Prayer Values

Researchers recently discovered that some people will pay money to encourage a stranger not to pray for them. Clearly, prayer has no value for these folks. For Christians, however, prayer is highly valued. But why?

Thoughts and prayers.

Some people find them valuable, while others would actually pay to avoid them.

A recent study found that Christians generally value the offer of thoughts and prayers, even from a stranger. Two sociologists studied a group of North Carolina residents in the fall of 2018 after Hurricane Florence struck. They talked with more than 400 residents, asking them to describe the hardships they had suffered. Then they made an offer of a thought or a prayer, and they tied the offer to money.

What did they discover? Christians valued prayer from a stranger, putting its worth at more than $4. The nonreligious participants, however, said that they would pay more than $3.50 to avoid a Christian stranger’s prayer.

This finding “raises an interesting point,” said a Denver psychologist. “Some people, maybe, just don’t want your thoughts and prayers.” Perhaps they are atheists or agnostics, who do not believe in the power of prayer. Or maybe...