Orinda,
California.
This study was a replication and extension of previous
research which indicated that Non-Contact Therapeutic
Touch had a significant effect in normalizing the
activity of the "end organ" for the central nervous
system (CNS). The study utilized a randomized double-
blind within subject crossover methodological design to
examine the effect of nontraditional distant prayer
upon autonomic and CNS parameters. The impact of
complementary healing was assessed utilizing multi-site
surface electromyographic (sEMG) recordings located at
the frontalis, Cervical 4 paraspinals, Thoracic 6
paraspinals, and Lumbosacral 3 paraspinals. The
autonomic indicators of physiological activity included
hand temperature, heart rate, skin conductance levels
(SCL), and blood volume pulse (BVP). Twenty-one
subjects were randomly assigned to treatment and
control conditions for two thirty minute evaluation
sessions for a total of forty-two psychophysiological
monitoring periods. All participants were blinded to
the true nature of the experimental protocol as well as
the fact that a healing study was being conducted in
order to control for suggestion, expectation of
healing, and the placebo effect. The analysis of
autonomic indicators demonstrated a slight decrease in
BVP and heart rate, coupled with a minor increase in
SCL suggesting a mild "anticipatory effect" arousal
trend. The data also showed that two of the four muscle
regions monitored-T6 and L3 paraspinals-indicated a
significant reduction in electromagnetic energy during
and following the distant healing treatment
intervention for a majority of the subjects. For
example, the T6 SEMG showed significance at the p <
0002 level, while the L3 SEMG indicated significance
at the p < .001 level.
- - -
(8)
Int J Psychosom 1994;41(1-4):61-7
Complementary healing therapies.
Wirth DP, Barrett MJ Healing Sciences Research
International, Orinda, CA.
The effect of non-contact therapeutic touch (NCTT) in
isolation and in combination with Reiki, LeShan, and
Intercessory Prayer on the healing rate of full
thickness human dermal wounds was examined utilizing a
randomized, double-blind, within subject, crossover
design. The protocol incorporated an integral
biofeedback, guided imagery, and
visualization/relaxation component in order to assess
the influence of psychophysiological factors on the
healing process. Biopsies were performed on the lateral
deltoid in healthy subjects and assessed by two
independent physicians for the rate of
reepithelialization at day 5 and day 10. Subjects met
as a group on odd numbered days for a one hour
visualization/relaxation session which incorporated
guided imagery with either a specific intent to heal
their biopsy wound or a specific intent to relax.
Treatment intervention included two NCTT healers or two
mimic practitioners who worked in-person for a duration
of 6 minutes per subject. LeShan and Intercessory
Prayer healers worked at a distance and a Reiki healer
worked in-person with the NCTT healers. On even
numbered days, subjects were trained in hand
temperature biofeedback with either a specific intent
to heal or a specific intent to relax. Results showed
significance for the treated versus the control group
but in the opposite direction from that expected.
Several factors could have contributed to the
nonsignificance obtained including: (a) the natural
healing ability of the two mimic practitioners; (b) the
subjects' increased proficiency with the self-
regulatory techniques; and (c) a carryover effect from
the two NCTT healers and/or the Reiki, LeShan, or
Intercessory Prayer healers.
- - -
(9)
Indian J Physiol Pharmacol 1991 Jul;35(3):191-4
A comparative study of the driving effects of
dextroamphetamine and yogic meditation on muscle
control for the performance of balance on balance
board.
Dhume RR, Dhume RA
Department of Physiology, Goa Medical College,
Bambolim.
The work is aimed to compare the relative strength of
dextroamphetamine and yogic meditation on the
performance of 3 different groups of medical students
to concentrate on the task to balance on a balance
board. Group A subjects were mediators, group B
subjects were given orally 5 and 10 mg of
dextroamphetamine in a capsule, 1 hr prior to the test.
Group C subjects were given same capsule but with
lactose in place of the drug (placebo). This last
groups served as control for the study. The balance
index calculated taking into account their balance time
and error score at each trial of 5 min duration showed
that the performance of the group B (drug) had declined
with overall percentile fall of 40.6% as compared to
the performance of the controls (placebo) whereas, the
performance of Group A (meditators) went on steadily
and progressively increasing throughout the period of
10 trial days with overall percentile rise of 27.8%.
The results were conclusive to confirm earlier reports
that amphetamine is not of use for improvement of task
rather, it deteriorates the task performance. Contrary
to that, yogic meditation is of merit to achieve
concentration for mental as well as physical task.
- - -
(10)
Lancet 1990 Jun 9;335(8702):1381-3
Effect of yoga breathing exercises (pranayama) on
airway reactivity in subjects with asthma.
Singh V, Wisniewski A, Britton J, Tattersfield A
Respiratory Medicine Unit, City Hospital, Nottingham,
UK.
The effects of two pranayama yoga breathing exercises
on airway reactivity, airway calibre, symptom scores,
and medication use in patients with mild asthma were
assessed in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-
controlled, crossover trial. After baseline assessment
over 1 week, 18 patients with mild asthma practised
slow deep breathing for 15 min twice a day for two
consecutive 2-week periods. During the active period,
subjects were asked to breathe through a Pink City lung
(PCL) exerciser--a device which imposes slowing of
breathing and a 1:2 inspiration:expiration duration
ratio equivalent to pranayama breathing methods; during
the control period, subjects breathed through a matched
placebo device. Mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s
(FEV1), peak expiratory flow rate, symptom score, and
inhaler use over the last 3 days of each treatment
period were assessed in comparison with the baseline
assessment period; all improved more with the PCL
exerciser than with the placebo device, but the
differences were not significant. There was a
statistically significant increase in the dose of
histamine needed to provoke a 20% reduction in FEV1
(PD20) during pranayama breathing but not with the
placebo device. The usefulness of controlled
ventilation exercises in the control of asthma should
be further investigated.
- - -
(11)
South Med J 1988 Jul;81(7):826-9
Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in
a coronary care unit population.
Byrd RC
Medical Service, San Francisco General Medical Center,
CA.
The therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer (IP) to
the Judeo-Christian God, one of the oldest forms of
therapy, has had little attention in the medical
literature. To evaluate the effects of IP in a coronary
care unit (CCU) population, a prospective randomized
double-blind protocol was followed. Over ten months,
393 patients admitted to the CCU were randomized, after
signing informed consent, to an intercessory prayer
group (192 patients) or to a control group (201
patients). While hospitalized, the first group received
IP by participating Christians praying outside the
hospital; the control group did not. At entry, chi-
square and stepwise logistic analysis revealed no
statistical difference between the groups. After entry,
all patients had follow-up for the remainder of the
admission. The IP group subsequently had a
significantly lower severity score based on the
hospital course after entry (P less than .01).
Multivariant analysis separated the groups on the basis
of the outcome variables (P less than .0001). The
control patients required ventilatory assistance,
antibiotics, and diuretics more frequently than
patients in the IP group. These data suggest that
intercessory prayer to the Judeo-Christian God has a
beneficial therapeutic effect in patients admitted to a
CCU.
-From: mjp 5/20/99 14:33:48 PDT
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- To: mjp
"The control patients required ventilatory assistance,
antibiotics, and diuretics more frequently than
patients in the IP group. These data suggest that
intercessory prayer to the Judeo-Christian God has a
beneficial therapeutic effect in patients admitted to a
CCU."
I have heard about these studies....Not really
surprising. The above article seems unable to
distinguish between past life regression and
religion....and how the "scientific" community views
them. Actually quite insightful.
Cincinatus' wife
-From: Cincinatus 5/20/99 15:35:23 PDT
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End of forwarded messages
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Item 5:
[ Subject: FAITH AND HEALING
[ From: Dr. Jai Maharaj
[ Date: July 16, 1996
Excerpts from "Faith and Healing," TIME, June 24, 1996:
o A 1995 study at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical
Center found that one of the best predictors of
survival among 232 heart surgery patients was the
degree to which the patients said they drew comfort
and strength from religious faith. Those who did not
had three times the death rate of those who did.
o A survey of 30 years of research on blood
pressure showed that churchgoers have lower blood
pressure than non-churchgoers -- 5 mm lower,
according to Larson, even when adjusted to account
for smoking and other risk factors.
o Other studies have shown that men and women
who attend church regularly have half the risk of
dying from coronary-artery disease as those who
rarely go to church. Again, smoking and
socioeconomic factors were taken into account.
o A 1996 National Institute on Aging study of
4,000 elderly living at home in North Carolina found
that those who attend religious services are less
depressed and physically healthier than those who
don't attend or who worship at home.
o In a study of 30 female patients recovering from
hip fractures, those who regarded God as a source of
strength and comfort and who attended religious
services were able to walk farther upon discharge and
had lower rates of depression than those who had
little faith.
o Numerous studies have found lower rates of
depression and anxiety-related illness among the
religiously committed. Nonchurchgoers have been found
to have a suicide rate four times higher than church
regulars.
There are many possible explanations for such
findings. Since churchgoers are more apt than
nonattendees to respect religious injunctions against
drinking, drug abuse, smoking and other excesses,
it's possible that their better health merely
reflects these healthier habits.
Some of the studies, however, took pains to
correct for this possibility by making statistical
adjustments for lifestyle differences. [Dr. David]
Larson likes to point out that in his own study the
benefits of religion hold up strongly, even for those
who indulge in cigarette smoking. Smokers who rated
religion as being very important to them were one-
seventh as likely to have an abnormal blood-pressure
reading as smokers who did not value religion.
[...]
Excerpts from "Faith and Healing," TIME, June 24, 1996.
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Hindu Holocaust Museum
http://www.mantra.com/holocaust
Hindu life, principles, spirituality and philosophy
http://www.hindu.org
http://www.hindunet.org
The truth about Islam and Muslims
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate
The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.
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| User: "Denis Loubet" |
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| Title: Re: ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG |
04 May 2005 06:51:24 PM |
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"Dr. Jai Maharaj" <usenet@mantra.com> wrote in message
news:zaUYa1733eVDvo@DdeIu...
In article <87fyx3ro2c.fsf@drizzle.com>,
"Elf M. Sternberg" <elf@drizzle.com> posted:
Dawkins is correct; . . .
No, he is incorrect:
ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG
Five items below:
Which prove beyond any doubt your intent to be a troll.
--
Denis Loubet
dloubet@io.com
http://www.io.com/~dloubet
.
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| User: "Pastor Ferdinna" |
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| Title: Re: ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG |
03 May 2005 05:42:40 PM |
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How the ***** would you know?
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| User: "John Baker" |
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| Title: Re: ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG |
03 May 2005 11:49:26 PM |
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On 3 May 2005 15:42:40 -0700, "Pastor Ferdinna"
<user13@heathens.org.uk> wrote:
How the ***** would you know?
If your posts are anything to go by, I'd say it's those 50 IQ points
he has over you.
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| User: "LP" |
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| Title: Re: ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG |
03 May 2005 05:46:03 PM |
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On Tue, 03 May 2005 22:35:03 GMT, (Dr. Jai Maharaj)
wrote:
In article <IYGdnUWMXb_OZ-rfRVn-oQ@io.com>,
"Denis Loubet" <dloubet@io.com> posted:
"Dr. Jai Maharaj" < > wrote in message
news:GOIgi2170OlNTA@HtaOf...
ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG
Five items below:
1 Dawkins claims faith, being belief, is not based on evidence
And he's absolutely correct.
He's been proven wrong.
If he has been proven wrong, then why can't you provide this proof
for others to see?
Proof that is only visible to one person, can hardly be considered
proof.
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| User: "Llanzlan Klazmon" |
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| Title: Re: ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG |
03 May 2005 10:21:25 PM |
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(Dr. Jai Maharaj) wrote in news:GOIgi2170OlNTA@HtaOf:
<SNIP nonsense>
Hey Stevens, you got any work of your own?
Klazmon
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| User: "Sasha" |
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| Title: Re: ATHEIST POSTER BOY DAWKINS PROVED WRONG |
03 May 2005 04:56:18 PM |
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1 Dawkins claims faith, being | |
