Obviously, no one can spend enough time to travel the world over to evaluate each and every claim of supernatural intervention. Fortunately, both religious and scientific evaluation can and is performed if claims to apparitions are taken seriously. The Catholic Church, in particular, has established a rigorous procedure to evaluate claims of supernatural messages. It is only after a lengthy and often long term evaluation of the persons, claims and events surrounding allegations of supernatural intervention that the Church will state anything decisive about an apparition. Belief in the supernatural has waned dramatically in the past fifty years as technology and scientific discovery seem to answer most of the questions posed by humanity.
Science has no such answers.
While science can lead us to a better understanding of the physically measureable universe, its methods are insufficient to effectively evaluate any evidence of another, non-material reality. Participants were unaware of the group in which they were placed. The study was prospective, double-blind and randomized to insure that adequate clinical test standards were met. Both Protestant and Catholic groups were asked to pray for the people selected by the study criteria. The prayer groups were located all across the U.S. and the prayer groups were given no instructions as to how to pray.