Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
What is prayer? The question is rather straightforward, but with a bit of consideration you might find there is no easy answer. In Why People Pray, Rabbi Mordecai Schreiber examines this elusive nature of prayer, as well as the history of formal prayer and how it has been shaped--and continues to be shaped--by an era of unprecedented globalization.
At the heart of Why People Pray is that very question: why do we pray? What is it that compels us to have faith, or to give it up? Why do we continue to believe in a higher power in spite of discrimination, conflict, illness, and loss?
Rabbi Schreiber's book introduces a fascinating new supposition: that people of all faiths and all nationalities could conceivably find ways to pray together; using prayers that are universal to all while simultaneously preserving the integrity of each individual faith. He proposes a new approach to prayer, in which the spiritual adherents of the world's religions come together to formulate a universal expression of prayer that does not replace existing creeds, but rather transcends all creeds and gives voice to humanity's yearning for peace, freedom, and social justice.
Synopsis
"Why People Pray provides ample material for a study group and includes many anecdotes that will be of use to those preparing sermons. It could be used with teenagers straight through to senior citizens." -- Alice Ogden Bellis, Professor of Hebrew Bible at Howard University School of Divinity What is prayer? While the question is rather straightforward, you might find there's no simple answer. Rabbi Mordecai Schreiber examines the elusive nature of prayer, as well as its history and how prayer continues to be shaped by an era of unprecedented globalization. Billions of people across the globe engage in prayer daily--learn what it is that compels us to keep or lose faith, in a world full of discrimination, conflict, illness, and loss.
Why People Pray introduces the fascinating new belief that people of all faiths and nationalities can conceivably find ways to pray together, by using universal prayers that preserve the integrity of each individual faith. Rabbi Schreiber's vision is one of a world united in a common prayer that does not replace existing religions, but rather transcends the world's differences to take a step toward peace, freedom, and social justice.