Religion may have caused century upon century of war, but praying--well, that's something we should all get behind. So say researchers from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and from VU University in Amsterdam in "Pray for Those Who Mistreat You: Effects of Prayer on Anger and Aggression" (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, March 18, 2011). In three control-group experiments the researchers determined that the act of praying for strangers who had provoked them actually calmed subjects' anger and aggression--and it did so with almost miraculous speed. If religion is the opiate of the masses, what's praying? Maybe the valium of the oppressed.
If this topic truly interests you, I want to recommend an interesting book. The serenity prayer: faith and politics in times of peace and war. It's by Elisabeth Sifton.
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