What Do Religious People Pray For

Devout Muslims get on their knees several times a day to pray. Some Christians have prescribed prayers with specific words. The Muslim prayers, so I understand, are about being humble. The prescribed Christian prayers are petitions to be humble, not among other people, but to the invisible god(s). I got to thinking about what is included in prayers when I came across a Christian's complaints about changes made by denomination officials in the official versions of these prescribed prayers. 

The prescribed prayers in the link to be recited during various rituals summarize the Christian faith. Prayers are to admit sin and beg for forgiveness. This, of course, is the Christian marketing program. First, call out some behaviors as sins. These may not be harmful behaviors, but they are part of making the size of the market larger. Then the faith cleverly places itself between danger from committing the sins and a happy forever. What a deal. There should be a law that every church has a sign in front, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't."

I remember seeing Gordon Robertson, Pat's son, instructing people about prayer. He said, "Remember, you need to use these specific words..." In the faith there is not only magical invisible beings, there are also magical words. We all recall that Genesis says, "In the beginning there was the word."

It's been pointed out that speech itself was something not present with the first humans. It must have seemed magical when humans were first able to express themselves and others understand them with words. Words would have seemed like magic. They still are magic in religion.

While prescribed/printed prayers are required in parts of Christianity and those prayers humble the petitioner before his/her god, the prayers of individuals, so people admit, are prayers for special deals. These are prayers to heal a disease or win the lottery. I don't think one will find this kind of prayer in the books on ritual in your church.