Science or Miracle?

Holiday Season Survey Reveals Physicians' Views of Faith, Prayer and
Miracles

New York, NY, December 20, 2004 – A national survey of 1,100 physicians,
conducted by HCD Research and the Louis Finkelstein Institute for
Religious and Social Studies of The Jewish Theological Seminary in New
York City over the past weekend, found that 74% of doctors believe that
miracles have occurred in the past and 73% believe that can occur today.

The poll also indicated that American physicians are surprisingly
religious, with 72% indicating they believe that religion provides a
reliable and necessary guide to life.

Those surveyed represent physicians from Christian (Roman Catholic,
Protestant, Orthodox Christian and other), Jewish (Orthodox, Conservative,
Reform and secular) Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions.

"The picture that emerges is one where doctors, although presumably more
highly educated than their average patient, are not necessarily more
secular or radically different in religious outlook than the public,
stated Dr. Alan Mittleman, Director of The Finkelstein Institute.

"Our business is to determine physicians' needs and requirements relevant
to the health care environment and this study was a great opportunity for
us to use our methodology to explore physicians' spirituality and personal
beliefs," explained Glenn Kessler, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, HCD
Research in Flemington, NJ. The study affirmed earlier polls conducted by
HCD that indicate a correlation between physicians' spiritual and
political conservatism.

Additional findings indicate:
*    (58%) (over half) attending worship services at least one time per
month
*    46% (a plurality) believe that prayer is very important in their own
lives

Physicians views of the Bible and religious teachings

Often, religious conviction, especially a belief in the miraculous,
declines as level of education increases. This does not appear to hold
true for physicians. Perhaps because of their frequent involvement with
matters of life and death, physicians show significant openness to
religion. Regarding their views on miracles and the source of the Bible:

*    37% physicians believe that the Bibles miracle stories are literally
true while 50% believe they are metaphorically true. 12% indicated that
they did not believe in the Bibles description of miracles
*    9% believe the Bible was written by God, 58% believe the Bible was
inspired by God and 34% consider it human ancient literature.
*    55% believe that medical practice should be guided by religious teaching
(44% do not)
Religion and the practice of medicine

Perhaps the most surprising result of the survey is that a majority of
doctors (55%) said that they have seen treatment results in their patients
that they would consider miraculous (45% do not). Most physicians pray for
their patients as a group (51%). Even more, 59% pray for individual
patients.

67% encourage their patients to pray. Of those physicians, 5% did so for
God to answer their prayers, 32% for psychological benefits and 63% for
both reasons. 33% did not encourage their patients to pray.

Religious Differences

The quality of doctors' religiosity differs according to their own
religious background. Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christian doctors
tend to hold more supernatural views than Jewish doctors, with the
exception of Orthodox Jewish physicians, who resemble their Christian
peers. For example, 60% of Protestant doctors believe that the miracles
stories of the Bible are literally true. By comparison, although 53% of
Orthodox Jews agree, among Conservative and Reform Jews the percentage
drops to 12% and 4% respectively. Such differences do not indicate that
Christians are more religious than Jews. They do indicate that Christians
tend to be religious in a more traditional way, while Jews are religious
in liberal way. 79% and 95% of Conservative and Reform Jews say that they
are liberal believers, as compared with only 48% of Protestants.

Physicians differ regarding their perceptions of their control of
treatment outcomes versus the influence of the supernatural or of acts of
God.35% of Catholics believe that all or a lot of the outcome of treatment
is due to these non-medical sources, 46% of Protestants concur while only
20% of Jews attribute outcomes to non-medical influences.

Editors/Reporters: For more information on the poll, or to speak with Dr.
Mittleman or Glenn Kessler, please contact Sherry Kirschenbaum in the
Department of Communications at (212) 678-8953; or email
shkirschenbaum@jtsa.edu.

HCD Research is a marketing and advertising research company headquartered
in Flemington, NJ. The company's services include traditional and
web-based marketing and advertising research. For additional information
on HCD Research, access the companys web site at www.hcdi.net or call HCD
Research at 908-788-9393.

The Finkelstein Institute provides a venue to advance dialogue at the
intersection of religion and public affairs. Founded in 1886 as a
rabbinical school, The Jewish Theological Seminary today is the academic
and spiritual center of Conservative Judaism worldwide, encompassing a
world-class library and five schools. JTS trains tomorrow's religious,
educational, academic and lay leaders for the Jewish community and beyond.
Visit the JTS website at www.jtsa.edu.

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