Nine out of 10 Americans pray for healing, says study

Suzette Gutierrez Cachila Monday, April 25, 2016

Nine of 10 adults in the United States pray for healing while one in five adults practice laying on of hands, according to a study conducted by an epidemiologist from Baylor University.

Praying for healing is more widely practiced than previously believed, according to a study. | Pixabay/Gadini

The study, published in the Journal of Religion and Health, was based on a survey done by the university in 2010. It revealed that Americans turn to healing prayer more when praying for others than for themselves, with 87.4 percent of the respondents saying they prayed for others and 78.8 percent saying they prayed for themselves.

More than half of the respondents said they participated in a prayer group specifically for healing. Additionally, 26 percent of them have practiced laying on of hands.

"The most surprising finding is that more than a quarter of all Americans have practiced laying on of hands â€” and nearly one in five has done so on multiple occasions," study author Jeff Levin said in a statement.

Praying as a means to address medical problems is not a "fringe activity," Levin added. Instead, the findings showed that is more widely used than previously thought.

"Outside of belief in God, there may be no more ubiquitous religious expression in the U.S. than use of healing prayer," Levin said.

Most of the respondents who said they prayed for healing also sought medical help.

"Healing prayer is being used more as a complementary treatment rather than as an alternative one," Levin explained.

The author further expounded that those who feel a strong sense of connection with God are the ones who are most likely to reach out to Him for healing, whether it's for themselves or for another. These individuals are also the ones who are living out the Biblical mandate "love your neighbor as yourself," he added.

Levin said that while so many people are focusing on how effective prayer is, there hasn't been much attention given to the practice of prayer for healing. He shared that the study was done to gain more insight into how prevalent praying for healing is and who are the people who practice such.