scary things at CRTC

[James Knott]

Dave Germiquet wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 4:53 PM, Lennart Sorensen
> <lsorense-1wCw9BSqJbv44Nm34jS7GywD8/FfD2ys at public.gmane.org> wrote:
>   
>> On Thu, Apr 09, 2009 at 04:41:06PM -0400, Dave Germiquet wrote:
>>     
>>> All I have to comment is.
>>>
>>> I have had prayers answered, simple ones that saved my life. Stuff
>>> that couldn't just be coincidence. I've understood things, I normally
>>> would never have understood.
>>>       
>> Did you run a control group to verify you wouldn't have understood
>> it otherwise?  If not, then you don't have proof, just an unverifiable
>> theory.  You are probably just a bit smarter than you give yourself
>> credit for.  Believe in yourself.
>>
>>     
>
> There are many christians who have there prayers answer daily. You
> could consider that a control group.

You apparently don't understand the function of a control group.  For
example, when a drug company wants to test a new drug, they have at
least two similar groups.  One gets the new drug and the control group
gets a placebo or an existing drug.  The participants must not know what
group they are in, nor can the people who administer the drugs or
collect the results.  This is to reduce the possibility of the placebo
effect or "adjusting" the data.  They then compare the results of the
groups, not any individual within either group.  You cannot take only
the results of one person to say the drug does or doesn't work.  It has
to be based on the comparison of groups of people.  Now in those people
who say their prayers were answered, how do you know the result wouldn't
have been the same if they didn't pray.  How many times did they pray
and not get the results they wanted?  It's human nature to remember the
successes and not the failures.  To validate prayer, you'd have to
divide the people into two groups, one that prays and one that doesn't
and compare the results.  You also have to be aware of the placebo effect.


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