Why Prayer is Wise During a Pandemic, by Michael R. Egnor, MD

Evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne ’s undies are in a knot because the coronavirus task force, led by U.S. vice president Mike Pence, prays together. Oh my.

There’s even a picture of the virus task force praying together! We don’t need prayer; we need science! Here’s the photo, which distresses me but doesn’t surprise me… [a]fter all, one godly intervention is just as delusional as another! (Jerry Coyne, “JESUS ‘N’ MO ‘N’ PENCE” at Why Evolution is True)

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with praying in a crisis. Neanderthals no doubt proffered a few entreaties to their Zeus when a sabre-tooth tiger hunt went south. It’s pretty much part of the human toolkit. The wisdom and efficacy of prayer in a crisis depends wholly on one question: is the prayer directed to Someone who is real, or is prayer based on a delusion?  ….

Read more here:  stream.org/why-prayer-is-wise-during-a-pandemic/