It's harmless and mentally helpful to some who are ill or in trouble, as long as you don't depend on it to actually CURE you.

been proven it does or changes NOTHING. at best wishful thinking. if prayer cured anything people would be rushed to a chruch instead of the hospital

For the "feel-good" theist, it's a reflexive ritual whose cheapness and abundance can be dredged up and decorated as "God's will" anywhere along the line. For the "stand-alone" advocates (those who exclusively rely upon it in place of legitimate medical science), the historical results have been both devastating and criminal (look no further than the obituaries and public records sections of any newspaper). For the nontheist, it's commensurate to sitting on one's hands. Personally, I've always found prayer to be one of two things: redundant (assuming the existence of deity and assuming an active timeframe for said deity, prayers may align themselves with the will and/or power of a given entity), or dangerous (assuming the aforementioned, prayers are NOT aligned with the power and/or will of a given entity, in which case they're: a) ignored outright; or: b) granted to fit the prayerful's purview(s), which calls the concepts of "deity" and purported timeframes into question). Until something as specious as "prayer" can be tested and proven beyond query, I'll stick with the gradual progress of deft minds and updated information when it comes to health care.

Not covered by my HMO. . .

UPDATE: There is nothing more powerful than prayer when you combine it with faith. I agree with StarkTruth in that you should go beyond prayer in helping people by reaching out a hand to the sick or those in need. But there are times when people need something that is beyond our abilities to intervene, they need God's help.

Prayer in and of itself probably doesn't hurt. Those nuts who won't let doctors remove a terminal tumor from their child because they believe "God" will heal them should be shot.

I think it is like a form of self-hypnosis and it can be very effective and rewarding, but the key is to do it yourself. I do not believe in the power of prayer on others' behalf. To me, that is often a genuinely nice gesture, perhaps a desperate gesture, but probably ultimately futile. It really brought it home to me when I was in a Buddhist temple in Asia with some friends, with three incense sticks between my hands at my forehead, in front of a golden multi-armed statue of Buddha, and left and right, people had their brows knit in concentration and devotion. The intensity was overwhelming, but it was all so strange to me, and I was immediately reminded of the passage about the idolatry of the golden calf from the Old Testament. But then I came to think how alien to them the whole Catholic thing that I grew up with must seem, with people praying to the tortured image of the Christ. However, each group gets something out of it, regardless of Theology, that is clear to me, so I am not knocking it. It's powerful stuff.

Very, very effective.

Prayer can be indeed powerful for the one doing the praying. There's something psychological going on in a prayer's brain which can indeed be beneficial. Sort of like the power of positive thinking. But thinking prayer can affect someone else? Hogwash. Out and out fraud. If it could don't you think the last pope would have benefited at least?

it does not hurt to pray. you never know. maybe it will do some good. there are strong believers out there who are convinced it helps. i would not mind if someone said they were praying for us. at least it is a nice gesture. i have said this myself. I would be willing to pray for someone.

Regardless of your position on faith, church, religion, or philosophy; prayer is the best tool for healing and God will never let your down. It's quite amazing what the power of prayer can do when one is consumed by grief, busy scheduals, or tension . Just stop for a moment and communicate with God and one will experience great relief and comfort.