I think the point you're missing is that people used to be terminally ill from things that are now routinely cured or prevented by a single injection or other simple medical procedure. What world would you rather live in: one that can cure medical problems through science or one that is wholly dependent on prayer for wellness? You don't have to choose in our world but what if you had to? Which world?
What if, in your make believe world it was proven that prayer worked better. Which would you choose? Obviously science works better here, but you asked the question. What if?
If it was verified through objective experimentation that prayer worked better than medical science, that would be evidence of divine intervention. As has been explained before, the position of atheism is open-mindedness: "I'll believe in your god when I see it." I believe in evidence. Evidence of a god can no more be denied than evidence of no god. There's the rub. Atheists believe in all the evidence. Theists believe in a myth and seek only evidence that confirms the myth while willfully ignoring all evidence that refutes the myth.
arguing with the zealous atheists here is like arguing with turds. Sooner or later the smell will win - if you are not willing to waste your time. Stu - its not weather they believe in God or not - its weather they see evidence of design in our universe.... they get around the conclusion there is a designer by speculating there are unlimited universes. How stupid or disingenuous do you wish to continue to be. -- as far as you guys talking about time.... time started after the universe began according to many if not top physicists... therefore when e see linear realtionships such as before or after we are experiencing them as a human. Just before time started--- those same physicists tell us there was big bang.... so we know there is a big bang - science does not know anything about what "existed" before that. Science has not ablity to say what "caused" the big bang or whether that cause or creator would itself have need a creator.... Essentially - I am telling you - when you apply time related concepts to a Creator or anything "prior" to the big bang - you are thinking like a human.