Essays on Prayer

Christianity and Islamic Teachings

As directed by their holy scripture, Christian and Islamic prayer traditions reveals how both believe prayer not only brings them in the presence of God, but also, that prayer is essential to living life that best honors Him. This scholarly enterprise looks at the historical comparison and contrast of prayer in Christianity, and Islam as the foundation of living a life honoring God.

Comparison

Living the life best honoring God in both Christian and Islamic traditions in the correct act of supplication remains fundamental to their profession of faith in God and faith in the power of God helping the Continue reading...

Saint Basil the Great was bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia when he fought against the Arians despite grievous threats from the Arian king Valens. He has reformed so thoroughly the clergy in his diocese that other bishops sought his help in assisting them in their dioceses. His greatest achievement though was the establishment of a vast hospital and work house outside the city of Caesarea, which came to be known as the “New Town,” and later renamed Basileiad after his death (Laux, 1930). In the sermon, “Prayer must come first” (Everitt et al., 1985) he explored prayer and service Continue reading...

Question one

The government of United States had been exposed to extensive communism that had been considered an element of exclusive concern. Through the element massive changes had been experienced in the nation. The government had used its extensive powers to influence how activities flow in the country. The case was revolving around a prayer that had been defined as the overall prayer that all the public schools were supposed recite. The prayer dictated “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our Country.” It was believed that this Continue reading...

Book Review of Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High-impact Leader by Dave Earley

The book “Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High Impact Leader” is for the individuals who takes the role of the leader in their lives. This book discusses the power of prayers and delves into the various insights of the prayers that help the leaders to lead.

Summary

The book is introduced by its author with the crux captured in one statement that “prayer influences men by influencing God to influence them”1. The power of prayers is discussed as prayer disciplines of the leaders who have Continue reading...

The Bible has been interpreted differently by numerous sects and religious groups who claims to be the true religion. While there has been no actually proof or evidence on the authenticity of these claims made by these groups, the Bible remains to be the most translated book in history. In fact, a total of 2,817 translations of the Bible is available. 513 of these translations is accounted for the whole Bible while the New Testament has been translated to over 1,294 languages . The process of translating the Bible can perhaps be credited for the different interpretation. Misrepresentation Continue reading...

Prayer: A Christian Ritual From A Christian Perspective

I was brought up in a Jewish family. My family taught me how to pray at a very young age. Before we eat our food, wake up, sleep or go to school/work, we always pray for the wonderful day, especially for the blessings we received daily, work done, and other things God had given us. As I grow up as an adolescent, prayer as a ritual became part of my daily routine. Even if there is an untoward incident that happened to me, I thank God. I know why I ought to be thankful to Him even under adverse Continue reading...

Introduction

As I reflect on my course on religion, I came to realize that for most people, religion is a subject where everyone has an opinion. Therefore, it has become a source of much discussion, debates and intrigue. However, it is sad to note that while people find it easy to engage in religious talks, only a few takes the necessary road of getting enough education on the matter by studying carefully the doctrines that are fundamental to religion. In this course, I was able to have the privilege of studying important concepts that are fundamental to Christianity, thus allowing Continue reading...

Field/Background Information

On a chill Friday afternoon at around 1pm, I set out on a religious tour to an Islamic center. Bilal Islamic Center, 4016 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA – 90011 was my chosen destination of worship as I sought to find out exactly what happens here every Friday afternoon. The first thing that I sought to know was why Muslims chose Friday as their preferred day to gather for prayer. I was informed that the idea about the Friday gathering was derived from the fact that Friday was a known market day in many regions. It was hence realized Continue reading...

Despite the fact, that both meditation and prayer are the methods of obtaining the religious experience. However, those are not the same despite the fact that many scholars and mystics claim that meditation and prayer are of the same matter.
The word "Meditation" (Meditatio) is of a Latin origin. It didn`t come from pagan religions, but from the Christian West. It correlates with the verb "meditor" or "to meditate", ponder and means the deep concentration associated with a detachment from external objects and individual inner experiences. The Christian West gave it two meanings. On the one hand, it Continue reading...

I looked forward to attending Shabbat and learning more about it not only out of curiosity, but also I wanted to become more knowledgeable about the Judaism way of worship. I had previously done some studies about it but then wanted to have a real experience with it and how Jews worship. I then decided that one day; I needed to attend a Shabbat so as to get a firsthand experience with Judaism and their worship. Shabbat, is the Sabbath day of all Jews that is celebrated every seventh day of the week (Wertheimer 48). All Jews commemorate it Continue reading...

This essay gives information about a recent visit to a Catholic Church and a Mosque. It tries to compare this to the Jewish Temple (The author’s church). A discussion about the similarities between the religions will be at the commencement of the paper followed by discussion about the entrance to the church, the service itself, literature available and a reflection on the visit.
A recent visit to a Catholic Church and a Mosque revealed a number of similarities and differences to the Jewish Temple that is normally attended by the writer’s family. The Catholic Church was attended Continue reading...

Christian Healing at the Expense of Rational Medicine by Kenneth W. Krause (Skeptical Enquirer)

Faith kills as we can see from Altoona and Lorie Nixon’s story. After their young son, Clayton, fell sick of common ear infection, he continued to say that the pain would not stop. However, the two had strong faith and believed that faith was going to heal their son. Later Clayton’s body grew weak and eventually died of malnutrition and dehydration. Because of this negligence in the name of ‘faith’, the boy never recovered and later they were prosecuted for involuntary Continue reading...

Abstract

Christianity has remained divided across many denominations. Individuals broke up from their mainstream churches to form other denominations. The Methodist church was one of the denominations that broke up from the Church of England. The paper will, therefore, look at the history of the Methodist church and how it came to being. That would appear at the official contributor of the Methodist church and the main events that led to the starting of the church. There will also be outlines of the common rituals in the Methodist worship service. The setting of the taking place of the Methodist church Continue reading...

Summary

This paper intends to provide a literature review of the article, Use of Prayer and Scripture in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, by Siang-Yang Tan published in the Journal of Psychology and Christianity in 2007. This article introduces Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as one of the most effective empirically supported treatments that is used for treating psychological disorders. Tan goes on to cite researchers who have found out that CBT has evolved over the generations into what he terms as; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Mindfulness and Acceptance-based Therapies. According to Tan, this third wave-generation CBT is more flexible Continue reading...

Introduction

The term "Islam" in Arabic means "submission" and the one who took the religion called "faithful". Islam is the youngest of the world religions. It emerged at the beginning of VII century among the nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples of the Semitic language family, who lived in the Arabian Peninsula. Islam is the second largest world religion. Today, its confession is 1/5 of the world’s population (Adler & Pouwels, 2010, pp. 200 – 205).The most important feature of Islam as a world religion is inseparable connection between the religious cult, social and political life. The influence of religion on society Continue reading...

McMinn, M. R. Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling. Revised ed. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2011. Print.

Summary

In Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling, Mark McMinn (2011) presents his view that Christian counseling does not merely involve psychology and theology. He emphasizes that we should not merely consider the interdisciplinary approach in itself, rather the inclusion of spirituality must also be considered. To make Christian counseling an intradisciplinary approach, both the counselor and the client must be involved. McMinn believes that a client cannot become spiritually mature unless the counselor is spiritually mature as well. Before Continue reading...

Summary

Given the religious culture in America, religion and spirituality are core aspects of multicultural competency that therapists should consider. In this journal, after conducting a 26-study meta-analysis of 5,759 therapists, the author found out that despite most therapists considering the relevance of spirituality in their lives, they less often engage in spiritual practices (Walker, Gorsuch & Tan 2011). The author also found out that just a few therapists participate in organized religion.
Additionally, the author found out that family and marriage therapists participate in organized religion. They also consider the relevance of spirituality than those from other professions (Walker, Continue reading...

People might find it hard to admire something they do not understand such as faith. However, in Agustin’s case, no one can ignore the fact that he is to be admired in his continued search for the Truth and his fight to be honest and faithful to this truth he finally discovered, even when it meant he had to struggle to live according to it. Whether someone has faith in God or not, Agustin’s journey of conversion and faith against all odds is to be admired, and clearly supports Portier’s comment.
Agustin’s change of life Continue reading...

Often in life I have found myself in a situation where I have to decide between two or more opportunities and prayerfully consider which way God wants me to go. During my teenage years I was confronted with the choice of the best high school and college, after that it was time to choose which way my career path should go. Not only have I been in this situation, but my family members, my close friends and literally everyone around me would be confronted with such choices in life. However, I think, we Christians have a different burden and Continue reading...

Abstract

The medical approaches have paved the way transformation via the introduction of other aspects and elements into the biological aspects of the health care. However, the health models emphasize on the psychological, social, and the spiritual features of the healing process. There are different faiths that subscribe to the different beliefs about the process of healing, and they are involved in different activities in order to ensure healing. Further, prayer is the common spiritual practice in most of the faiths or religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Sikhism. In this paper, the Baha’i and Buddhism faith on the Continue reading...

The Bible is a timeless text that will continue to be use by Christians forever. Nevertheless, the conditions and culture wherein it was conceived are radically different than contemporary ones. Therefore, the faithful must always try to interpret this divinely-inspired text in accordance to their times, so as not to miss out on the glory of the Lord. Matthew 6:5-15, part of what is known as the Sermon on the Mount, is one of the most famous, revered and important passages in the New Testament. The present study will proceed to summarize it and extract consequences for its application Continue reading...

Screwtape shows clever subtlety in tempting patients to self-centeredness in prayer through feelings and images, to gluttony through delicacy, and to pride through membership in an elite Christian social circle. This academic interpretive exercise discusses these three axioms on self-centeredness in prayer, gluttony through delicacy, and pride connected with Christian social membership.
The self-centeredness in prayer through feelings and images spoken of in "The Screwtape Letters" refers to a number of types of this focus on the "self." The temptation during prayer centered trying to create a state of emotionalism keeps the purpose of connecting with God from occurring Continue reading...

Introduction

Christianity has several denominations but in order to understand it well I would like to focus on the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is one or if not the oldest denominations of Christianity and also the most popular denomination. Due to its long historical background on Christianity it is an appropriate case study.so I visited St.Peters basilica church at around may this year and it was summer in the place with a friend of mine.at our time of visit the congregation was composed of generally everybody from the youth to the elderly.so we came across one of the altar Continue reading...

Spirituality in Health Care

HLT-310V
Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity: First Draft
Introduction
Spirituality plays an important role in both physical and mental healing. Physical healing may be achieved through modern medicines and technology but However, if it is not accompanied by mental healing then the whole healing process may take longer than expected or . it may even end up complicated. Prayer, meditation and strong faith are often considered as critical components for healing. Most of all the religions in the world believe that all things known and unknown are connected to God. The ever changing world economy and health care have Continue reading...

“God dwells in creatures, in the elements, giving them being, in the plants vegetating, in the animals feeling in them, in men giving them to understand: and so in me, giving me being, animating me, giving me sensation and making me to understand; likewise making a temple of me, being created to the likeness and image of His Divine Majesty”

St. Ignatius Loyola, “Spiritual Exercises”

I remember my conversation with one priest, which influenced on my world view. We were talking about our doubts of the existence of God, and how strong is his faith. The priest’s answer was that he knows that Continue reading...

“Reason alone cannot lead us to the full understanding and real knowledge of Jesus Christ.” These word attest to Joseph Ratzinger`s standpoint regarding Christology and the hermeneutic of faith. Ratzinger throughout his article, Pope Benedict XVI constrains his readers to tackle faith not only through rational thinking, but by a deeper degree of faith or Christology as opposed to ‘Jesus discipleship’ as he asserts. According to Ratzinger, a genuine spiritual approach is the only way to understanding Christology, as put forth in the Bible. In this article, he draws biblical examples as a way to explain the importance Continue reading...

Introduction

The plaintiff, Marisa Bailey, respectfully moves for summary judgment. Summary judgment should be granted on count 1, her claim for violation of the Establishment Clause and on count 2, for her right to Free Exercise of Religion under the First Amendment of U.S. Constitution due to the actions of the defendant. Under the applicable constitutional tests, the undisputed facts compel a judgment as a matter of law for both counts.

Statement of Facts

For the purposes of this motion, the following facts are undisputed:
1. Marisa Bailey is a student in her senior year of attending the James River High School overseen Continue reading...

Introduction

When doctors accept a patient’s spiritual beliefs and incorporate it into their care plan, since it is an element that not only defines the patient but also gives them a sense of meaning and purpose, the patient buys into the treatment plan with more acceptance and willingness to participate. The patients also may be able to better understand the limitations with which they are faced if spirituality is a part of the treatment plan. Faith may help and enhance the healing process. For the terminally ill, it may enable a patient to come to a sense of peace Continue reading...

In the world, Islam is the second largest religion after Christianity. Arguably, it is the fastest growing in the entire world. In fact, its population is approximately 1.3 billion. The Muslims, who are the followers of the Islam religion, live in almost all the countries in the world. Islam as a religion originated from Arabia, and then spread to other parts of the world, especially southeast and south Asia which carry half of the entire Muslim fraternity. Islam have its origin, believes, ways of worship as well as its principles. In fact, they are guided by five pillars Continue reading...

As secularists and religion group coalitions engage in war with each other pertaining to prayer in high school, the common high school student is basically trapped in the middle. For a period, there has been a heated debate pertaining to whether or not prayer should be permitted in academic establishments, however, every time the debate is reopened, it has always been sunk in a stalemate, and equally, it is a topic that politicians opt to steer away from. I think it is essential that prayers are allowed back in school so that young persons may to revere and connect with their creator for guidance and blessings.

Continue reading...

Review and analysis

In the article, Harris et al. (1999) uses parallel group trial, randomised, controlled and double-blind designs with the intention of providing comprehensive and unswerving data. I find it rather unsatisfactory to use such designs in a small sample size of only 990 patients in a single hospital (Harris et al., 1999). The clarity, reliability and dependability of the data could have been improved by using the various designs in different hospitals or areas to increase the coverage and enable comparison. It would also have eliminated the financial constraint that seems to have adversely affected the final analysis of the Continue reading...

Islamic Site Visit Review

Islamic Site Visit Review

Introduction

Islam is the second-largest religion, with approximately 1.6 billion followers and the fastest growing religion in the world. Islam is a monotheistic religion established in the 7th Century in the Middle East. The name Islam is a literal translation of ‘submission’ or ‘surrender’. The religion originated from the teachings of the holy Prophet Muhammad. The holy text in Islam is the Qur’an, believed to be the direct words of God revealed to Prophet Muhammad. Under Islam exists two denominations, Sunni, the majority, and Shia. Islam is a widespread religion, with its presence felt in Continue reading...

Religious Studies - Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

Introduction
The canonization by the Catholic Church in 2004 of Gianna Beretta Molla as a patron saint of mothers, physicians, and preborn children is a remarkable story of human faith in her religious convictions as both an ethical physician and as a follower of the teachings of God through Jesus Christ his Son. Phenomenal events are common in the worlds of the Old and New Testament and the lives of the saints marked by mystical intervention.
In our era, the Eternal Father selects ordinary people from our midst to use as His instrument to spread the gospel. He calling Continue reading...

Hinduism religion is popular among the Indian community both in India and abroad. This religion has several splinter groups, which practice more or less similar religious practice. I learnt a number of lessons about Hinduism when a paid a visit at Murugan Temple of North America. At the time of my visit, I found three people in the temple. All the people present at the time of my visit were male adult probable at the age of 30s and 60s. The temple attendant was wearing a white robe whereas the rest of the people were dressed in shirts and Continue reading...

A visit to a Jewish Temple for the First Time

I have been always fascinated about the Jewish tradition and religious practices. It was one of my greatest aspirations to visit a Jewish temple and learn about its culture. Since I am brought up in a family that does not believe in religion, I have been quite curious to see the religious practices in places of worship since my childhood. Fortunately, I got an awesome chance to visit the Jewish temple Chabad of Palmetto Bay Located at 16721 SW 78 Ct Palmetto FL recently. My visit to this beautiful Jewish temple and my participation in various religious practices there Continue reading...

The aim of this essay is to present you with the comparison and contrast of two specific poems. The poems which will be presented in this essay are ‘Dreamers’ written by Siegfried Sassoon and ‘Before Action’ written by Lieutenant William Noel Hodgson.
Both poems are considered to belong to the group of those poems which were written within the socio-historical context, which was created during and after the World War I (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918). The aim of this essay is to present you with the analysis of the thematic core of each poem, the literary devices Continue reading...

“Screwtape Letters” by C. S. Lewis
- A) Screwtape opposes using argument because pulling a person into argument takes their

anything can come into their thoughts giving then ideas. B) An example of jargon from the novel was when he got the person to consider after having lunch was better for this and the “stream of experience” occurred when the person saw the newsboy and the bus he came back to the “reality” Screwtape wanted.
- A) One example explaining how patient’s feelings are used in prayer for judging the success
of prayer is explains determining the value Continue reading...

Mark Twain, in The War-Prayer, portrays very simplistically how the wish for one’s victory is actually in a way the desire for the disaster of others who stand against the side. The stranger expresses the rationality which is ignored by the people who are only concerned about their prayer to the Almighty for the victory. The irony reaches its transcendental dais when at the end it is declared that the stranger was actually “a lunatic” and “there was no sense” in the things he said. Twain has also utilized this craft in other literary works penned by him. Continue reading...

SECTION A

The period after 323 BC to 30 BC, marked by the death of Alexander the Great and ending with Cleopatra’s death, did subsequently see the annexation of Egypt into the Roman Empire. It however, largely represent a time of considerable assimilations of Greek cultural traditions assimilated into the Empire. Hellenism grew strong on the Mediterranean shore, which saw the emergence continuous Greek civilizations, whose influence spread across the East Jordan River, Palestine, Panias and other regions where Judaism had already taken root (Hadaf 27). The contact between Semites and Greeks does however go as far back as the Continue reading...

Church Visit

I visited the Ashland First United Methodist on Sunday 4th of November 2012. The church schedule indicated that the service would begin at 9.30 am. I arrived at 9.00am because I wanted to meet the pastor Dr. Dan Bilkert and make him aware of my presence. I had spoken to him the previous day and he had granted me the permission I needed to visit the church and observe the proceedings during worship.

When I arrived at the church, there were about 10 young men and women in the church. Two ladies were standing next to the large oak Continue reading...