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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Placebo Effect and Miracles	Omar	Friday, May 11, 2012
Question: Hello Brother, Do you accept the evidence for the existence of the Placebo Effect? If so, how would one distinguish between genuine miracles and the Placebo Effect in cases where in a person was healed from an affliction? Example: based on the Placebo Effect, the mind is so powerful that it can respond with "miraculous" results to inaccurate suggestions by another person. So, if a person has a cold, and they're given a pill that is irrelevant to the cold, but they get better anyway, hence it is the result of Placebo. So how would one differentiate between that and a genuine miracle? Thank you, and God bless you and your ministry.
Question Answered by Dear Omar: The Placebo Effect has been extensively researched. It is a mainstay of double-blind experiments. The Church is very maticulous about investigating miracles. For example, with healing miracles a postive evaluation that the healing was supernatural is made only if there is hard scientific proof that the person was indeed ill before the healing. After the healing, there must be iron-clad proof the the healing was instantaneous, complete, and without any medical explanation. It is similar with any other kinds of miracles. The miracle must be wholly unexplained by science. The miracle must not contain any "message" or action or directive that is in any way counter to Church teaching. A sure sign of a false seer is that seer preaching anything contrary to official Church teaching. A genuine seer will also be humble and obedient to the Church and her Sacred Pastors. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Placebo Effect and Miracles

Omar

Friday, May 11, 2012

Question:

Hello Brother,

Do you accept the evidence for the existence of the Placebo Effect? If so, how would one distinguish between genuine miracles and the Placebo Effect in cases where in a person was healed from an affliction? Example: based on the Placebo Effect, the mind is so powerful that it can respond with "miraculous" results to inaccurate suggestions by another person. So, if a person has a cold, and they're given a pill that is irrelevant to the cold, but they get better anyway, hence it is the result of Placebo. So how would one differentiate between that and a genuine miracle? Thank you, and God bless you and your ministry.

Question Answered by

Dear Omar:

The Placebo Effect has been extensively researched. It is a mainstay of double-blind experiments.

The Church is very maticulous about investigating miracles. For example, with healing miracles a postive evaluation that the healing was supernatural is made only if there is hard scientific proof that the person was indeed ill before the healing. After the healing, there must be iron-clad proof the the healing was instantaneous, complete, and without any medical explanation.

It is similar with any other kinds of miracles. The miracle must be wholly unexplained by science. The miracle must not contain any "message" or action or directive that is in any way counter to Church teaching. A sure sign of a false seer is that seer preaching anything contrary to official Church teaching. A genuine seer will also be humble and obedient to the Church and her Sacred Pastors.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum