Paper 91 Overview: The Evolution of Prayer

Prayer evolved from non-religious expressions into a meaningful connection between humans and deity. It began as simple monologues and wishes for good luck before developing into petitions to spirits and gods, ultimately becoming a true spiritual communion. Throughout human history, prayer has been instrumental in preserving religious values and promoting spiritual growth while adapting to humanity's expanding concept of deity.

The evolution of prayer reflects humanity's growing spiritual awareness and has served multiple purposes across different stages of civilization. From primitive wishes to complex spiritual communion, prayer has functioned as a powerful tool for personal transformation and social cohesion. As humans developed more sophisticated understandings of deity, prayer evolved from petitioning for material benefits to seeking spiritual alignment with divine will, demonstrating its remarkable adaptability to changing religious consciousness.

Prayer emerged from earlier non-religious expressions like monologues and dialogues. As primitive humans developed self-consciousness, they simultaneously gained awareness of others, which created the potential for social response and God recognition.

The earliest forms of prayer were not addressed to deity but resembled casual comments to friends, such as "Wish me luck." Early humans, believing strongly in magic and luck, initially created prayer-like monologues where they would think aloud. These expressions gradually expanded to include friends and family, eventually becoming ceremonies involving whole tribes. When concepts of ghosts and spirits developed, these petitions became superhuman in address, and with growing consciousness of gods, they evolved into genuine prayer.

Early evolutionary religion served to conserve and enhance developing social, moral, and spiritual values, though humans were not consciously aware of this purpose. Prayer played a critical role in this conservation process, functioning as an unintended personal and collective effort to secure important values. Without prayer maintaining their significance, religious holy days would have quickly reverted to ordinary holidays.

Religion and prayer were closely connected only with values recognized by society, preventing individuals from using prayer for selfish ambitions or antisocial purposes. When early humans sought to fulfill base emotions or selfish desires, they had to turn to non-religious magic instead of prayer. This limitation made prayer a powerful driver of social evolution and moral progress. Though primitive minds weren't always logical, they began praying for material blessings like food and shelter, which elevated their economic and social practices even while somewhat degrading prayer's spiritual value.

The first prayers were simply verbalized wishes expressing sincere desires. Prayer then evolved to become a technique for achieving spiritual cooperation, before advancing to the higher function of helping religion preserve valuable ideas. Both prayer and magic emerged as human adaptive reactions to earth's environment, but they differ significantly in their approach and effects.

Prayer has consistently indicated positive action by the praying person, often with psychic and sometimes spiritual dimensions. Magic typically attempted to manipulate reality without affecting the practitioner. As prayer developed, humans learned it could not force gods to act, becoming more of a petition for favor. The truest prayer represents genuine communion between humans and their Maker. When religions include sacrifice, it detracts from prayer's effectiveness by substituting material offerings for the dedication of one's will to God's purposes.

Children learning to use language often think aloud and express their thoughts verbally even when alone. As their creative imagination develops, they tend to converse with imaginary companions, seeking to communicate with a fictional alter ego. Through this technique, children learn to convert monologues into pseudo-dialogues where this second self responds to their verbal thinking and wishes.

Early primitive prayer resembled the semi-magical recitations found in some tribes today, prayers not directed to anyone specific. These prayer techniques evolved into dialogue through the emergence of the alter ego concept, which was eventually elevated to divine status. Through successive generations of praying humans, the alter ego evolved from ghosts and spirits to polytheistic gods and finally to the One God—a divine being embodying the highest ideals of those who pray. This evolution transformed ancient conversations with fictional second selves into genuine consciousness of the eternal God and Paradise Father.

Prayer cannot be ethical when the petitioner seeks selfish advantage over others. Selfish and materialistic prayer contradicts ethical religions founded on unselfish divine love. Such unethical praying regresses to primitive pseudo-magic levels and is inappropriate for advancing civilizations. Prayer must never be misused as a substitute for action but should serve as a stimulus to personal effort and a guide for progressive striving toward idealistic goals.

In all praying, fairness is essential; we cannot expect God to show partiality or to love us more than his other children. While early evolutionary religions weren't initially ethical, they progressed toward greater ethical awareness. Prayer may be either self-centered or focused on others, and its focus determines whether it approaches true worship. Although non-selfish prayer strengthens and comforts, materialistic praying often leads to disappointment as scientific discoveries reveal the lawful nature of the physical universe. Nevertheless, even self-centered prayers can contribute to improved living techniques when they inspire personal effort.

In ancestor worship, prayer contributed to cultivating ancestral ideals. However, prayer as an aspect of deity worship transcends this function by fostering divine ideals. As the concept of the alter ego in prayer becomes supreme and divine, human ideals are elevated from merely human to supernal and divine levels, resulting in enhanced character and profound personality unification.

Prayer need not always be individual; group or congregational praying proves highly effective through its socializing repercussions. When groups engage in community prayer for moral enhancement and spiritual uplift, all participants benefit and improve. Prayer devotions have led individuals, cities, nations, and races to reform efforts and courageous achievements. Praying daily for someone you tend to criticize can effectively change your attitude toward them, especially when the person knows they're being prayed for and when you maintain close social contact with them. Over time, prayer became institutionalized and associated with various secondary agencies—some helpful, others harmful.

Prayer cannot directly affect the physical environment unless it connects with the will and actions of personal spiritual forces supervising a realm. While definite limits exist to what prayer can request, these limitations don't apply equally to the faith of those who pray. Prayer is not a technique for curing organic diseases, though it has contributed significantly to mental and emotional healing and has often enhanced the effectiveness of other remedial procedures.

Despite scientific skepticism about prayer's efficacy, the sincere prayer of faith remains a mighty force for promoting personal happiness, self-control, social harmony, moral progress, and spiritual attainment. Even as a purely human practice—a dialogue with one's alter ego—prayer constitutes an efficient approach to accessing the reserve powers of human nature stored in the unconscious mind. We shouldn't lazily ask God to solve our problems, but we should never hesitate to request wisdom and spiritual strength to guide and sustain us while we resolutely tackle the challenges at hand. Prayer has been indispensable to religious civilization's progress and still has much to contribute to society's enhancement.

Mysticism, as a technique for cultivating awareness of God's presence, is praiseworthy when it doesn't lead to social isolation or religious fanaticism. What the overly emotional mystic interprets as divine inspiration often originates from their own deep mind. Contact between the human mind and its indwelling Thought Adjuster, while sometimes facilitated by devoted meditation, is more frequently achieved through wholehearted, loving service to others.

The great religious teachers and prophets throughout history were not extreme mystics but God-knowing individuals who best served their deity through unselfish ministry to fellow mortals. Religious ecstasy is acceptable when it stems from sound psychological foundations, but it often results more from emotional influences than deep spiritual character. Genuine spiritual ecstasy typically manifests with outward calmness and exceptional emotional control. The practical test for these religious experiences is whether they produce better physical health, more efficient mental functioning, more joyful social experience, spiritualized daily living, enhanced appreciation of truth, beauty, and goodness, and increased spiritual insight.

Prayer contains a truly spontaneous aspect, as primitive humans found themselves praying long before developing clear concepts of God. Early humans typically prayed in two distinct situations: when in dire need, they reached out for help, and when jubilant, they expressed joy impulsively. Prayer did not evolve from magic; each arose independently. Magic attempted to adjust deity to circumstances, while prayer seeks to align personality with God's will.

Prayer may become an established custom, with many praying simply because others do or from fear of consequences if they don't. For some individuals, prayer expresses calm gratitude or participates in social devotions. True praying, however, involves sincere and trusting communication between the spiritual nature of the creature and the omnipresent spirit of the Creator. Prayer may express ecstatic praise or humble pleas for forgiveness, childlike requests for the impossible or mature entreaties for moral growth and spiritual power. Modern people often feel uncomfortable with personal conversations with God, but genuine prayer does elevate humans by utilizing the ascending spiritual currents of the universe.

For prayers to be effective, certain conditions must be met. First, you must qualify as a potent prayer by sincerely and courageously confronting universe reality with cosmic stamina. Second, you must have completely exhausted human capacity for adjustment and been industrious in your efforts.

Third, you must surrender every wish of mind and soul's craving to the transforming embrace of spiritual growth, experiencing enhanced meanings and elevated values. Fourth, you must make a wholehearted choice to follow divine will, eliminating all indecision. Fifth, you must not only recognize and choose the Father's will but also make an unqualified consecration and dynamic dedication to actually doing it. Sixth, your prayer should seek exclusively divine wisdom for solving the specific human problems encountered in the Paradise ascension toward divine perfection. Finally, you must have living faith that sustains your spiritual journey.