The concepts of prayer and faith can be found in a wide variety of religious traditions.  While there are many ways to define prayer, it is grounded in the “conception of an ultimate reality” and therefore “assumes that ultimate reality is an Other to whom one can speak and from whom a response may be sought.”1   Prayer can also be understood as one entering into a relationship with an Other, or divine being or higher power,  which involves a commitment to regular interaction.
Faith is somewhat difficult to define and is more than simply believing something to be true. Faith incorporates a sense of trust and confidence in a divine being or higher power and in the response to it. Faith is also a way of making sense of one’s world and a shaping force for how one lives their life. Faith can also be defined as a loyalty to a divine being or higher power or to an object (living or not) or an idea.
Those who have faith in a divine being or higher power, and seek a response through prayer, are making the claim that some change or effect will occur as a result of that request. The results of prayer have been reported to include a variety of outcomes such as physical and mental healing, divine intervention, and changes in the consequence of events to name a few. In this, there is a connection among the mind, body, and spirit. For the faithful, prayers can be the means through which a desired outcome might be achieved.
Let’s listen in on a Christian comedian, Tim Hawkins, as he gives us an exaggerated example of the expected outcomes of prayer.

Click on this link to watch the video "Tim Hawkins Food Prayer Comedy":
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While this comedy is intended to poke lighthearted fun at the expectations of the faithful who pray, it does point to the conflict that can occur between science and religion.  As the comedy routine suggests, the expectation of praying for food to nourish the body, might result in the change in its physical and molecular structure. For scientists who study the workings of the physical world and how the mind and body work, many have concerns when the power of faith and prayer are identified as being the source of a change in the physical world or the outcome of events. Conversely, persons of faith have concerns when the power of prayer is disregarded as being of little or no value to the scientific understandings of healing.
So how does each of these perspectives shape our understanding about the possible connections of the mind, body, and spirit?  Click on the tab “The Two Perspectives,” or the button below, to begin.
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1 Bradley C. Hanson, Introduction to Christian Theology (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1997), 300.