William B. Lindley

In the following viewpoint, William B. Lindley maintains that while in some instances prayer may produce a placebo effect (a well-documented medical phenomenon in which the body heals because the mind believes a cure is working), he is skeptical about claims that prayer can actually heal illness or injury. Lindley contends that there is little evidence of prayer's efficacy and no scientific way of proving that prayer can help heal. Lindley is the associate editor of Truth Seeker, an independent journal of opinion.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Why does the author conclude that prayers for football games are more effective than prayers to cure illness"
2. What experiments have been done in an attempt to prove that prayer can effect a certain outcome, according to Lindley"

Iwas raised in Christian Science. That gives...