I feel like religion itself can also have a positive impact on a life.  Suppose you have just experienced some great trauma.  Becoming religious/more religious is a common response to such an experience.  It’s not a wrong response.  It’s a good coping mechanism.  Being able to have something to ground yourself on, and have faith in can be psychologically reassuring, and speed your recovery amidst the tumult of this aforementioned trauma.  However, attributing your “miraculous” recovery to the work of god is fallacious.

One can also statistically conclude that prayer makes absolutely no difference.  Praying for someone who is sick does not increase their chances of recovery/survival/etc.  It’s been tested.  It doesn’t.  Not even the knowledge that there are people praying for their recovery affects the person in any way.  But I still think prayer is a good thing.  It encourages reflection and thought on a relevant topic.  I believe that prayer DOES have a place in society.  I do not think that a god hears it however.  I simply think it’s a good “moral building” activity and is very healthy for people to believe in.  I personally, however, do not pray.  Telling me to will do nothing more than further turn me off from your beliefs, as it reinforces the stereotype that Christians are hypocrites who can’t get their heads out of the businesses of others.