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 in Judaism

Jews pray three times a day, with lengthier prayers on special days, such as the Shabbat and Jewish holidays. The siddur is the prayerbook used by Jews all over the world, 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").

Communal prayer is preferred over solitary prayer, and a quorum of 10 adult males (a minyan) is considered by Orthodox Judaism a prerequisite for several communal prayers.

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 Maimonides and the other medieval rationalists. One example of this approach to prayer is noted by Rabbi Steven Weil, who was appointed the Orthodox Union's Executive-Vice President in 2009. He notes that the word “prayer” is a derivative of the Latin “precari”, which means “to beg”. The Hebrew equivalent “tefilah”, however, along with its root “pelel” or its reflexive “l’hitpallel”, means the act of self-analysis or self-evaluation. This approach is sometimes described as the person praying having a dialogue or conversation with God.