Prayer
Wiki, Facts

 Prayer facts

• Prayer can be a form of religious practice, may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private
• It may involve the use of words, song or complete silence
• When language is used, prayer may take the form of a hymn, incantation, formal creedal statement, or a spontaneous utterance in the praying person
• There are different forms of prayer such as petitionary prayer, prayers of supplication, thanksgiving, and praise
• Prayer may be directed towards a deity, spirit, deceased person, or lofty idea, for the purpose of worshipping, requesting guidance, requesting assistance, confessing transgressions (sins) or to express one's thoughts and emotions
• Thus, people pray for many reasons such as personal benefit, asking for divine grace, spiritual connection, or for the sake of others
• Some anthropologists believe that the earliest intelligent modern humans practiced a form of prayer
• Today, most major religions involve prayer in one way or another; some ritualize the act of prayer, requiring a strict sequence of actions or placing a restriction on who is permitted to pray, while others teach that prayer may be practiced spontaneously by anyone at any time
• Scientific studies regarding the use of prayer have mostly concentrated on its effect on the healing of sick or injured people
• Meta-studies of the studies in this field have been performed showing evidence only for no effect or a potentially small effect