Dr. God, M.D.

Here's the lead from the AP article posted on CNN.com: "When it comes to saving lives, God trumps doctors for many Americans." This according to a telephone survey conducted for the Archives of Surgery, which found that 57% of respondents believe that God can intervene to cure a family member if doctors say treatment is futile. This isn't too surprising, mostly because anyone with a sick family member will understandably hold out any hope he can, including the false kind. Many people just don't understand that simply wishing something were true doesn't make it so. If our wishes came true, my carpal tunnel syndrome would have been caused by repeatedly cupping Helen Mirren's breasts instead of, you know, the other thing. But the real eye-opener of this survey should be the fact that only 20% of doctors surveyed believe that God can reverse a hopeless situation. That means that 80% of doctors know for a fact, from repeated observations, that last-minute, supernatural healings just don't happen. And the other 20%? They're still holding out hope. Of course, even if God did heal some people, shouldn't we wonder why that picky bastard doesn't heal all of them? More details here.