prayer

prayer
   A verbal or mental address directed to God, prayer may assume many forms including praise, thanksgiving and confession, but philosophically the most interesting form is petitionary prayer, where a particular request is addressed to God. Such prayers present a puzzle, for if God is omniscient he will already know our needs and desires, and if he is perfectly good he will desire the best for us. From this it seems to follow that any petition that is good for us, God would already intend to provide, while any petition that is not good for us, God would not fulfil anyway. But if this is the case, then petitionary prayer seems to make no difference. One response is to say that God uses petitionary prayer to develop character within human beings insofar as the simple provision of requests prior to their being made would stunt moral and spiritual growth. Another response is to say that God has ordained to use the prayers of his creatures as a condition of his own action in certain circumstances, and that, thus, what is best for God to do may depend on whether or not we pray.
   Further reading: Baelz 1968; Phillips 1965; Stump 1979

Christian Philosophy . . 2015.

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  • PRAYER — PRAYER, the offering of petition, confession, adoration or thanksgiving to God. In the Bible The concept of prayer is based on the conviction that God exists, hears, and answers (Ps. 65:3; cf. 115:3–7) – that He is a personal deity. In a sense it …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

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  • prayer — W3S3 [preə US prer] n [Date: 1200 1300; : Old French; Origin: preiere, from Latin precaria, from prex; PRAY1] 1.) words that you say when praying to God or gods ▪ Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time. ▪ The children said… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • prayer — / prer/ n: the part of a pleading (as a complaint) that specifies the relief sought; also: a request for relief or some other action by the court Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. prayer …   Law dictionary

  • prayer — [ prer ] noun ** count the words that someone says when they are speaking to God: say a prayer: He said a prayer for their safe return. prayer for: a prayer for peace say your prayers (=pray): I go to church every Sunday and I say my prayers. a.… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Prayer — (?; 277), n. [OE. preiere, OF. preiere, F. pri[ e]re, fr. L. precarius obtained by prayer, fr. precari to pray. See {Pray}, v. i.] 1. The act of praying, or of asking a favor; earnest request or entreaty; hence, a petition or memorial addressed… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Prayer — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda «Prayer» Sencillo de Nami Tamaki del álbum Greeting Publicación 12 de noviembre de 2003 Formato Maxi single …   Wikipedia Español

  • Prayer — Single par Nami Tamaki extrait de l’album Greeting Face A Prayer Face B real dreaM Sortie 12 novembre 2003 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • prayer — prayer; prayer·ful; prayer·less; prayer·ful·ly; prayer·ful·ness; prayer·less·ly; prayer·less·ness; …   English syllables

  • Prayer —    Prayer has been defined as the soul s converse with God, or communion with God in devotional exercises, and may be said to be a universally recognized necessity in the life of man. But prayer involves much more than simply asking for certain… …   American Church Dictionary and Cyclopedia

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