THERE is no proof it works and hard-headed science often seems to have a better chance of coming up with a solution.But despite the dramatic decline in church attendances and organised religion, one in every three Scots (32%) still turns to prayer in the hope of divine intervention.
Although the UK figure is higher at 42%, more than 1.4 million adults in Scotland still pray to God - around half at least once a day - according to a survey published today by the Christian relief and development agency Tearfund.
They range from those who only pray in emergencies to those for whom prayer is a daily part of their lives.
One in five believes that prayer will be effective in bringing change.
When it comes to the most popular topics of prayer among adults who pray, family and friends (68%) lead the way, followed by thanking God, seeking guidance, healing and issues such as alleviating poverty.
The survey was carried out among a representative sample of 2,000 adults across the UK. Of the 42% (20 million) of adults who pray in the UK, 13 million pray at least once a month and 12 million at least once a week. Nine million adults pray every day.
One in three says praying makes them feel better, more peaceful and content, stronger, reassured and happier.
Peter Chirnside, head of Tearfund in Scotland, said: "These figures are very encouraging and suggest that people know there is something bigger there that can affect the world."
"There is some research in the US that shows that people who are ill and have been prayed for get better quicker than those who haven't been prayed for, but that has not been proven."
"The main thing was the discovery that prayer is such a trusted and powerful element of life for so many."
The popularity of prayer appears to be at odds with church attendance in Scotland, which has dropped to just 11% of the population.
According to the latest Scottish Church Census, conducted by the Christian Research Association, Church of Scotland attendance declined by 22% between 1994 and 2002 and Roman Catholic attendance by 19%.
If present trends continue, the percentage of the population attending church on Sunday will drop to 8.7% by 2010 and 6.8% by 2020.
Experts believe the gap between the numbers of church attendees and those who pray reflects a greater sense of spirituality outside recognised faiths.
Dr Stephen Kelly, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Strathclyde, said: "Our minds are set up to believe in concepts like God but we don't necessarily need an institution to tell us how to interact with a god.
"A lot of people don't agree with those institutions but still believe there is a spirituality out there."
"We are supposed to be getting better at counselling services in institutions like the NHS but people still turn to spirituality, particularly at times of crisis."
"There is no scientific evidence that prayer works but people still put their faith in it."
David Fergusson, professor of divinity at Edinburgh University, said: "The findings confirm to me that human beings are generally religious. It is not a surprise that so many continue to pray, since prayer is one of the fundamental forms of religious activity."
Some derived benefit from prayer, he said, even though they knew it was unlikely that they could bend the supernatural to their own ends.
"Those who are prayed for also take strength from the knowledge that others are praying for them."
The established churches agreed the difference in numbers between church attendees and those who pray was a reflection of the wider spirituality in society.
Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said: "At time of crisis or fear, people are more likely to turn to prayer even if they are not church attendees."
A Church of Scotland spokesman said: "This survey suggests that not only does a significant proportion of the population of Scotland pray, but they believe in the power of prayer. That is a very welcome statistic."
Publication of the report, Prayer In The UK, marks the start of Tearfund's first Global Poverty Prayer Week, during which thousands of people around the UK and in other countries are joining together in prayer about issues of poverty and injustice.
Tearfund president, Dr Elaine Storkey, will kick off the week's events in Aberdeen tomorrow and more than 60 churches throughout Scotland will be praying about poverty during the week.
Keeping faith
Inverness appears to be bucking the trend of declining church attendance with healthy and growing congregations in many places of worship.
One example is the Holm Evangelical Church, which has grown from a handful of families 20 years ago to a membership of around 160 now.
Spokesman John Dempster says that, through prayer, the congregation was directed to buy a small piece of land in the Culduthel area.
When a relief road was built around the south of the city housing followed, giving the church a ready-made catchment area.
"Initially we worshipped in a Portakabin," said Dempster, "but eventually we raised funds for a new building. The church is now the centrepiece of the Culduthel Community Centre, which has a multi-use auditorium for 300 people and opened last year."
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