Paper 91 Overview: The Evolution of Prayer

Prayer began as simple talking out loud and grew into a way for people to speak to higher powers. Early prayer was not aimed at God but was more like wishing for good luck or asking for help from spirits and later from gods.

The development of prayer has been important for religion throughout human history. As humans became more aware of themselves, they also became aware of others, which led to recognizing higher powers. Prayer has helped people connect with God and grow spiritually.

Prayer developed from earlier forms of expression that were not religious. When early humans became self-aware, they also became aware of others and eventually of God.

The earliest prayers were not directed to God. These expressions were similar to what you might say to a friend before starting something important, like "Wish me luck." Early humans believed in magic and luck, and their first prayers were about these things. Later, as beliefs in ghosts and spirits developed, prayers began to be addressed to superhuman beings.

Early religion helped preserve important social, moral, and spiritual values that were developing. Prayer played a major role in this process, though humans did not realize it. Without prayer, holy days would have become just regular holidays.

Religion and prayer were connected only to values that society approved. When early humans tried to satisfy selfish desires, they couldn't use prayer but had to turn to magic instead. The early human mind wasn't logical, so people began praying for material things like food and shelter. This changed their economic and social practices, though it also reduced the spiritual value of prayer.

The first prayers were simply spoken wishes expressing sincere desires. Prayer then became a way to gain cooperation from spirits, and later it served to preserve valuable religious ideas.

Both prayer and magic came from humans adapting to their environment on earth. Prayer has always been positive action by the person praying, while magic tried to change reality without changing the person performing it. Prayer eventually became communion between humans and their Creator, not just asking for favors.

Children, when learning to speak, often think out loud even when no one is listening. They create imaginary friends to talk with, developing their sense of self by creating an "alter ego" or second self to speak with.

Early prayer was similar to these childhood practices. The alter ego concept in prayer eventually evolved and became more divine. Prayer helped preserve the highest values of those who prayed. Simple faith prayer shows the huge evolution from primitive conversations with imaginary second selves to true communion with God.

Prayer cannot be ethical when someone seeks advantages over others. Selfish and materialistic prayer goes against religions based on unselfish divine love. Such unethical prayer returns to primitive magic and is not worthy of advanced civilizations.

Prayer must never replace action but should inspire it and guide people toward better goals. In your prayers, be fair and don't expect God to love you more than others. Not all prayer started as ethical, but it can grow to become more about others than self. Even if materialistic prayer leads to disappointment, it often leads people to make efforts that help answer their own prayers.

In ancestor worship, prayer leads to developing ancestral ideals. But prayer as part of worship of God goes beyond this, helping people develop divine ideals and enhancing human character.

Prayer doesn't have to be individual. Group prayer is very effective because it affects everyone in the group positively. Prayer has led individuals, cities, and nations to reform and achieve great things. If you want to overcome the habit of criticizing a friend, pray for them every day. But this works best when the person knows you're praying for them and when you have regular contact with them.

Prayer cannot directly affect your physical environment unless it connects with spiritual forces that oversee a realm. While there are limits to what prayer can request, these limits don't apply to the faith of those who pray.

Prayer is not a method for curing physical diseases, but it has helped many people enjoy better health and has cured many mental and emotional problems. Prayer is a powerful force for promoting personal happiness, self-control, social harmony, and spiritual growth. It helps people access the reserve powers of human nature stored in the unconscious mind.

Mysticism, as a way to become aware of God's presence, is good when it doesn't lead to social isolation or religious fanaticism. What an overly emotional mystic sees as divine inspiration is often just their own deep mind speaking to them.

The great religious teachers and prophets were not extreme mystics. They were people who knew God well and served him by helping others. Religious excitement is acceptable when it comes from good sources, but it's often just an emotional response rather than true spiritual character. The practical test for these experiences is whether they improve physical health, mental function, social relationships, daily living, appreciation of truth and beauty, and spiritual insight.

There is a truly natural aspect to prayer. Early humans prayed before they had clear ideas about God. They prayed when in great need and when feeling great joy.

Prayer didn't develop from magic. Magic tried to change God to fit conditions, while prayer tries to change the person to fit God's will. Prayer can become a habit when people pray because others do. For some, prayer expresses calm gratitude or group praise. True prayer is sincere communication between the spiritual nature of a person and the everywhere-present spirit of the Creator.

If you want your prayers to be effective, you must follow certain laws of successful requests. You must qualify as a powerful prayer by sincerely and bravely facing the problems of universe reality and have cosmic stamina.

You must have honestly used up all human ways to solve your problems and been hardworking. You must surrender every wish of mind and craving of soul to spiritual growth. You must make a wholehearted choice to do God's will and completely dedicate yourself to actually doing it. Your prayer should only ask for divine wisdom to solve human problems encountered in reaching divine perfection, and you must have living faith.