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That's not much of a response considering that OP doesn't even mention prayer.
He was replying to you. You did mention prayer.
Replace "prayer" with a drug and you have a medicine taken by billions of people throughout the world, all of whom claim to benefit from it, and who on average seem to enjoy benefits such as increased happiness, life satisfaction, and longevity. The clinical studies surrounding this drug seem compelling, but that's not enough for me; I wanted to run some of my own as well. I worry the drug may be a placebo--still perhaps effective but not the truth. That's what my studies are for.
And to be clear, if it was just the one I would not place much faith in it at all. It's the fact that this sort of thing happens consistently that makes it hard to deny.
As you are claiming that the effect of prayer come from the truth of your faith (and not just on some psychological phenomenon) you cannot count the other religion as "the same medicine" as those religions believe yours to be false.
Anyway, the fact that people "claim to benefit" from something does not mean they really benefit from it. A lot of atheists also claim to benefit from atheism, don't they?
Religion increases longevity, it does not mean that prayer does. There is no proof that a religion without prayer would not also increase longevity as long as it promotes a healthy lifestyle.
Religion might increase the longevity of religious people, but religious countries are poorer and have a worse longevity than not-so-religious countries. So it seems religion increases the longevity of the religious people at the expense of the average longevity of the country. It's a bit as if religious people were vampires, killing everyone else to extend their own life. But as religious people show less altruism (see https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/children-with-a-religious-upbringing-show-less-altruism/ ), they probably don't care.
Actually I can. Most people who pray are members of Abrahamic religions, and we all believe similar enough things. It's 100% compatible with most Abrahamic religions to consider other Abrahamic prayers valid. IDK about Muslims, but while other Christians may believe my religion false, they surely don't believe it so false that our prayers go entirely unheard.
I'm not going to adopt an entire philosophy just because people claim to benefit from it, but I am willing to try out a practice they claim to benefit from, if it seems mostly harmless. I definitely agree that claims to benefit are very weak evidence though.
Very true.
Also, that study about religious upbringing and altruism was retracted.
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