A Sociology of Prayer

A Sociology of Prayer PDF Author: Giuseppe Giordan
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351961489
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 223

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Book Description
Prayer is a central aspect of religion. Even amongst those who have abandoned organized religion levels of prayer remain high. Yet the most basic questions remain unaddressed: What exactly is prayer? How does it vary? Why do people pray and in what situations and settings? Does prayer imply a god, and if so, what sort? A Sociology of Prayer addresses these fundamental questions and opens up important new debates. Drawing from religion, sociology of religion, anthropology, and historical perspectives, the contributors focus on prayer as a social as well as a personal matter and situate prayer in the conditions of complex late modern societies worldwide. Presenting fresh empirical data in relation to original theorising, the volume also examines the material aspects of prayer, including the objects, bodies, symbols, and spaces with which it may be integrally connected.

On Prayer

On Prayer PDF Author: W. S. F. Pickering
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 1782384758
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 174

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Book Description
Marcel Mauss (1872-1950) never completed his Doctoral thesis on prayer. Yet his scarcely mentioned introduction (Books I and II) of 176 pages and privately printed in 1909, can be seen as some of his most important work. His argument that much of prayer is a social act will be of great interest to anthropologists, sociologists and theologians. Here, the first English translation to be published, is preceded by a general introduction by W.S.F.Pickering and finally a specific commentary on Mauss's use of ethnographic material.

All You Really Need to Know about Prayer, You Can Learn from the Poor

All You Really Need to Know about Prayer, You Can Learn from the Poor PDF Author: Louise Perrotta
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781569550281
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
The less people possess of material things, the more they seem to possess of God, according to Louise Perrotta. Here you will meet Catholics, mainline Protestants, Evangelicals, and Pentecostals who are poor or who are serving the poor. They simply describe their daily experience of God and share some of their prayers. Each story is illustrated with beautiful black-and-white photographs.

On Prayer

On Prayer PDF Author: Marcel Mauss
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
Marcel Mauss (1872-1950) never completed his Doctoral thesis on prayer. Yet his scarcely mentioned introduction (Books I and II) of 176 pages and privately printed in 1909, can be seen as some of his most important work. His argument that much of prayer is a social act will be of great interest to anthropologists, sociologists and theologians. Here, the first English translation to be published, is preceded by a general introduction by W.S.F.Pickering and finally a specific commentary on Mauss's use of ethnographic material.

The Phenomenology of Prayer

The Phenomenology of Prayer PDF Author: Bruce Ellis Benson
Publisher: Fordham Univ Press
ISBN: 0823224953
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 311

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Book Description
This collection of groundbreaking essays considers the many dimensions of prayer, and takes up the meaning of prayer from within a uniquely phenomenological point of view.

Prayer as Transgression?

Prayer as Transgression? PDF Author: Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham
Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
ISBN: 0228002982
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 235

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Book Description
Healthcare settings are notoriously complex places where life and death co-exist, and where suffering is an everyday occurrence, giving rise to existential questions. The full range of society's diversity is reflected in patients and staff. Increasing religious and ethnic plurality, alongside decades of secularizing trends, is bringing new attention to how religion and nonreligion are expressed in public spaces. Through critical ethnographic research in Vancouver and London, Prayer as Transgression? reveals how prayer occurs in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community-based clinics in a variety of forms and circumstances. Prayer occurs quietly on the edges of day-to-day healthcare provision and in designated sacred spaces. Some requests for prayer, however, interrupt and transgress the clinical machinery of a hospital, such as when a patient asks for prayer from the chaplain while the operating room waits. With contributions by researchers, healthcare practitioners, and chaplains, the authors consider how prayer transgresses the clinical priorities that mark healthcare, opening up ways to think differently about institutional norms and social structures. They show how prayer highlights trends of secularization and sacralization in healthcare settings. They also consider the ambivalences about prayer arising from staff and patients' varied views on religion and spirituality, and their associated ethical concerns amidst clinical and workload demands. A window onto religion in the public sphere, Prayer as Transgression? tells much about how people live well together, even in the face of personal crises and fragilities, suffering, diversity, and social change.

The Prayer of the Oppressed

The Prayer of the Oppressed PDF Author: Hamza Yusuf
Publisher: eBooks2go, Inc.
ISBN: 161813020X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 105

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Book Description
The Power of this prayer of Imam Muhammad al-Dar’i lies in its simplicity, its purity, and its sincere supplication. It is essentially a plea to God that our transgressions be overlooked, that divine mercy be bestowed upon us, that social justice be restored in spite of us, that wrongs be righted, and that righteousness reign once again in our lands, so that the destitute may no longer be in need, the young may be educated, the animals’ purpose fulfilled, rain restored, and bounties poured forth. It is a plea to be freed from the aggression of foreigners in lands over which they have no right—a plea much needed in our modern world, rampant as it is with invasions and territorial occupations. Ultimately, it asks not that our enemies be destroyed, but simply that their plots, and the harm they cause, be halted. Its essence is mercy, which in turn is the essence of the Messenger of God, Muhammad (peace and blessing of God be upon him): “And We have only sent you as a mercy to all the worlds.”

Praying Like Jesus

Praying Like Jesus PDF Author: James Mulholland
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060011564
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 154

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Book Description
Jabez got it wrong. Praying is a central practice of spiritual life. Through prayer we turn our hearts and minds from our limited perspectives and concerns and begin to discern the divine will for the world. James Mulholland believes the self-correcting nature of prayer is being distorted by a culture of prosperity, which has refashioned prayer in its own image, making books such as The Prayer of Jabez huge bestsellers. Prayer today bears little resemblance to the kind Jesus taught. For many, it has become a means of personal success and material gain, taking the form of a shopping list rather than a transforming spiritual discipline. Mulholland warns that we have forgotten the true purpose of prayer: He believes, "The point of prayer is not to tell God what you want, but to hear what you need. It is not approaching God with our demands, but listening for God's commands. It is not seeking our will, but learning to discern God's will. This is so important to understand in a culture that caters to our every whim. Prayer isn't about me. It is about God." Jesus understood the nature of prayer and taught his disciples to pray the beloved Lord's Prayer. Offering a fresh and compelling reading of this "Prayer of Jesus," Mulholland calls us back to the true essence of prayer. He shows how authentic prayer will lead us away from the self-interest of the prevailing culture of greed and move us toward the compassion, sacrifice, and love that are the hallmarks of the kingdom of God. Praying Like Jesus is an invitation to rediscover the life we are called to as Christians'a vow to transform our culture and world. The early Christians prayed like Jesus and were legendary for their acts of compassion and service. Mulholland believes this can and should be the commitment of Christians today. Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Pews, Prayers, and Participation

Pews, Prayers, and Participation PDF Author: Corwin E. Smidt
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
ISBN: 1589012186
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
"Pews, Prayers, and Participation: Religion and Civic Responsibility in America" offers a fresh approach to key questions about what role religion plays in fostering civic responsibility in contemporary American society. In the course of their study the authors examine whether an individual exhibits a diminished, a privatized, a public, or an integrated form of religious expression, based on the individual's level of participation in both the public (worship) or private (prayer) dimensions of religious life. They question whether the privatization of religious life is counterproductive to engagement in public life, and they show that religion does indeed play a significant role in fostering civic responsibility across each of its particular facets.--From publisher description.

Religion, Gender, and Family Violence

Religion, Gender, and Family Violence PDF Author: Catherine Holtmann
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004372393
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
The chapters of Religion, Gender, and Family Violence: When Prayers Are Not Enough have been written from multiple disciplinary perspectives (sociology, religious studies, law) and based on research within diverse religious traditions including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, as well as new religious movements. Similarities and differences between traditions are highlighted based on empirical research which shows how people actually deal with family violence in different contexts. This book also addresses some of the larger historical and political backgrounds that impact the experiences of family violence amongst ethno-religious minorities. The lives of religious victims and perpetrators of family violence are considered, as well as the responsibilities of religious leaders, congregations and secular professionals in addressing this widespread social problem. Contributors are: Barbara Fisher-Townsend, Pascale Fournier, Catherine Holtmann, Eve Laoun, Yael Machtinger, Farah Malek-Bakouche, Steve McMullin, Nancy Nason-Clark, Susan Nunn, Susan Palmer, Emma Robinson, Jolyne Roy, and Victoria Snyers.