Prayer in World Religions A Christian Understanding with Special Focus on the Question of Interreligious Prayer
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Date
2001-03-03
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
The present sociological situation — a highly mobile world where people of different cultures
and faiths are living in close contact — has brought an increase in dialogue and relations. These can
take many forms, one of which is exchange at the level of religious experience.' This exchange
often includes the desire of praying together, for prayer is one of the deepest expressions of the
human heart and believers are never more truly themselves than when they are at prayer. However,
fulfilling this desire is not as simple as it looks.
Prayer is intrinsically linked to a belief system and a religious tradition: lex orandi, /ex
crecienti An obvious question thus arises: can people who profess different belief systems pray
together? Is interreligious prayer really possible?
Some Christians see this question as having received a final answer from St Paul: "What
fellowship is there between light and darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Beliar?" (2
Cor 6:14-15). Such a position could have been somehow justified in the past, when the other
religion was, in practice, the religion of a completely different cultural environment. The last century,
however, has seen an explosion of knowledge among Christians concerning the other religious
traditions of the world. Stereotypes have increasingly been replaced by more accurate knowledge.
The immense spiritual riches of the religious traditions of humankind do not allow us to continue
believing — at least not without damaging our common sense — that non-Christian religious practices
are all aberrations due to superstition and unbelief. The growing contact among believers of
different faiths makes the question of common prayer pertinent in the extreme.
Christian engagement in interreligious prayer is still very sporadic although it is becoming
increasingly common. The occasions for such prayers may be informal such as family events or
common misfortunes, or they may be national days or events at an international level. From the Catholic perspective, the Day of Prayer for Peace, held in Assisi in 1986 at the invitation of Pope
John Paul II, has had a strong impact. It conferred legitimacy to Catholic initiatives towards
interreligious dialogue and in particular the search for sensitive and appropriate ways of
interreligious prayer.
Several questions are raised regarding interreligious prayer: is it only as a sympathetic
observer, or can there be a fuller Christian participation in such prayer? Does prayer mean the same
in all religions, so much so that interreligious prayer can be seen as prayer to the same God? Is
interreligious prayer just an expression of social harmony? Does interreligious prayer suppose a
compromise in one's own beliefs? These are some of the questions addressed in this paper. Chapter one bears the general title, Christian understanding of Prayer. We look first at
prayer as the central act of the religious attitude and try to define its limits from the perspective of
the phenomenology of religion. This prepares us for examining what distinguishes Christian prayer
from the prayer of other religious traditions, the so called proprium Christianum. After looking briefly
at the biblical teaching and practice on prayer, we focus our attention on the prayer of Jesus himself
and his teaching about prayer. Next we explore St Paul's view about the indissoluble link between
prayer and the Holy Spirit. We finish the chapter by reviewing what recent Church documents have
said about the nature of Christian prayer.
Chapter two extends the discourse to religious traditions in general. It presents a brief
survey of the phenomenon of prayer in Islam and African Traditional Religion. The choice of these
traditions is determined by the African context from which this reflection is written. It is not possible
to do justice to any religion in a few lines. A comprehensive treatment would require a separate
book for each religion. We shall however make the attempt, while recognising that many things
must remain unsaid.
On the basis of these two concrete examples of prayer traditions outside Christianity,
chapter three attempts a theological understating of prayer in world religions. We turn first to Scripture and ask the question whether the Bible contains significant indications of a prayer
relationship between God and non-Israelites. We then look at the liturgical tradition of the Latin
Church and study an interesting text from the Roman canon which can help us in view of an
assessment of the prayers and rites of the various religious traditions. It follows a concise
presentation of Pope John Paul II's contribution to a theology of religions, both in his doctrinal
teaching as well as through his apostolic actions. In particular we review his initiative of inviting
leaders from the world religions to Assisi in 1986 to take part in a Day of Prayer for Peace.
Finally, chapter four considers the question of interreligious prayer: Can we pray together?
We examine the occasions and the different approaches that common prayer takes; the
fundamental question of the motivation in interreligious prayer, and the necessary limitations of
such a prayer.
We conclude our reflection by examining the place and role of common prayer in the overall
practice of interreligious dialogue.
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Keywords
Prayer, World Religions, Christian, Interreligious Prayer, Christian Prayer, Prayer in Islam