Prayer

Jewish prayer

See Also: Jewish services


Jews pray three times a day, or more on special days, such as the Shabbat and Jewish Holidays . The Siddur is the prayerbook used by Jews the world over, containing a set order of daily prayers. Jewish prayer is usually described as having two aspects: ''kavanah'' (intention) and ''keva'' (the ritualistic, structured elements).

The most important Jewish prayers are the Shema Yisrael ("Hear O Israel") and the Amidah ("the standing prayer").

Jews consider the best form of prayer is to pray together, for example you would need 10 people (minyan) to pray in synagogue. They believe the more people, the stronger the connection.


Christian prayer


-style bronze Panagia from Jerusalem , showing the Virgin Mary in the Orans prayer posture.]]
Christian prayers are very varied. They can be completely spontaneous, or read entirely from a text, like the Anglican Book Of Common Prayer . Probably the most common and universal prayer among Christians is the Lord's Prayer which is how Jesus taught his disciples to pray.

Christians pray to God (without specifying a person of the Trinity); or to the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit (or some combination of them). Some Christians (e.g., Catholics, Orthodox) will also ask the righteous in heaven and "in Christ," such as Virgin Mary or other saints to intercede by praying on their behalf. ( Intercession Of Saints ) Other formulaic closures include "through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever," and "in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

It is customary among Protestants to end prayers with "In Jesus ' Name, Amen" or "In the name of Christ , Amen." However, the most commonly used closure in Christianity is simply " Amen " (from a Hebrew adverb used as a statement of affirmation or agreement).

There is also the form of prayer called Hesychast which is a repetitious type of prayer for the purpose of meditation. In the Western or Latin Rite of Catholic Church , probably the most common is the Rosary ; In the Eastern Church (the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church), the Jesus Prayer .

Prayers said by Christian s are described in the article on Prayer In Christianity .


Prevalence

Some modalities of , part of the National Institutes Of Health in the United States, found that in 2002, 43% of Americans pray for their own health, 24% pray for others health, and 10% participate in a prayer group for their own health.


Christian Science prayer


: the recognition of God's creation as spiritual, intact and inherently lovable.


Islamic prayer

praying at the Hajj , Mecca .]]

Muslim s pray a brief ritualistic prayer called '' Salat '' or ''salah'' in Arabic , facing the Kaaba in Mecca , five times a day. The "call for prayer" ('' Adhan '' or ''azaan''), where the '' Muezzin '' calls for all the followers to stand together for the prayer . There are also many standard Dua s or supplications, also in Arabic, to be recited at various times, ''e.g.'' for one's parents, after salah, before eating. Muslims may also say ''dua'' in their own words and languages for any issue they wish to communicate with God in the hope that God will answer their prayers.



Bahá'í prayer

Bahá'u'lláh , the Báb , and `Abdu'l-Bahá have revealed many prayers for general use, and some for specific occasions, including for unity, detachment, spiritual upliftment, and healing among others. Bahá'í s are also required to recite each day one of three Obligatory Prayers revealed by Bahá'u'lláh . The believers have been enjoined to face in the direction of the Qiblih when reciting their Obligatory Prayer. The longest obligatory prayer may be recited at any time during the day; another, of medium length, is recited once in the morning, once at midday, and once in the evening; and the shortest can be recited anytime between noon and sunset. This is the text of the short prayer: ''I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth. There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.'' Bahá'ís also read from and meditate on the scriptures every morning and evening.


Neopagan prayers

Many modern Neopagans pray to various gods. The most commonly worshiped and prayed to gods are those of Pre-Christian Europe, such as Celtic , Norse or Graeco-Roman gods. Prayer can vary from sect to sect, and with some (such as Wicca) prayer may also be associated with ritual Magick .


PRAYER IN EASTERN RELIGION S

In contrast with Western Religion , Eastern religion for the most part discards Worship and places devotional emphasis on the practice of Meditation alongside scriptural study.


Buddhism

praying at Wat Phra Kaew , Thailand .]]
In certain Buddhist sects, prayer accompanies meditation. Buddhism for the most part sees prayer as a secondary, supportive practice to Meditation and scriptural study. Gautama Buddha claimed that human beings possess the capacity and potential to be liberated, or Enlightened , through Contemplation , leading to insight. Prayer is seen mainly as a powerful psycho-physical practice that can enhance meditation.

• In the earliest Buddhist tradition, the Theravada , and in the later Mahayana tradition of Zen (or Chán ), prayer plays only an ancillary role. It is largely a ritual expression of wishes for success in the practice and in helping all beings. However it can also be a way of expressing respect and appreciation to the individual person of the Buddha, who is said to still exist though in a higher dimension.


• The Mahayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism emphasizes an instructive and devotional relationship to a guru; this may involve devotional practices similar to prayer. It also posits the existence of various deities. But how practitioners relate to them will depend upon the 'level' at which they are practicing. At one level, one may pray to a deity for protection or assistance, taking a more subordinate role. At another level, one may ''invoke'' the deity, on a more equal footing. And at a higher level one may deliberately cultivate the idea that one has 'become' the deity, whilst remaining aware that its ultimate nature is Shunyata .


• Pure Land Buddhism emphasizes the recitation of prayer-like Mantra s by devotees. On one level it is said that reciting these mantras can ensure rebirth into a spiritual 'pure land' after death, where one may work further towards one's enlightenment with greater ease. On another, the practice is a form of meditation aimed at achieving realization.

But beyond all these practices the Buddha emphasized the primacy of individual practice and experience. He said that supplication to gods or deities was not necessary. Nevertheless, today many lay people in East Asian countries pray to the Buddha in ways that resemble Western prayer - asking for intervention and offering devotion.


Hindu prayer

See Also: Prayer in Hinduism



to philosophical musings. While chanting involves 'by dictum' recitation of timeless verses, dhyanam involves deep meditation (however short or long) on the preferred deity/God. Again the object to which prayers are offered could be a persons referred as devtas, trinity or incarnation of either devtas or trinity or simply plain formless meditation as practiced by the ancient sages. All of these are directed to fulfilling personal needs or deep spiritual enlightenment. Ritual Invocation was part and parcel of the Vedic Religion and as such permeated their sacred texts. Indeed, the highest sacred texts of the Hindus, the Vedas , are a large collection of Mantra s and prayer rituals. Classical Hinduism came to focus on extolling a single supreme force, Brahman , that is made manifest in several lower forms as the familiar gods of the Hindu Pantheon . Hindus in India have numerous devotional movements. Hindus may pray to the highest absolute God Brahman, or more commonly to Its three manifestations namely creator god called Brahma , preserver god called Vishnu and detroyer god (so that the creation cycle can start afresh) Shiva , and at the next level to Vishnu's avatars (earthly appearances) Rama and Krishna or to many other male or female deities.Typically, Hindus pray with their hands (the palms) joined together. The hand gesture is similar to the popular Indian greeting '' Namaste ''. Rajan Zed , Hindu chaplain, became the first to deliver Hindu prayer in United States Senate in Washington DC in 2007.


Prayer in Jainism

Although Jain s believe that no spirit or divine being can assist them on their path, they do hold some influence, and on special occasions, Jains will pray for right knowledge to the twenty-four ''Tirthankaras'' (saintly teachers) or sometimes to Hindu deities such as Ganesha .


APPROACHES TO PRAYER


Direct petitions to God

From Biblical times to today, the most common form of prayer is to directly appeal to God to grant one's requests. This in many ways is the simplest form of prayer. Some have termed this the social approach to prayer.Greenberg, Moshe. Biblical Prose Prayer: As a Window to the Popular Religion of Ancient Israel. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1983 http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft8b69p1w7/] In this view, a person directly confronts God in prayer, and asks for their needs to be fulfilled. God listens to the prayer, and may or may not choose to answer in the way one asks of Him. This is the primary approach to prayer found in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, most of the Church writings, and in rabbinic literature such as the Talmud.


The educational approach

In this view, prayer is not a conversation. Rather, it is meant to inculcate certain attitudes in the one who prays, but not to influence. Among Jews, this has been the approach of Rabbenu Bachya, Rabbi Yehuda Halevi , Joseph Albo , Samson Raphael Hirsch , and Joseph B. Soloveitchik . This view is expressed by Rabbi Nosson Scherman in the overview to the Artscroll Siddur (p. XIII); note that Scherman goes on to also affirm the Kabbalistic view (see below).



The Kabbalistic view of prayer

Adherents of Kabbalah (esoteric Jewish mysticism) base their prayers on those found in the Siddur , the traditional Jewish prayer text. However, they add to these prayers a number of kavanot, mystical statements of intention. Adherents of kabbalah reject both the rationalist and social approach to prayer. Instead, their approach ascribes a higher meaning to the act of prayer; Prayer affects the very fabric of reality itself, restructuring and repairing the universe in a real fashion. For these Kabbalists, every prayer, every word of every prayer, and indeed, even every letter of every word of every prayer, has a precise meaning and a precise effect.

In Kabbalah and related mystical belief systems, adherents claim intimate knowledge about the way in which the divine relates to us and the physical universe in which we live. For people with this view, prayers can literally affect the mystical forces of the universe and repair the fabric of creation.

Among Jews, this approach has been taken by the Chassidei Ashkenaz (German pietists of the Middle-Ages), the Arizal's Kabbalist tradition, Ramchal , most of Hassidism , the Vilna Gaon and Jacob Emden .


The rationalist approach

In this view, ultimate goal of prayer is to help train a person to focus on divinity through philosophy and intellectual contemplation. This approach was taken by the Jewish scholar and philosopher Maimonides and the other medieval rationalists; it became popular in Jewish, Christian and Islamic intellectual circles, but never became the most popular understanding of prayer among the laity in any of these faiths. In all three of these faiths today, a significant minority of people still hold to this approach.


The experiential approach

In this approach, the purpose of prayer is to enable the person praying to gain a direct experience of the recipient of the prayer (or as close to direct as a specific theology permits). This approach is very significant in Christianity and widespread in Judaism (although less popular theologically). In Eastern Orthodoxy , this approach is known as Hesychasm . It is also widespread in Sufi Islam, and in some forms of Mysticism . It has some similarities with the rationalist approach, since it can also involve Contemplation , although the contemplation is not generally viewed as being as rational or intellectual. It also has some similarities with the Kabbalistic view, but it lacks the Kabbalistic emphasis on the importance of individual words and letters.


EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF PRAYER


In 1872, , it set the precedent for a number of different studies, the results of a which are contradictory.

A number of studies have suggested that patients who are being prayed for recover more quickly or more frequently. One such study, with a Double-blind design and about 500 subjects per group, suggested that intercessory prayer by born again Christians had a statistically significant positive effect on a coronary care unit population.Byrd RC. Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in a coronary care unit population. ''South Med J'' 1988;81:826-9. PMID 3393937. Another such study was reported by Harris ''et al''.Harris WS, Gowda M, Kolb JW, Strychacz CP, Vacek JL, Jones PG, Forker A, O'Keefe JH, McCallister BD. ''A randomized, controlled trial of the effects of remote, intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients admitted to the coronary care unit.'' Arch Intern Med 1999;159:2273-8. PMID 10547166. Critics claim Byrd's 1988 study was not fully double-blinded, and that in the Harris study, patients actually had a longer hospital stay in the prayer group, if one discounts the patients in both groups who left before prayers began.Tessman I and Tessman J "Efficacy of Prayer: A Critical Examination of Claims," Skeptical Inquirer, March/April 2000.
One of the largest randomized, blind clinical trials was a remote ''retroactive'' intercessory prayer study conducted in Israel by Leibovici. This study used 3393 patient records from 1990-96, and blindly assigned some of these to an intercessory prayer group. The prayer group had shorter hospital stays and duration of fever.Leibovici L. Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients with bloodstream infection: randomized controlled trial. ''BMJ'' 2001;323:1450-1. PMID 11751349.

Several studies of prayer effectiveness have yielded null results.O'Laoire S. An experimental study of the effects of distant, intercessory prayer on self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. ''Altern Ther Health Med'' 1997;3:38-53. PMID 9375429. A 2001 double-blind study of the Mayo Clinic found no significant difference in the recovery rates between people who were (unbeknownst to them) assigned to a group that prayed for them and those who were not.Aviles JM, Whelan SE, Hernke DA, Williams BA, Kenny KE, O'Fallon WM, Kopecky SL. Intercessory prayer and cardiovascular disease progression in a coronary care unit population: a randomized controlled trial. ''Mayo Clin Proc'' 2001;76:1192-8. PMID 11761499. Similarly, the MANTRA study conducted by Duke University found no differences in outcome of cardiac procedures as a result of prayer.Krucoff MW, Crater SW, Gallup D, Blankenship JC, Cuffe M, Guarneri M, Krieger RA, Kshettry VR, Morris K, Oz M, Pichard A, Sketch MH Jr, Koenig HG, Mark D, Lee KL. Music, imagery, touch, and prayer as adjuncts to interventional cardiac care: the Monitoring and Actualisation of Noetic Trainings (MANTRA) II randomised study. ''Lancet'' 2005;366:211-7. PMID 16023511. In another similar study published in the American Heart Journal in 2006, Christian intercessory prayer when reading a scripted prayer was found to have no effect on the recovery of heart surgery patients; however, the study found patients who had knowledge of receiving prayer had slightly higher instances of complications than those who did not know if they were being prayed for or those who did not receive prayer.Benson H, Dusek JA ''et al.'' "Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients: a multicenter randomized trial of uncertainty and certainty of receiving intercessory prayer." ''American Heart Journal''. 2006 April; 151(4): p. 762-4.

One condition that may affect the efficacy of intercessory prayer is whether the person praying has a personal connection to the person prayed for. A 2005 study found strong evidence that healers in a variety of modalities were able to remotely influence the MRI -measurable brain activity in partners who were physically and electrically isolated.Achterberg, Jeanne ''et al'' Evidence for Correlations Between Distant Intentionality and Brain Function in Recipients: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2005, 11(6): 965-971.

Many accept that prayer can aid in recovery, not due to divine influence but due to psychological and physical benefits. It has also been suggested that if a person knows that he or she is being prayed for it can be uplifting and increase morale, thus aiding recovery. (See , Tai Chi , and Meditation may also have a positive impact on physical and psychological health.

The previously mentioned 2006 study published in the American Heart JournalStudy of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients: A multicenter randomized trial of uncertainty and certainty of receiving intercessory prayer indicated that bypass surgery patients who were aware that they were being prayed for developed more complications than patients who were unaware of prayers on their behalf, and patients who were unaware that they were being prayed for had more major complications than those who were not prayed for as part of the study.The Deity in the DataWhat the latest prayer study tells us about God.[http://www.slate.com/id/2139373/

Others feel that the concept of conducting prayer experiments reflects a misunderstanding of the purpose of prayer. states, "You shall not test the Lord thy God"Deuteronomy 6:16 {Link without Title} , reflecting the notion of some that prayer cannot, or should not, be tested.


HISTORICAL POLYTHEISTIC PRAYER

In ancient religions of Greeks and Romans ( Ancient Greek Religion , Roman Religion ), ceremonial prayer was highly formulaic and Ritual ized. The Iguvine Tables contain a supplication that can be translated, "If anything was said improperly, if anything was done improperly, let it be as if it were done correctly."

The formalism and formulaic nature of these prayers led them to be written down in language that may have only been partially understood by the writer, and our texts of these prayers may in fact be garbled. Prayers in Etruscan were used in the Roman world by Augur s and other Oracle s long after Etruscan became a dead language. The Carmen Arvale and the Carmen Saliare are two specimens of partially preserved prayers that seem to have been unintelligible to their scribes, and whose language is full of Archaism s and difficult passages.

Roman prayers and 's treatise on Agriculture contains many examples of preserved traditional prayers; in one, a farmer addresses the unknown deity of a possibly sacred grove, and sacrifices a pig in order to placate the god or goddess of the place and beseech his or her permission to cut down some trees from the grove.


ETYMOLOGY

''Pray'' entered ''preier,'' "to request" (first seen in ''La Séquence de Ste. Eulalie, ''ca. 880) In modern French ''prier,'' "to pray," the stem-vowel is leveled under that of the stem-stressed forms, ''il prie'', etc. The origin of the word before this time is less certain. Compare the Italian ''Pregare ''"to ask" or more rarely "pray for something" and Spanish ''preguntar ''"ask." One possibility is the Late Latin ''precare'' (as seen in Priscian ), Classical Latin ''precari'' "to entreat, pray" from Latin ''precari,'' from ''precor, ''from ''prec-, prex'' "request, entreaty, prayer." ''Precor ''was used by Virgil , Livy , Cicero , and Ovid in the Accusative . Dative forms are also found in Livy and Aurelius Propertius. With ''pro'' in the Ablative , it is found in Plinius Valerianus’s ''physic, ''and Aurelius Augustinus’s ''Epistulae''. It also could be used for a thing. From classical times, it was used in both religious and secular senses. ''Prex'' is recorded as far back as T. Maccius Plautus (254 B.C. – ?). Other senses of ''precor'' include "to wish well or ill to any one," "to hail, salute," or "address one with a wish." The Latin ''orare'' "to speak" later took over the role of ''precari ''to mean "pray."

The Spanish form ''preguntar'' was first recorded in ''El Cantar de Mio Çid'' (ca. 1150)'' '' and possibly comes from Vulgar Latin ''praecontare,'' an alteration of the Classical Latin ''percontari, perconto, percontor'' "interrogate" although the Spanish verb for "pray" today is (among Catholics) ''rezar,'' which previously meant "to say" from the Latin ''recitare''. Among Spanish-speaking Protestants, the verb ''orar'' is used instead, and a prayer is called ''oración''. The Portuguese word ''pregar ''"to preach," or less commonly, "to exhort," is also mentioned at times, although it is from the Latin ''praedicare'','' ''"to cry in public, proclaim," hence "to declare, state, say," in medieval Latin "to preach," and in Logic "to assert," from ''præ'' "forth" + ''dicare'' "to make known, proclaim." Compare the Spanish ''predicar''. More closely related is the Portuguese ''perguntar,'' "to ask" and by extension "ask for." ''Pray'' is akin to Old English ''gefr {Link without Title} ge ''"hearsay, report," ''fricgan, frignan, frinan ''to ask, inquire, Old High German ''fraga ''question, ''fragen ''"to ask" (in modern German, "pray" is ''beten, ''"question" ''frage''), Old Norse ''frett ''"question," ''fregna ''"to inquire, find out," Gothic ''fraihman ''"to find out by inquiry," Tocharian A ''prak- ''"to ask," Sanskrit roots, ''pracch- prask-,'' ''pras ''"interrogation," and ''prcchati ''"he asks"


SEE ALSO

ese Shintō shrine.]]

• 24-7 Prayer Movement


• Daily Prayer For Peace


• Glossolalia ("speaking in tongues")


• Hesychasm


• Interior Life


• List Of Prayers


• Meditation


• Moment Of Silence


• Orant


• Prayer In LDS Theology And Practice


• Prayer Beads


• Prayer In School


• Prayer Wheel


• Prie-dieu


• Siddur


• Supplication


• Tibetan Prayer Flag


• Trance


• Mani Stone

REFERENCES AND FOOTNOTES



EXTERNAL LINKS

• Scientific study of effect of prayer on recovery of patients