PRAYER
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with a deity or object of worship
through deliberate communication. Prayer can be a form of religious practice, may be either
individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words
or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of a hymn, incantation, formal creed,
or a spontaneous utterance in the praying person. There are different forms of prayer such as
petitionary prayer, prayers of supplication, thanksgiving, and worship/praise. Prayer may be
directed towards a deity, spirit, deceased person, or lofty idea, for the purpose of worshipping,
requesting guidance, requesting assistance, confessing sins or to express one's thoughts and
emotions. Thus, people pray for many reasons such as personal benefit or for the sake of others.
Most major religions involve prayer in one way or another. Some ritualize the act of prayer,
requiring a strict sequence of actions or placing a restriction on who is permitted to pray, while
others teach that prayer may be practiced spontaneously by anyone at any time.
Scientific studies regarding the use of prayer have mostly concentrated on its effect on the
healing of sick or injured people. The efficacy of petition in prayer for physical healing to a deity
has been evaluated in numerous studies, with contradictory results.[1][2][3][4] There has been some
criticism of the way the studies were conducted.[5][6]
Muslims performing Salah (Islamic five-times-daily ritual prayer)
Various spiritual traditions offer a wide variety of devotional acts. There are morning and
evening prayers, graces said over meals, and reverent physical gestures. Some Christians bow
their heads and fold their hands. Some Native Americans regard dancing as a form of prayer.[7]
Some Sufis whirl.[8] Hindus chant mantras.[9] Orthodox Jews sway their bodies back and forth,
plus at some point of prayer all Jewish communities partially kneel and bow their bodies [10] and
Salah for Muslims ("kneel and prostrate as seen on the right"). Quakers keep silent.[11] Some
pray according to standardized rituals and liturgies, while others prefer extemporaneous prayers.
Still others combine the two.
These methods show a variety of understandings to prayer, which are led by underlying beliefs.
These beliefs may be that the finite can communicate with the infinite the infinite is interested in
communicating with the finite prayer is intended to inculcate certain attitudes in the one who prays,
rather than to influence the recipient prayer is intended to train a person to focus on the recipient
through philosophy and intellectual contemplation
prayer is intended to enable a person to gain a direct experience of the recipient
prayer is intended to affect the very fabric of reality as we perceive it
prayer is a catalyst for change in oneself and/or one's circumstances, or likewise those of
third party beneficiaries the recipient desires and appreciates prayer or any combination of these.
The act of prayer is attested in written sources as early as 5000 years ago.[12] Some
anthropologists, such as Sir Edward Burnett Tylor and Sir James George Frazer, believed that
the earliest intelligent modern humans practiced something that we would recognize today as
prayer.[13]
Friedrich Heiler is often cited in Christian circles for his systematic Typology of Prayer
which lists six types of prayer: primitive, ritual, Greek cultural, philosophical, mystical, and
prophetic.
The act of worship
Prayer has many different forms. Prayer may be done privately and individually, or it may
be done corporately in the presence of fellow believers. Prayer can be incorporated into a
daily "thought life", in which one is in constant communication with a god. Some people pray
throughout all that is happening during the day and seek guidance as the day progresses. This is
actually regarded as a requirement in several Christian denominations,[15] although enforcement
is not possible nor desirable. There can be many different answers to prayer, just as there are
many ways to interpret an answer to a question, if there in fact comes an answer.[15] Some may
experience audible, physical, or mental epiphanies. If indeed an answer comes, the time and
place it comes is considered random. Some outward acts that sometimes accompany prayer
are: anointing with oil;[16] ringing a bell;[17] burning incense or paper;[18] lighting a candle or
candles;[19] facing a specific direction (i.e. towards Mecca[20] or the East); making the sign of the
cross. One less noticeable act related to prayer is fasting.
A variety of body postures may be assumed, often with specific meaning (mainly respect or
adoration) associated with them: standing; sitting; kneeling; prostrate on the floor; eyes opened;
eyes closed; hands folded or clasped; hands upraised; holding hands with others; a laying on
of hands and others. Prayers may be recited from memory, read from a book of prayers, or
composed spontaneously as they are prayed. They may be said, chanted, or sung. They may
be with musical accompaniment or not. There may be a time of outward silence while prayers
are offered mentally. Often, there are prayers to fit specific occasions, such as the blessing of a
meal, the birth or death of a loved one, other significant events in the life of a believer, or days of
the year that have special religious significance. Details corresponding to specific traditions are
outlined below.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
through deliberate communication. Prayer can be a form of religious practice, may be either
individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words
or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of a hymn, incantation, formal creed,
or a spontaneous utterance in the praying person. There are different forms of prayer such as
petitionary prayer, prayers of supplication, thanksgiving, and worship/praise. Prayer may be
directed towards a deity, spirit, deceased person, or lofty idea, for the purpose of worshipping,
requesting guidance, requesting assistance, confessing sins or to express one's thoughts and
emotions. Thus, people pray for many reasons such as personal benefit or for the sake of others.
Most major religions involve prayer in one way or another. Some ritualize the act of prayer,
requiring a strict sequence of actions or placing a restriction on who is permitted to pray, while
others teach that prayer may be practiced spontaneously by anyone at any time.
Scientific studies regarding the use of prayer have mostly concentrated on its effect on the
healing of sick or injured people. The efficacy of petition in prayer for physical healing to a deity
has been evaluated in numerous studies, with contradictory results.[1][2][3][4] There has been some
criticism of the way the studies were conducted.[5][6]
Muslims performing Salah (Islamic five-times-daily ritual prayer)
Various spiritual traditions offer a wide variety of devotional acts. There are morning and
evening prayers, graces said over meals, and reverent physical gestures. Some Christians bow
their heads and fold their hands. Some Native Americans regard dancing as a form of prayer.[7]
Some Sufis whirl.[8] Hindus chant mantras.[9] Orthodox Jews sway their bodies back and forth,
plus at some point of prayer all Jewish communities partially kneel and bow their bodies [10] and
Salah for Muslims ("kneel and prostrate as seen on the right"). Quakers keep silent.[11] Some
pray according to standardized rituals and liturgies, while others prefer extemporaneous prayers.
Still others combine the two.
These methods show a variety of understandings to prayer, which are led by underlying beliefs.
These beliefs may be that the finite can communicate with the infinite the infinite is interested in
communicating with the finite prayer is intended to inculcate certain attitudes in the one who prays,
rather than to influence the recipient prayer is intended to train a person to focus on the recipient
through philosophy and intellectual contemplation
prayer is intended to enable a person to gain a direct experience of the recipient
prayer is intended to affect the very fabric of reality as we perceive it
prayer is a catalyst for change in oneself and/or one's circumstances, or likewise those of
third party beneficiaries the recipient desires and appreciates prayer or any combination of these.
The act of prayer is attested in written sources as early as 5000 years ago.[12] Some
anthropologists, such as Sir Edward Burnett Tylor and Sir James George Frazer, believed that
the earliest intelligent modern humans practiced something that we would recognize today as
prayer.[13]
Friedrich Heiler is often cited in Christian circles for his systematic Typology of Prayer
which lists six types of prayer: primitive, ritual, Greek cultural, philosophical, mystical, and
prophetic.
The act of worship
Prayer has many different forms. Prayer may be done privately and individually, or it may
be done corporately in the presence of fellow believers. Prayer can be incorporated into a
daily "thought life", in which one is in constant communication with a god. Some people pray
throughout all that is happening during the day and seek guidance as the day progresses. This is
actually regarded as a requirement in several Christian denominations,[15] although enforcement
is not possible nor desirable. There can be many different answers to prayer, just as there are
many ways to interpret an answer to a question, if there in fact comes an answer.[15] Some may
experience audible, physical, or mental epiphanies. If indeed an answer comes, the time and
place it comes is considered random. Some outward acts that sometimes accompany prayer
are: anointing with oil;[16] ringing a bell;[17] burning incense or paper;[18] lighting a candle or
candles;[19] facing a specific direction (i.e. towards Mecca[20] or the East); making the sign of the
cross. One less noticeable act related to prayer is fasting.
A variety of body postures may be assumed, often with specific meaning (mainly respect or
adoration) associated with them: standing; sitting; kneeling; prostrate on the floor; eyes opened;
eyes closed; hands folded or clasped; hands upraised; holding hands with others; a laying on
of hands and others. Prayers may be recited from memory, read from a book of prayers, or
composed spontaneously as they are prayed. They may be said, chanted, or sung. They may
be with musical accompaniment or not. There may be a time of outward silence while prayers
are offered mentally. Often, there are prayers to fit specific occasions, such as the blessing of a
meal, the birth or death of a loved one, other significant events in the life of a believer, or days of
the year that have special religious significance. Details corresponding to specific traditions are
outlined below.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia