Quantitative Studies of Religion

If God does heal, then evidence can be sought in two ways. The first approach uses quantitative statistical analyses of groups of people; this is a technique with which we are familiar and is the basic principle underlying this book. The second method is to seek and document completely unexpected healing in an individual as a result of prayer in short, to recognise a miracle. Such an event is by its nature a very personal experience that may or may not be apparent to others. Consequently, this chapter is divided into two sections. The first considers quantitative studies of the effects of religion on populations while the second is concerned with miraculous healing in individuals.