I cannot agree about the back door. If people (remember this is America so the chances are they were christians anyway) were being told they were being prayed for, then they could easily develop the stress that they did - after feeling pressure to get well- knowing they were being prayed for.

The question then is - would atheists feel the same pressure? I would suspect finding a control group would be hard!!

But the question seems well answered to me - the so-called power of prayer was subject to a scientific test (funded let us not forget by an avowedly Christian organisation) and it failed.

I bet if it had passed the test the story would have been shouted about!!