Prayer Forms,Frorms of 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.Some Sufis whirl. Hindus chant mantras. Orthodox Jews sway their bodies back and forth and Salah for Muslims ("kneel and prostrate as seen on the right"). Quakers keep silent. 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
Tags:Nergal ,Nabu ,Ninurta ,Ishtar ,Marduk ,Shamash ,Sin (mythology)

Prayer groups

A prayer group is a group of people that meet to pray together. These groups, formed mostly within Christian congregations but occasionally among Muslim groups as well,[68] gather outside of the congregation's regular worship service to pray for perceived needs, sometimes within the congregation, sometimes within their religious group at large. However, these groups often pray also for the world around them, including people who do not share their beliefs.

Many prayer group meetings are held according to a regular schedule, usually once a week. However, extraordinary events, such as the September 11 attacks or major disasters spawned a number of improvised prayer group meetings. Prayer groups do not need to meet in person, and there are a vast array of single-purpose prayer groups in the world.

Prayer is often used as a means of faith healing in an attempt to use religious or spiritual means to prevent illness, cure disease, or improve health. Some attempt to heal by prayer, mental practices, spiritual insights, or other techniques, claiming they can summon divine or supernatural intervention on behalf of the ill. Others advocate that ill people may achieve healing through prayer performed by themselves. According to the varied beliefs of those who practice it, faith healing may be said to afford gradual relief from pain or sickness or to bring about a sudden "miracle cure", and it may be used in place of, or in tandem with, conventional medical techniques for alleviating or curing diseases. Faith healing has been criticized on the grounds that those who use it may delay seeking potentially curative conventional medical care. This is particularly problematic when parents use faith healing techniques on children.