Prayer Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Abrahamic religions== ===Hebrew Bible=== {{Main|Prayer in the Hebrew Bible}} [[File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 136.png|thumb|right|''David Prays for Deliverance'', 1860 woodcut by [[Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld]]]] In the Hebrew Bible prayer is an evolving means of interacting with [[God]], most frequently through a spontaneous, individual, unorganized form of petitioning and/or thanking. Standardized prayer such as is done today is non-existent, although beginning in [[Deuteronomy]], the Bible lays the groundwork for organized prayer, including basic liturgical guidelines, and by the Bible's later books, prayer has evolved to a more standardized form, although still radically different from the [[Tefillah|form practiced]] by modern [[Jews]]. Individual prayer is described by the Tanakh two ways. The first of these is when prayer is described as occurring, and a result is achieved, but no further information regarding a person's prayer is given. In these instances, such as with [[Isaac]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen.%2025:21&version=NIV |title=Gen. 25: 21 |publisher=Biblegateway.com |access-date=August 26, 2012}}</ref> [[Moses]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2011:2&version=NIV |title=Num. 11:2 |publisher=Biblegateway.com |access-date=August 26, 2012}}</ref> [[Samuel]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel+8:6&version=NIV |title=1 Samuel 8:6 |publisher=Biblegateway.com |access-date=August 26, 2012}}</ref> and [[Job (Biblical figure)|Job]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+42:10&version=NIV |title=Job. 42:10 |publisher=Biblegateway.com |access-date=August 26, 2012}}</ref> the act of praying is a method of changing a situation for the better. The second way in which prayer is depicted is through fully fleshed out episodes of prayer, where a person's prayer is related in full. Many famous biblical personalities have such a prayer, including every major character from [[Hannah (Bible)|Hannah]] to [[Hezekiah]].<ref>Jewish Encyclopedia, "Prayer," http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=496&letter=P</ref> ===New Testament=== {{Main|Prayer in the New Testament}} In the New Testament prayer is presented as a positive command.<ref>{{bibleverse||Colossians|4:2}}; {{bibleverse|1|Thessalonians|5:17}}</ref> The [[People of God]] are challenged to include [[Christian prayer]] in their everyday life, even in the busy struggles of marriage<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|7:5}}</ref> as it brings people closer to [[God in Christianity|God]]. [[Jesus]] encouraged his [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciples]] to pray in secret in their private rooms, using the [[Lord's Prayer]], as a humble response to the prayer of the [[Pharisees]], whose practices in prayer were regarded as impious by the New Testament writers.<ref>{{bibleverse||Matthew|6:6}}</ref> For [[evangelism|evangelists]] and other [[Christian sect]]s, prayer is shown to be God's appointed method by which we obtain what He has to bestow.<ref>{{bibleverse||Matthew|7:7–11}}; {{bibleverse||Matthew|9:24–29}}; {{bibleverse||Luke|11:13}}</ref> Further, the [[Book of James]] says that the lack of [[blessing]]s in life results from a failure to pray.<ref>{{bibleverse||James|4:2}}</ref> Jesus healed through prayer and expected his followers to do so also.<ref>{{bibleverse||Mark|16:17–18}}; {{bibleverse||Matthew|10:8}}</ref> The apostle Paul wrote to the churches of Thessalonica to "Pray continually."<ref>{{Bibleverse|1 Thessalonians|5:17}}</ref> ===Judaism=== {{Main|Jewish prayer}} [[File:Jewish Canadian soldiers during WWII.jpg|left|thumb|upright|Captain Samuel Cass, a [[rabbi]], conducting the first prayer service celebrated on German territory by Jewish personnel of the [[First Canadian Army]] near [[Kleve|Cleve]], Germany, 18 March 1945]] Observant Jews pray three times a day, [[Shacharit]], [[Mincha]], and [[Ma'ariv]] with lengthier prayers on special days, such as the [[Shabbat]] and [[Jewish holidays]] including [[Musaf]] and the reading of the [[Torah]]. 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 ten adult males (a ''[[minyan]]'') is considered by [[Orthodox Judaism]] a prerequisite for several communal prayers. [[File:Muro de las Lamentaciones, Jerusalén, 2017.gif|thumb|[[Orthodox Jewish]] men praying in [[Jerusalem]]'s [[Western Wall]]]] There are also many other ritualistic prayers a Jew performs during their day, such as washing before eating bread, washing after one wakes up in the morning, and doing grace after meals. ====Rationalist approach==== In this view, the 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.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.ou.org/torah/article/why_tefilah_doesn |title= Why Tefilah Doesn't Mean Prayer: Redefining our Relationship with G-d |first= Steven |last= Weil<!-- deleted page: |author-link= Steven Weil -->|date= September 14, 2010 |type= video presentation |work= ou.org |publisher= [[Orthodox Union]] }}</ref> This approach is sometimes described as the person praying having a dialogue or conversation with God.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/862508/jewish/Talking-With-Gd.htm |first= Naftali |last= Silberberg |date= n.d. |title= Jewish Practice " Mitzvahs & Traditions " Prayer " Insights – Talking With G‑d |work= [[Chabad.org]] }}</ref> ====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. This has been the approach of Rabbenu Bachya, [[Yehuda Halevy]], [[Joseph Albo]], [[Samson Raphael Hirsch]], and [[Joseph Dov 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). ====Kabbalistic approach==== [[Kabbalah]] uses a series of ''[[Kavanah|kavanot]]'', directions of intent, to specify the path the prayer ascends in the dialog with God, to increase its chances of being answered favorably. Kabbalists ascribe a higher meaning to the purpose of prayer, which is no less than affecting the very fabric of reality itself, restructuring and repairing the universe in a real fashion. In this view, every word of every prayer, and indeed, even every letter of every word, has a precise meaning and a precise effect. Prayers thus literally affect the mystical forces of the universe, and repair the fabric of creation.<ref>[http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/114937/jewish/The-Kabbalah.htm The Kabbalah of Prayer] on Chabad.org</ref> Among Jews, this approach has been taken by the [[Chassidei Ashkenaz]] (German pietists of the Middle-Ages), the [[Isaac Luria|Arizal's]] Kabbalist tradition, [[Moshe Chaim Luzzatto|Ramchal]], most of [[Hasidic Judaism|Hassidism]], the [[Vilna Gaon]], and [[Jacob Emden]]. ===Christianity=== {{Main|Christian prayer|Christian worship}} {{quote box | quote = Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. | source = —known as "[[The Lord's Prayer]]"<ref>{{Bibleverse|Matthew|6:9–13|31}}</ref> | align = right | width = 25% }} [[File:Christ in Gethsemane.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Jesus]] praying in [[Gethsemane]]. Depicted by [[Heinrich Hofmann (painter)|Heinrich Hofmann]]]] Christian prayers are quite varied. They can be completely spontaneous, or read entirely from a text, like the Anglican [[Book of Common Prayer]]. The most common prayer among Christians is the [[Lord's Prayer]], which according to the [[gospel]] accounts (e.g. [[s:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#6:9|Matthew 6:9–13]]) is how [[Jesus]] taught his [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciples]] to pray.<ref name=Geldart108 >''Examining Religions: Christianity Foundation Edition'' by Anne Geldart 1999 {{ISBN|0-435-30324-4}} p. 108</ref> The Lord's Prayer is a model for prayers of adoration, confession and petition in Christianity.<ref name=Geldart108 /> In the second century ''[[Apostolic Tradition]]'', [[Hippolytus of Rome|Hippolytus]] instructed Christians to pray at [[fixed prayer times|seven fixed prayer times]]: "on rising, at the lighting of the evening lamp, at bedtime, at midnight" and "the third, sixth and ninth hours of the day, being hours associated with Christ's Passion."<ref name="Chadwick1993">{{cite book |author1=[[Henry Chadwick (theologian)|Henry Chadwick]] |title=The Early Church |date=1993 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-101-16042-8 |language=en|quote=Hippolytus in the ''Apostolic Tradition'' directed that Christians should pray seven times a day - on rising, at the lighting of the evening lamp, at bedtime, at midnight, and also, if at home, at the third, sixth and ninth hours of the day, being hours associated with Christ's Passion. Prayers at the third, sixth, and ninth hours are similarly mentioned by Tertullian, Cyprian, Clement of Alexandria and Origen, and must have been very widely practised. These prayers were commonly associated with private Bible reading in the family.}}</ref><ref name="Lössl2010">{{cite book |last1=Lössl |first1=Josef |title=The Early Church: History and Memory |date=17 February 2010 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-0-567-16561-9 |page=135 |language=en|quote=Not only the content of early Christian prayer was rooted in Jewish tradition; its daily structure too initially followed a Jewish pattern, with prayer times in the early morning, at noon and in the evening. Later (in the course of the second century), this pattern combined with another one; namely prayer times in the evening, at midnight and in the morning. As a result seven 'hours of prayer' emerged, which later became the monastic 'hours' and are still treated as 'standard' prayer times in many churches today. They are roughly equivalent to midnight, 6 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Prayer positions included prostration, kneeling and standing. ... Crosses made of wood or stone, or painted on walls or laid out as mosaics, were also in use, at first not directly as objections of veneration but in order to 'orientate' the direction of prayer (i.e. towards the east, Latin ''oriens'').}}</ref> [[Breviary|Breviaries]] such as the [[Shehimo]] and [[Agpeya]] are used by [[Oriental Orthodox Christians]] to pray these [[canonical hours|seven canonical hours]] while facing in the [[direction of prayer|eastward direction of prayer]].<ref name="Kurian2020">{{cite web |last1=Kurian |first1=Jake |title="Seven Times a Day I Praise You" – The Shehimo Prayers |url=http://www.ds-wa.org/seven-times-a-day-i-praise-you-the-sheema-prayers.html |publisher=[[Malankara Orthodox Diocese of Southwest America|Diocese of South-West America of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church]]|access-date=2 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="Amherst1906">{{cite book |author1=[[Mary Cecil, 2nd Baroness Amherst of Hackney]] |title=A Sketch of Egyptian History from the Earliest Times to the Present Day |date=1906 |publisher=Methuen |page=399 |language=en |quote=Prayers 7 times a day are enjoined, and the most strict among the Copts recite one of more of the Psalms of David each time they pray. They always wash their hands and faces before devotions, and turn to the East.}}</ref> In medieval England, prayers (particularly the ''[[Lord's Prayer|paternoster]]'') were frequently used as a measure of time in medical and culinary recipe books.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Taavitsainen | first1 = Irma | year = 2001 | title = Middle English Recipes: Genre Characteristics, Text Type Features and Underlying Traditions of Writing | journal = Journal of Historical Pragmatics | volume = 2 | pages = 85–113 [103] | doi = 10.1075/jhp.2.1.05taa }}</ref> Christians generally pray to God. Some Christians, such as Catholics, Lutherans, Orthodox, and Methodists [[pray for the dead]];<ref name="Gould">{{cite book|last=Gould|first=James B.|title=Understanding Prayer for the Dead: Its Foundation in History and Logic|date=4 August 2016|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers|isbn=9781620329887|pages=57–58|language=en|quote=The Roman Catholic and English Methodist churches both pray for the dead. Their consensus statement confirms that "over the centuries in the Catholic tradition praying for the dead has developed into a variety of practices, especially through the Mass. ...The Methodist church ... has prayers for the dead. ...Methodists who pray for the dead thereby commend them to the continuing mercy of God.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Gould |first1=James B. |title=Understanding Prayer for the Dead: Its Foundation in History and Logic |date=2017 |publisher=The Lutterworth Press |isbn=978-0-7188-4599-5 |page=51 |language=en |quote=The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America remembers the faithful departed in the Prayers of the People every Sunday, including those who have recently died and those commemorated on the church calendar of saints.}}</ref> [[Roman Catholic]]s, will also ask the righteous in heaven and "in Christ," such as the [[Virgin Mary]] or other saints to intercede by praying on their behalf ([[intercession of saints]]). Formulaic closures in many Christian denominations, such as Lutheranism and Catholicism include "through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, through all the ages of ages," and "in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."<ref name="King2006"/> It is customary among Christians to end prayers with "In [[Jesus]]' name, Amen" or more commonly, with the [[sign of the cross]] while saying the [[Trinitarian formula]].<ref name="King2006">{{cite book |last1=King |first1=Mike |title=Presence-Centered Youth Ministry: Guiding Students Into Spiritual Formation |date=29 August 2006 |publisher=InterVarsity Press |isbn=978-0-8308-3383-2 |page=131 |language=en |quote=Luther instructed his followers to make the sign of the cross at both the beginning and end of the day as a beginning to daily prayers. In the Small Catechism, the section on morning and evening prayers, Luther says: "When you get out of bed, bless yourself with the holy cross and say, 'In the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.'" This same instruction is given for bedtime.}}</ref><ref>See John 16:23, 26; John 14:13; John 15:16</ref> The most commonly used closure of prayer in Christianity is "[[Amen]]" (from a Hebrew adverb used as a statement of affirmation or agreement, usually translated as ''so be it''). In the [[Latin Church]] of the [[Catholic Church]], probably the most common is the [[Rosary]]; in the [[Eastern Christianity]] (including the [[Eastern Catholic Churches]] of the Catholic Church and [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]), the [[Jesus Prayer]]. The Jesus Prayer is also often repeated as part of the [[Christian meditation|meditative]] [[hesychasm]] practice in [[Eastern Christianity]].<ref>Parry, Ken; David Melling (editors) (1999). ''The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity'' {{ISBN|0-631-23203-6}} p. 230</ref> Latin Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as [[acts of reparation]] which do not involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair the sins of others, e.g. for the [[Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ|repair of the sin of blasphemy]] performed by others.<ref>{{Cite Catholic Encyclopedia |wstitle=Reparation |volume=12 |first=Thomas |last=Slater}}</ref> ====Pentecostalism==== In [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] congregations, prayer is often accompanied by speaking in an unknown tongue, a practice now known as [[glossolalia]].<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary]], 2nd ed, 1989</ref> Practitioners of Pentecostal glossolalia may claim that the languages they speak in prayer are real foreign languages, and that the ability to speak those languages spontaneously is a gift of the [[Holy Spirit]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Library – Religion – Christianity – Pentecostalism |publisher= Australian Broadcasting Company |url= http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s820631.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141104194445/http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s820631.htm |archive-date= 2014-11-04 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Bibleverse|Acts|2:1–13|31}}</ref><ref>{{Bibleverse|Acts|10:45–47|31}}</ref> Some people outside of the movement, however, have offered dissenting views. [[George Barton Cutten]] suggested that glossolalia was a sign of mental illness.<ref>George Barton Cutten, ''Speaking with Tongues Historically and Psychologically Considered'', Yale University Press, 1927.</ref> [[Felicitas Goodman]] suggested that tongue speakers were under a form of hypnosis.<ref>Goodman, Felicitas D., ''Speaking in Tongues: A Cross-Cultural Study in Glossolalia''. University of Chicago Press, 1972.</ref> Others suggest that it is a learned behaviour.<ref>Hine, Virginia H.: 'Pentecostal Glossolalia toward a Functional Interpretation.' ''Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion'' 8, 2: (1969) 211–26: quote on p. 211</ref><ref>Samarin, William J., ''Tongues of Men and Angels: The Religious Language of Pentecostalism''. Macmillan, New York, 1972, quote on p. 73</ref> Some of these views have allegedly been refuted.<ref>Hine, Virginia H.: 'Pentecostal Glossolalia toward a Functional Interpretation.' ''Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion'' 8, 2: (1969) 211–26: quote on p. 213</ref><ref>Spanos, Nicholas P.; Hewitt, Erin C.: Glossolalia: 'A test of the 'trance' and psychopathology hypotheses.' ''Journal of Abnormal Psychology'': 1979 Aug Vol 88(4) 427–34.</ref> ====Christian Science==== [[Christian Science]] teaches that prayer is a spiritualization of thought or an understanding of God and of the nature of the underlying spiritual creation. Adherents believe that this can result in healing, by bringing spiritual reality into clearer focus in the human scene. The world as it appears to the senses is regarded as a distorted version of the world of spiritual ideas. Prayer can heal the distortion. Christian Scientists believe that prayer does not change the spiritual creation but gives a clearer view of it, and the result appears in the human scene as healing: the human picture adjusts to coincide more nearly with the divine reality.<ref>[[Mary Baker Eddy]], "Prayer," in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Boston, Trustees Under the Will of Mary Baker Eddy, 1934 [etc.] pp. 1–17</ref> Christian Scientists do not practice [[intercessory prayer]] as it is commonly understood, and they generally avoid combining prayer with medical treatment in the belief that the two practices tend to work against each other. Prayer works through [[love]]: the recognition of God's creation as spiritual, intact, and inherently lovable.<ref>{{cite web|title=Is there no intercessory prayer?|url=http://www.christianscience.org/QAIsthereintercesprayer.html|access-date=2007-10-13|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/19990830121655/http://www.christianscience.org/QAIsthereintercesprayer.html|archive-date=1999-08-30}} </ref> ===Islam=== {{Main|Salah|Dua}} [[File:Mosque.jpg|thumb|Muslims in prostration at the [[Umayyad Mosque]] in Syria]] The [[Arabic language|Arabic]] word for prayer is ''[[salah]]''. The daily obligatory prayers collectively form the second of the [[Five Pillars of Islam|five pillars]] in [[Islam]], observed three<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aKenKtONX2MC&dq=muslims+pray+three+times+a+day&pg=PA238 | title=Islam and the Secular State | isbn=9780674033764 | last1=Na | first1=Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im | last2=Naʻīm | first2=ʻabd Allāh Aḥmad | date=30 June 2009 | publisher=Harvard University Press }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZIzC9N8-7Z0C&dq=some+muslims+pray+three+times+a+day&pg=PT23 | title=Muslims in America: A Short History | isbn=978-0-19-974567-8 | last1=Curtis Iv | first1=Edward E. | date=October 2009 | publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref> or five times every day at [[Salah times|prescribed times]]. The command of ritual prayer repeatedly occurs in the [[Quran]]. The person performs the prayer while they are facing the [[Kaaba]] in [[Mecca]]. There is the "call for prayer" (''[[Adhan|the adhan]]''), where the ''[[muezzin]]'' calls for all the followers to stand together for the prayer. The prayer consists of actions such as glorifying and praising God (such as mentioning 'Allāhu Akbar' (God is Great)) while standing, recitation of chapters of the Quran (such as the opening chapter of the book (''[[Al-Fatiha]]'')), [[Ruku|bowing down]] then praising God, [[prostration|prostrating]] (''[[sujud]]'') then again praising God. It ends with the words: "Peace be with you and God's mercy." During the prayer, a Muslim cannot talk or do anything else besides pray. Once the prayer is complete, one can offer personal prayers or supplications to God for their needs, known as ''[[dua]]''. There are many standard invocations in [[Arabic]] to be recited at various times (''e.g.'' after the prayer) and for various occasions (''e.g.'' for one's parents) with manners and etiquette such as 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.<ref name=" Emerick" /> Certain [[Shi'a]] sects pray the five daily prayers divided into three separate parts of the day, providing several Hadith as supporting evidence;<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=UlaBw3MUGBEC&dq=shia+pray+3+times&pg=PA91 Muslim cultures today: a reference guide] By Kathryn M. Coughlin, p. 91</ref> although according to [[Shia Islam]], it is also permissible to pray at five times.<ref>[http://www.islamquest.net/en/archive/question/fa2334 Why do we the Shia pray at three times while the Quran tells us to pray at five times?] islamquest.net Retrieved 19 Oct 2018</ref> ===Mandaeism=== {{Main|Daily prayer in Mandaeism}} [[Daily prayer in Mandaeism]] called ''brakha'' consists of a set prayers that are recited three times per day.<ref name="Buckley2010">{{cite book|last=Buckley|first=Jorunn Jacobsen|title=The great stem of souls: reconstructing Mandaean history|publisher=Gorgias Press|publication-place=Piscataway, N.J|year=2010|isbn=978-1-59333-621-9}}</ref> Mandaeans stand facing north while reciting daily prayers.<ref name="Buckley 2002">{{cite book|last=Buckley|first=Jorunn Jacobsen|title=The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people|publisher=Oxford University Press|publication-place=New York|year=2002|isbn=0-19-515385-5|oclc=65198443}}</ref> Unlike in Islam and Coptic Orthodox Christianity, [[prostration]] is not practiced. [[Mandaean priest]]s recite [[rahma (Mandaeism)|rahma]] prayers<ref name="Drower 1959">{{Cite book|title=The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans|last=Drower|first=E. S.|publisher=E. J. Brill|year=1959|location=Leiden}}</ref><ref name="Liturgien">Lidzbarski, Mark. 1920. ''Mandäische Liturgien''. Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, phil.-hist. Klasse, NF 17.1. Berlin.</ref> three times every day, while laypeople also recite the ''[[Rushma]]'' (signing prayer) and ''[[Asiet Malkia]]'' ("Healing of Kings") daily.<ref name="Buckley2010"/> The three prayer times in [[Mandaeism]] are:<ref name="Drower 1937">Drower, Ethel Stefana. 1937. ''The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran''. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.</ref><ref name="Drower 1959"/> *dawn (sunrise) *noontime (the "seventh hour") *evening (sunset) ===Baháʼí Faith=== {{Main|Prayer in the Baháʼí Faith}} [[Bahá'u'lláh]], the [[Báb]], and [[`Abdu'l-Bahá]] wrote many prayers for general use, and some for specific occasions, including for unity, detachment, spiritual upliftment, and healing among others. Followers of the [[Baháʼí Faith]] are also required to recite each day one of three [[Obligatory Baháʼí prayers|obligatory prayers]] composed 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. Baháʼís also read from and meditate on the scriptures every morning and evening.<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=P.|year=1999|title=A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith|publisher=Oneworld Publications|location=Oxford|pages=[https://archive.org/details/conciseencyclope0000smit/page/274 274–75]|isbn=978-1-85168-184-6|url=https://archive.org/details/conciseencyclope0000smit/page/274}}</ref> ===Baptism=== {{Main|John the Baptist}} Baptists (not to be confused with the Protestant Christian denomination of Baptists) and their prayers play a special role in Christianity, and represent the more theologic and rational approach to Christian praying. [[John the Baptist]] was a scholar of the original [[Old Testament|Hebrew scroll]]s and was likely exposed to [[hellenistic philosophy]]. Baptism is a Hebraic rite of purification that preceded John the Baptist. He is a subject mentioned in the [[Koran]] and is thus accepted in [[Islam]] and [[Orthodox religion]]s. Modern baptists also practice social representation (e.g. work, or altruistic activities) as a form of prayer. In essence, it can be said that Baptists are socialized Christians that themselves accept the [[Koran]] and the practice of Muslim prayers. Islam has preserved the tradition of baptizing in the form of ablution and ritual [[Ghusl]] for purification purposes.<ref>Souter A. (1919). [https://www.logos.com/product/41602/tertullians-treatises-concerning-prayer-concerning-baptism Tertullian’s Treatises: Concerning Prayer, Concerning Baptism] ''SPCK; Macmillan Co''. Retrieved 9 April 2023.</ref><ref>Muzammil H. Siddiqi (20 December 2022) [https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-the-scholar/muslim-creed/how-does-islam-view-baptism/ "How Does Islam View Baptism?"] ''aboutislam.net''. Accessed 9 April 2023.</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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