[Revised entry by Scott A. Davison on May 18, 2026.
Changes to: Main text, Bibliography]
Prayer seems to be a prominent feature of every religion. When people pray, they attempt to interact with special persons or entities, such as a God or gods, or dead relatives, or exemplary human beings who are believed to occupy some special status. People pray for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes people pray in order to give thanks, sometimes to offer praise and adoration, sometimes to...