Latest prayer research
In America researchers claim to have proved the existence of God's healing powers by showing that heart patients who are being prayed for do better than those who are not. The study at a coronary care unit in Kansas City covered 990 patients over 12 months. They, as well as their doctors, had no knowledge of the trial.
Volunteers from a prayer group, contacted by the hospital chaplain prayed for four weeks for the patents whose medical record carried an even number. The 470 patients who were prayed for did significantly better than the 520 who were not. The scoring system rated symptoms such as fever and whether patients had antibiotics. The principal researcher, Dr William Harris claimed that the study was as rigorous as many drug trails. "If people are willing to accept the outcome of a drug study they have to accept this one too" he said.
The God squad
This message obviously did not reach the criminal community in the Midlands of Britain. Police in Nottingham in another ingenious attempt to get results without spending money, asked the city's congregations to direct their prayers to crime hot-spots. The results were apparently remarkable.
A shed burglar was apprehended immediately after a prayer session about shed break-ins
After parishioners directed their prayers to youth crime in the suburb of Arnold, the number of people arrested aged 17 and under fell from 130 in 1997 to 80 in 1999. According to Inspector Alan Stuart the only difference was that people were now praying. He also quotes 'anecdotal evidence that problems in the shopping area have calmed and cites a case in which a shed burglar was apprehended immediately after a prayer session about shed break-ins.
Even law enforcement officers need friends in high places!
10,000 prayers do it
Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper carried a remarkable story of Dr. Mary Self.
This 34 year old doctor had suffered from bone cancer at 17. Now she was found to have a tumour in the lung. Major surgery removed it. A month later doctors found another tumour at the bottom of her pelvic bone and told her that her condition was terminal. They could only offer her severe chemotherapy to prolong her life, though they did not know how long for. She declined. Two or three months later she was suffering severe pain and muscle weakness. She also knew the fact that she was sweating profusely was a sign that the cancer was making serious advances.
She planned her funeral and rewrote her will. For sentimental reasons she desperately wanted to make a trip to Australia, but was worried that she was so ill that she might not be able to make it.
As a Christian she had requested healing prayers from her church and now asked for prayers specifically to enable her to make this trip. Her request went around the world and she had 10,000 people praying for her! Two days before she went she began to feel better than she had for months.
Once home, however, she relapsed and was admitted to hospital where she was given a drip with painkillers. She believed and was told that death could not be far away. Meanwhile the healing prayers continued.
Suddenly she began to feel a little better. Then a surgeon rang to say that a CT scan had shown that the lesion in her bone had got smaller. She asked for the prayers to intensify.
Her symptoms disappeared. The next time she went for a bone scan the radiographer asked "Where's this lesion meant to be?" He was puzzled and did several different views.
The two consultants who surveyed the scans pored over them for 45 minutes before returning in total disbelief: the tumour had vanished! When their patient told them that she believed it had to be a miracle brought about through prayer, one of the consultants looked her in the eye and said "Yes, I'll buy that. There is no other explanation"
Peter Waardenburg of New Zealand writes:
New Zealand member Peter Waardenburg writes:After having had two heart arrests within 36 hours of each other, I understand that members were asked for their prayers and absent healing. After 17 days in hospital (eight of them in the coronary care unit), I have now returned home (11th November), alive and well, although still fairly weak.
But-here is the result of all the healing sent to me. When visiting my doctor, he pronounced 'If I had not read your hospital report I would not have suspected that you had had two complicated heart arrests'!
It is therefore with thanks to God that I would like to thank all those of you who prayed for and sent healing to me. Be assured that your healing worked miracles. May God bless you.
From Leslie Baker, London
In January 1997 while at work I was dowsing over the museum's model of Stonehenge when I got talking to a lady member of the public. The conversation eventually got onto spiritual healing and she told me about a back problem she had had for some time.
As there were very few people around I asked her if she would permit me to give her a ten-minute healing session there on the gallery. She accepted and I proceeded to perform passes down her spine. I followed by putting some good energy in and then some more passes. She commented that she felt a little better and then we parted. I soon forgot about this incident until about a year later when I received a letter from her which included the following:
"...then I asked you if you were a healer and of course you are, because I'm happy to say you healed my back. I've had no problems since".
This came out of the blue and, as you can imagine, it is a nice feeling to know that you have helped somebody in this way.
The science of miracles
"Miracles are performed by man for God–not by God for man", said Dr. George King, in a typically thought-provoking statement. Central to his teaching was a conviction that the miraculous really can occur when we use our God-given powers of prayer and healing.
Science and the medical fraternity used to scoff. Such ideas could only be wishful thinking–they simply flew in the face of scientific common sense. But over the last decade a slow but definite revolution has been taking place. Cash-strapped doctors have found that healing is kind to their budgets and patients do get better, while science has taken an increasingly careful look at the whole subject.
In Glasgow, Scotland, two of our healing instructors David and Hazel Moody recently ran one of the most unusual healing courses we have ever held–the class of twelve students were qualified doctors! At the time of writing they are scheduled to return to the same group by popular demand to run a workshop on the use of the radionic pendulum! It's a sign of the times.
And here are a few examples of news that has recently hit the press.
![Healing, yoga and spiritual development](SRC=""images/small_images/01.jpg")
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