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Is STEPP Study a real miracle?

Assessed by Miracles Jar AI · 2026-06-10

UnprovenClaimed — the record can't carry it

Miracles Jar rates STEPP Study — Proximal Intercessory Prayer and Sensory Improvement in Mozambique (2010) Unproven. Too thin a record to say either way. Two scales drive that verdict: how extraordinary it would be if it truly happened — toss-up — and how strong the evidence is — thinly documented.

How miraculous, if true

Toss-up

Does it break the laws of nature — if it really happened?

How strong the evidence

Thinly documented

Is there evidence it's true?

Read the full investigation — the evidence, the sources, and how we weighed it

Common questions

Is STEPP Study real or fake?
Miracles Jar's verdict is Unproven: claimed — the record can't carry it. Too thin a record to say either way. On the evidence, the record is thinly documented.
Has STEPP Study been debunked?
No — but it has not been confirmed either. The record is too thin to carry the claim in either direction. The natural alternative most often raised is expectation, suggestion & the placebo response.
What is the evidence for STEPP Study?
Miracles Jar weighs 3 sources for this case. Points that support the claim: Published in a peer-reviewed medical journal (Southern Medical Journal) with statistically significant results (hearing p<0.003, vision p<0.02); and Effect sizes reportedly exceeded prior hypnosis and suggestion research, which the authors note. Points that cut against it: No control group, no blinded assessors, no independent medical verification of baseline conditions; and Demand effect: subjects knew they were receiving prayer; behavioral and self-report changes are well-documented in unblinded studies.
What is the natural explanation for STEPP Study?
The leading natural account is expectation, suggestion & the placebo response. Belief produces real, measurable change in the body. The relief can be genuine while the cause stays entirely natural. The full breakdown shows where that explanation holds — and where it stops.
When and where did STEPP Study happen?
It is said to have occurred 2009–2010 (published September 2010) in Rural Mozambique.

More questions like this

Miracles Jar weighs each claim two ways — how extraordinary it would be if it truly happened, and how strong the evidence is — so you can judge it for yourself. See the full case → Or browse every verdict →