Is prayer a placebo?

A few have belittled time spent in prayer, and those who pray are seen as weak. To many, praying indicates weakness of the mind, escaping from reality, and seeking help from an invisible God. Most people forget that even a great scientist such as Einstein expressed wonder and reverence for the laws of nature.

The fact that a large, beautiful universe exists whose beginning has not been observed by any human gives credibility to the idea of a creator god. So, why not converse with such a magnificent Being who is our universal father and may, perhaps, be the universe's sole designer?

As one is not addressing another human but an invisible, omnipresent entity, the one-sided communication is termed 'prayer'. When man has lost all hope, this prayer sustains him, and he surrenders to the Almighty's will. Prayer is more than a placebo because we see prayers being granted in unique ways when sought with true devotion. Gandhiji said, 'Prayer is a longing of the soul; it is an admission of our weakness and dependence.'


Francis Bacon, one of the pioneers of the scientific method, was also a devout Anglican who believed that scriptures that validate god's presence are to be accepted without applying the rules of inductive reasoning, and sincere prayer is a tool for reaching out to God.