Amos,

sometimes I wonder if my main problem is with your language. When I read your Prayer is demonstrably effective I sit there and wonder whether you do not know that that is a minority position and whether you just are uninformed about opinions to the contrary or whether you are informed but choose not to tell us.

I have read a lot about that field (from both sides) and have come to a different conclusion so far (see this post for instance) but I never would state bluntly 'Prayer has been shown to be ineffective'. I would say for instance 'has not been demonstrated yet convincingly in controlled experiments' or 'the experiments so far have failed to convince critics' or words to similar effects. And I usually try to inform that there are other opinions.

You read a lot and are a very clever man so you must know the difference between data and interpretation. So you also must know that the data on this field so far can be interpreted by assuming that prayer works but that other interpretations are also possible and have been made by others. I do not mind at all that you come to a different evaluation of the evidence than I do but your very wording makes it clear that you do not present an informed opinion or evaluation. You state what a minority opinion is as if it was a fact beyond doubt. This is not the first time I see this, but it puzzles me every time anew.

Wolfgang