Starboy

This could be conducted the same as any major epidemiologic study. You would select several groups with similar demographics. You could have Hindu, Muslim, Shinto, Jewish, Christian, Buddhists, and so on. There would also be two control groups, a non-religious group and an experimental religion group. You could tell the experimental group that the folks in R&D have discovered a new god, called Sugob. You could concoct a set of supernatural constructs for Sugob, complete with mythology. You would then ask the groups to go about their business but to keep a record of their prayers. The frequency of prayer, what they prayed for, the time and duration of prayers and any other information considered pertinent to the praying. For all the groups you would have to keep detailed medical, financial and physiological records. Everyone in the study would have to submit to periodic and thorough medical examinations. Those getting the information would have to have no idea which person was in which group. This study would have to be conducted over several decades. All of this information could then be analyzed. Patterns of health, feelings of well being, depression, fecundity, longevity, prosperity and so forth could be analyzed.

Such a study would take beaucoup bucks and time. I doubt that anyone would pay for it since the consensus in the scientific community would be spending so much money, time and resources to compare placebos would be just a huge waste. If on the odd chance that Templeton might fund it and allow an objective third party to conduct it, my bet would be on Sugob. The only problem then would be that we would have yet another supernatural religion on our hands with data to support its efficacy. No one would believe that it was concocted.

May Sugob bless and keep you.

Starboy

scombrid

Can religion do so reliably and with true objectivity? There is too much nitpicking of morality from the bible for me to take it seriously as an absolute. People pick and choose which bits they want to believe, rightfully so though since a lot of the OT is repugnant to decent men. Those that do take ALL of the bible as an absolute don't live what I would consider a good life. Maybe they'll have the last laugh but they'll need more than glosalalia and weeping statues to convince me that they're right.


Some difference in outcomes should be detectable. If there is no detectible difference in outcomes, why assume an unseen hand? Of course satan could be doing all the interventions, against god's will.




Bingo.

Luiseach

LMFAO!!!

Now that's what I call a 'quotable quote.'

:-D

blackhawk

Okay. Whatever.

Radorth

OK, I went and figured, and realized we've had a rule against personal attacks for at least as long as I've been here. See dictionary.com for further info. So if the moderators bend the rules to allow general attacks, they should just cave in altogether and allow personally hurtful ones as well. Is that correct? I must say. Your idea does have a certain "rational" air about it, and it definitely simplifies everything.

Yes it saves millions of lives on a planet which can't feed itself. When put in perspective, science does virtually nothing. Of course one of its inventions nearly solved the overpopulation problem in 1962, but a Catholic came up with last minute compromise to prevent a nuclear holocaust. Now all we need is a grain that grows in sand without any water. Keepa hopin' there bub.

Precisely what Paul said. You must be born again and recieve a new nature altogether- another unique feature of Christianity. But go ahead and try it yourself first. As far as I'm concerned, you are more dependent on "religion," as I define it, than I will ever be.

Rad

Radorth

Re: Scombrid:

I see no value in studying animal behavior unless you make the assumption we are some how much like them, and you have given up on more difficult and unpleasant studies of the human mind. But let me be more specific then. What "insight" have we learned which has improved human behavior, and from which animals have we learned it? Any gang members convert overnight after reading one of these studies?

I'm sure your answers will clarify your point as well as mine.

Rad

Starboy

quote:
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Now you point out some very real problems for humanity. Funny thing though is that you fail to recognize that all these problems exist in a world with religion. And religion is powerless to do anything about it.
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<flamelet deleted - liv>

blackhawk

We live in a post modern age. Not many think that science can fix todays problems anymore.

Luiseach

Evidence for this assertion, please?

blackhawk

post modernism is the dominant philosphy of life today. That is clear and not really debated. If you want more that will have to come tomorrow.