Why Christians don't pray like Jews?

7

786

Searching for Truth
Valued Senior Member
Its a simple question....

Why don't Christians pray like how ancient Jews used to pray, as Jesus prayed like the old prophets namely he 'fell on his face'...

Almost all of Christian praying style in the church seems made up to me that is why I'm wondering why is that?

Peace be unto you ;)
 
786 said:
Jesus prayed like the old prophets namely he 'fell on his face'...
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OUCH!! Falling on one's face sounds painful. I'm mystified as to why God would want this. I guess I just don't get why God, who can have or do whatever He desires, would expect this kind of behavior. Maybe I think it is too far below an entity of His stature to worry about shit like this.

Is this really a praying technique or a show of subservience? Either way it is bizarre. I have to keep asking myself, 'Did nature intend for this?'
 
Lori_7 said:
Didn't Jesus tell us how to pray?
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I'm talking about congregational prayer. Jews have a particular way of praying, and there is no evidence to suggest that Jesus- who kept the complete law- did not pray like the prophets of the past.

I would think that Christians would at least continue the praying techniques but it seems the Church has invented everything even how to pray in a 'Church' (synagogue)

Peace be unto you ;)
 
786 said:
I'm talking about congregational prayer. Jews have a particular way of praying, and there is no evidence to suggest that Jesus- who kept the complete law- did not pray like the prophets of the past. I would think that Christians would at least continue the praying techniques but it seems the Church has invented everything even how to pray in a 'Church' (synagogue)
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That was the whole point. Christianity was intended to be a break from Judaism. God took an anger management class and came back with his temper under control. He freed the Jews from the Covenant, the breaking of which had been his excuse for treating them like cockroaches.

No more "vengeance is mine," instead he sent down the First Hippie to teach his people a new culture of love and peace. No more "an eye for an eye," but instead "turn the other cheek." No more "Chosen People," anybody who wants to be one of God's children can be one, without having to be born into it. Instead of being an exclusive religion like Judaism, Christianity is an evangelical religion that is downright aggressive about making converts.

So naturally there was a break with all of the old ways. No more gospels written in a dead language (Hebrew), that children had to study in order to understand; the New Testament was propagated in the vernacular language of each people. All of the old rituals were replaced with new ones, including the ways of praying. Even much of the actual religion written in the Torah was downplayed as the New Testament replaced it as the primary source of understanding.

Christianity didn't really begin to develop, and the New Testament was not written down, until some time after Jesus's death. So a discontinuity between the religious practices during his lifetime and the practices codified by the priests who came later is understandable. They wanted a clean break from Judaism.
 
786 said:
I'm talking about congregational prayer. Jews have a particular way of praying, and there is no evidence to suggest that Jesus- who kept the complete law- did not pray like the prophets of the past.

I would think that Christians would at least continue the praying techniques but it seems the Church has invented everything even how to pray in a 'Church' (synagogue)

Peace be unto you ;)
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But we don't go to synagogues (typically) and didn't jesus tell us to pray alone and out of sight? Not to make a spectacle of it?
 
Lori_7 said:
But we don't go to synagogues (typically) and didn't jesus tell us to pray alone and out of sight? Not to make a spectacle of it?
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Lori, you are arguing with someone who uses prayer more as a ritual.


I googled "How to pray as a muslim."
Allaahu Akbar (4x)
Ashhadu Allah ilaaha illa-Lah (2x)
Ash Hadu anna Muhamadar rasuulullah (2x)
Hayya' alas Salaah (2x)
Hayya' ala Falaah (2x)
[Fajr only] A-Salaatu Khayrun Mina-Naum (2x)
Qad qaamitis Salaah (2x) [Iqama only - not recited in Athan]
Allaahu Akbar (2x)
Laa ilaaha illa-Lah God is great. (x4)

[translated]
I bear witness that there none worthy of worship except God. (x2)
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. (x2)
Come to prayer. (x2)
Come to felicity. (x2)
[Fajr only] Prayer is better than sleep. (x2)
[Iqama only] Our prayers are now ready. Our prayers are now ready. (x2)
God is great. (x2)
There is none worthy of worship except God.

http://muslim-canada.org/salaat.html

[translated]

Prayer for Muslims is all ritual; they say it has meaning, it doesn't.
 
Try Again said:
Prayer for Muslims is all ritual; they say it has meaning, it doesn't.
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Muslims have various types of prayers... so It would be best for you to stop making qualifications when you don't know anything about really how a Muslim prays and what he feels while praying... As a proof of this you can look at your own post... What you posted is the CALL TO PRAYER, not the prayer itself!!! Like the Christians used a Bell Muslims use human voice to CALL people to prayer, that is not the prayer itself.... So now that I've shown that you don't know anything about how Muslims pray and the different types and ways they pray- its best not to continue to make a fool out of yourself.

We have congregational prayers, private/personal prayers, prayers that can be done at any time any where, prayers for special times, prayer for specific reasons, prayer for elevation of spiritual status.

And a Muslim is not limited to whatever x you have posted- they can say in a prayer whatever personal thing they want.

Also Jesus said to pray alone, but those are private prayers- even our prophet said to pray alone.. But there ARE congregational prayers also- Jesus never said to not go to them.. If he kept the law then he must have went to the congregational prayers too!

Peace be unto you ;)
 
The way it looks to me is that most people are really overweight and out of shape so they rather just do what they are doing to save energy.:D
 
Lori_7 said:
But we don't go to synagogues (typically) and didn't jesus tell us to pray alone and out of sight? Not to make a spectacle of it?
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I reckon those are personal prayers not congregational ones.. If so then I don't see why you have mass?

Peace be unto you ;)
 
786 said:
Why don't Christians pray like how ancient Jews used to pray
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Probably the same reason Muslims don't pray like an ancient Jew also? How does Islam escape the comparison? All three religions are related, so why pick on Christian and Jewish prayer procedure?

Don't get me wrong, your question is the ultimate eye-roller. I enjoy questions like this because it epitomizes the cynical side of a religion's followers and their tolerance of one another.
 
786 said:
I'm talking about congregational prayer. Jews have a particular way of praying, and there is no evidence to suggest that Jesus- who kept the complete law- did not pray like the prophets of the past.

I would think that Christians would at least continue the praying techniques but it seems the Church has invented everything even how to pray in a 'Church' (synagogue)

Peace be unto you ;)
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congregational prayer is not Christian. Not true Christianity anyway.

Jesus told us not to pray in public.

Matthew 6
5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

As for lying down flat on your face or kneeling or standing or sitting or treading water in the sea or praying while you are climbing up a cliff. There is no Right position to pray in. There is only a right attitude towards God when one prays. That’s what God sees and that’s what is important.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days
 
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M*W: In answer to this thread's question, I don't know how Jews pray. I don't know how Muslims pray. I do know how Catholics pray, though, because I was one of them. Mostly they pray through rote memorization, ritually calling out words that escape their meaning. They are especially guilty of congregational prayer. I remember sitting (or kneeling) in church praying for a car. Not a new car, just a car to get me back and forth to work. I realized as I "prayed," that I needed to get myself out of that friggin' church and go make it happen. I realized I could turn my "prayer" into action and make it become real if I wanted to. Yes, I got the car, but it didn't come about by praying in a church. I made it happen. Ultimately, that's how all prayers get answered anyway. Some will say, but prayer is about "praise and thanksgiving." Yes, that's true. But make sure you praise and give thanks to yourself (like reward yourself) for making good things happen in your life. Prayer doesn't really need to go beyond oneself.
 
PsychoticEpisode said:
Probably the same reason Muslims don't pray like an ancient Jew also? How does Islam escape the comparison? All three religions are related, so why pick on Christian and Jewish prayer procedure?

Don't get me wrong, your question is the ultimate eye-roller. I enjoy questions like this because it epitomizes the cynical side of a religion's followers and their tolerance of one another.
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Actually our prayer is quite like the ancient Jews.... probably not the same but still quite similar.

Peace be unto you ;)
 
786 said:
Law is more than ten commandments- And I"m talking about religious obligations that are part of the 'religious law'

Peace be unto you ;)
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Thanks for clarifying that with those apostrophes ;)
 
786 said:
So the mass is un-Christian?

Peace be unto you ;)
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M*W: The catholic mass is very 'christian,' although Adstar would probably disagree with this. As an 'ex-catholic', I can see now how the catholic mass is just a facade for ancient sun worship. All protestant sects that arose out of catholicism are no different. To the clerics and laity, they of the faith believe that Jesus is the dying and rising savior, but what they don't realize is that 'Jesus' is just a metaphor for the Sun (the creator god). Jesus (Venus 'the Morningstar'), sits at the right hand of the Sun (god) and is prayed to in the "Our Father" (our Sun/Creator).

But back to your question... the catholic mass is not un-christian. There is probably more focus on Jesus in the catholic mass than there is in the protestant arena.
 
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