EDWARD O WILSON; Lies,
Damned Lies and Statistics.

November 2006's thought from my agnostic calendar is;
"No statistical proofs exist that prayer reduces illness and
mortality, except perhaps through a psychogenic enhancement
of the immune system; if it were otherwise the whole world
would pray continuously". Edward O Wilson.

I'm intrigued to discover what exotic statistics Wilson is demanding
which can be used to demonstrate 'contingent knowledge' (how life
might have turned out in other circumstances). How can Wilson assert
that prayer has no effect on a statistical basis? How do you know that
I wouldn't still be laid up with back pain? How do you know that I
wouldn't have had a heart attack last year or died in a car crash aged
19 but for someone's prayer?

I'm also intrigued to discover why Wilson has assumed that Christians
claim to be exempt from the common experiences of Mankind. I am
aware of no such assurance in the Bible - quite the contrary. If statistics
prove anything it is that Christians are not above the sufferings of Humanity.
Quelle surprise.

I'm intrigued too why Wilson assumes that prayer is exclusively about
physical healing of a 'name it and claim it' variety when all the Christians
I know would say that prayer is about conversing with God and not
neccesarily about getting stuff. In the words of Robert Law "prayer is
not an instrument for getting man's will done in heaven, but for getting
God's will done on earth". Wilson - it seems to me - has a formulaic
and one dimensional understanding of prayer, one that I would argue is
sub-Christian. I assume, for reasons that are unclear, that Wilson has
excluded from the equation the more usual phenomenon of prayer by
Christians offered in support of those health care professionals who are
there to care for their loved ones using their God given talents. And
Wilson has also excluded the phenomena Christians call "common grace"
where God blesses the unbeliever because he cares for all his creatures.

I'm baffled, but if the charge is that the bloated claims of some tele-
evangelists are to be laid [sotto voce] at my door, I can assure you that
I am sceptical about their claims too, but for a wholly different reason:
miracles in the New Testament are not miracles for miracles sake - they
are 'identifiers'. The miracles point the observer to precedents and
promises in the Old Testament and help them understand who the miracle
worker is. In the New Testament miracles are not mere padding within the
narrative - in reality they contain meaning beyond the event itself. Miracles
attest the revelation brought by the messenger. "Could this be the Christ?",
"who is this, that even wind and sea obey him?", "that you [all] may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.....[he said to the
paralytic] pick up you bed and go home." etc etc etc. You have to test these
things against the claims they make for themselves not by Wilson's skewed
standard - 'supernatural healing on demand' - something Jesus never
promised because that was never the primary function of his ministry. I
should add that even when Jesus and his apostles did perform miracles this
did not automatically result in saving faith, the message of even the authent
-icated messenger could and frequently was rejected. Jesus went so far as to
say that some people will not "be convinced [even] if someone should rise
from the dead" Luke 16v19-31. Biblically speaking the real miracle is that
anyone comes to saving faith in Jesus at all..........and actually this is more
important than mere physical wellbeing.

So what test then can we apply which is congruent with Christ's claims?
It is a remarkable fact that within thirty years of Jesus' three year ministry the
message of the Gospel had spread from a tiny band of followers on the
Roman periphery to all around the empire. They had a sizeable community in
Rome itself - sufficiently large to be worth persecuting by the Emperor Nero
and strong enough to survive. The promise is not that Christians are exempt
from difficulties but that God's grace is sufficient to help us through them. If
you want statistical evidence of a miracle look at the growth of the apostolic
church and its survival - and its continuing survival today despite physical
persecution and intellectual ridicule.





tagline: calendar of doom.


Postscript: Quite coincidentally the November 2006 edition of
"The Briefing" [issue 338] majors on the whole 'health & prosperity'
gospel and offers a critique of it from a Christian perspective.
http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/
http://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/