In Reply to: Does prayer work? posted by Perry on August 16, 2004 at 16:03:18:
Science can only demonstrate that belief in prayer has good outcomes. Science cannot demonstrate a cause & effect relationship between intercessory prayer and interventions ascribed to a supernatural Being.
Although it is not possible to scientifically demonstrate the existence of a supernatural supreme Being, it is rational to make a personal choice to believe in a supreme Being. What one believes about the nature of that Being is a matter of individual faith and culture.
It might be possible to "prove" the existence of a supreme Being and a causal relationship to human intent if that Being were conceptualized as an transpersonal, unifying energy or force that pervades all of creation. The Grand Unified Theories of physics tend to get at this notion of a supreme being, which is more or less how Buddhists see it. Conscious intentionality or "Mind" are the closest Western conceptual categories to Buddhist notions about an enlightened, supreme Being. Conscious intentionality (mind) is thought to have the power to influence the outcome of natural events.
It's basically a belief in mind over matter, although it's not as straightforward as believing you can bend spoons through force of mental will. It's more like asking to understand how "all things work together for good" and asking for the grace to accept whatever happens with perfect equinimity. To my way of thinking, this is the efficacy of praying, "Thy will (not mine) be done."
If lived in western Florida, I would have acknowledged my desire to be spared from the storm's fury, but also would have intentionally prayed to accept whatever came my way with serenity, hope & courage. In the larger scheme of things, it may be important geographic development for Captiva Island to have become two islands instead of one. My loss of property or the life of a family member would be difficult to bear, but that personal loss may be little more than a footnote in the larger scheme of existence.
Belief in a supernatural diety who is personally involved with managing the forces of nature and the day-to-day social affairs of human beings is quite different.