Prayer and Meditation, Action or Inaction
Many people use prayer, contemplation, meditation, silent endurance, and self-reflection as a form of communication to what they believe to be a superior of higher power. The religious practices have provided hope for people since the beginning of time. But no proof has been found to support the ideas that an action is taking place when performing prayer or forms of meditation. According to the definition of an action, in order for one to take place, there has to be a response. Since there has been no evidence that God in deed is a reality then is it really an action? When communicating with God through prayer, meditation, or any other form of contemplation one does act, with love, faith, and hope. Therefore, it should be categorized as an action. Although no one has proven a greater being, who is to say there is not? These forms of prayer or meditation help ones spiritual being and come to peace. Whether or not everyone agrees on the belief of the faith of others, they should be respected and transcended in the heart and mind. Prayer has been described as “an exercise in dialogue with a divine being that holds simultaneously great hope and immeasurable risks.” (Guiber). Every one seeks what is true in order to believe. In other words, they have to see it to believe it. Nonetheless, truth, is not needed for an action to take place. Faith in someone is all you need when performing the action of prayer and meditation. All the religious forms of prayer and spiritual reading play an important part in the practice of the action. They supply the material that stimulates the activity of the will. If properly used, affective prayer grants many benefits to the soul. Psychologically, it provides a delightful relief from all the labor that may affect one on a day-to-day basis. It also prevents believers from becoming too engaged and over-thinking upon misfortunes, or tragedies occurring in the world. Relying too greatly on prayer can easily become an inaction if never
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