Effects Of Prayer Essay

Effects of Prayer The power of prayer is a common belief that many Americans possess, especially when they are Roman Catholics. So, it might not be a surprise if someone says that they believe in the power of prayer. When that person is a Roman Catholic Priest, it is even less of a surprise. Father John Murray not only believes in the power of prayer but says he can prove that prayer can heal. In the year 2010, Father John Murray had a bone chip from his neck and it sliced down into his spinal cord. It occurred after he tripped on the Jersey Shore boardwalk. “I was paralyzed from my chest down” he told interviewers. The man was confined to a wheelchair and had to have constant help from others. In the same interview he stated that his doctors …show more content…
Several studies have been presented that show a correlation between prayer and relationships. Research has found that not only does the person being prayed for receive aid but so does the person that is doing the praying. There have been test conducted that suggests there is an indirect effect involving the people who are praying for others. Researchers unexpectedly found that there was an increases in hope, forgiveness, and trustingness being found in the supplicant (Finchanm). The examiners were not expecting to find anything dealing with or happening to the person praying. It is not just from the fact the supplicant gains something from the prayer that has researchers stumped. It is also from the relationships that are benefited from the interaction or prayer that has them scrabbling to find …show more content…
One of the studies was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology looked at how faith can actually help protect patients against the symptoms of depression ("Faith & Health"). Now it might not seem possible but the university has made several connections between prayer and depression. Yet the researchers from Rush University have conducted an extensive amount of research on depressions and its contributing factors. The university has applied some of these things to see if it would decrease depression. They also wanted to see what it would do to patients who did not have depression but were likely to get it. The test concluded that many of the patients who received prayer as treatment did not show any sign of forming depression. And the people who did have depression showed a substantial decreased. So not only does prayer improve mental health it also deflects depressed