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! ===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 ([[meditation]]). This approach was taken by the Jewish scholar and philosopher [[Maimonides]]<ref>Guide to the Perplexed 3:51{{Nonspecific|date=January 2020}}</ref> and the other medieval rationalists.<ref>''[[Sefer ha-Ikkarim]]'' 4:18</ref> 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. In a rationalist approach, praying encompasses three aspects. First, '[[logos]]', as the "idea" of the sender, secondly '[[rhema]]ta' as the words to express the idea, and thirdly 'rhemata' and 'logos', to where the idea is sent (e.g. to God, [[Allah]]). Thus praying is not a conversation with God, or Jesus but a one-way direction to the divine.<ref>Reeves R. (JUNE 11, 2015) [https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/june-web-only/no-prayer-isnt-really-conversation.html "No, Prayer Isnβt Really a Conversation"] ''Christianity Today''. Accessed 9 April 2023.</ref> Among the [[Abrahamic religions]], [[Islam]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]] and [[Hasidic Judaism]] are likely most adhering to this concept, also because it does not allow secondary mythologies, and has taken its spiritual roots from [[Hellenistic philosophy]], particularly from [[Aristotle]].<ref>ULFAT AZIZ-US-SAMAD (2003). Islam & Christianity. ''islambasics''. Accessed 9 April 2023.</ref> Similarly in [[Hinduism]], the different divinities are manifestations of one God with associated prayers. However, many Indians β particularly Hindus β believe that God can be manifest in people, including in people of lower castes, such as [[Sadhu]]s.<ref>[https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/06/29/beliefs-about-god-in-india/ "RELIGION IN INDIA: TOLERANCE AND SEGREGATION"] ''Pew Research Center''. Accessed 9 April 2023.</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page