Praying

Every religion seeks to realize the true path to realize God and salvation both in this life and in the hereafter. There are differences among various religions concerning their rituals, doctrines, worships, or teachings which reflect the identical character of each religion. The concept of worship among these factors not only shapes the life of believers but also symbolizes religious identity of believers for the outsiders. Among various belief systems, the religion of Islam is fundamentally a faith of submission to the one God and this faith is demonstrated by specified actions which is known as ‘ibādāt. The broad definition of the term according to Islamic sources states that worship (‘ibādāt) is an all inclusive term for all that God loves of external and internal sayings and actions of a person. Therefore, this traditional definition of worship in Islam has comprehensive aspects that include almost everything in any individual’s activities ranging from beliefs, social activities, personal contributions to the welfare of society.

Estudo de alguns dos aspectos da expressão e do conteúdo da oração portuguesa da tradição oral, especificidade textual que não pode ser satisfatoriamente compreendida senão à luz do especial ordenamento estético-literário que lhe é inerente.

ÖZET: Bu çalışmanın amacı dua etmenin amaçlarının neler olduğunu incelemektir. Bu araştırma Gümüşhane Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesindeki ve İletişim Fakültesindeki öğrencilere Mayıs 2015'te uygulanmıştır. Doldurulan “Dua.....gibidir/benzer, çünkü.....” ibaresinden elde edilen veriler, nitel yöntem kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. 113 katılımcı tarafından dua etmeye ilişkin gerekçeler, ortak özellikleri bakımından irdelenmiş ve 4 farklı kavramsal kategori olarak sınıflandırılmıştır. Bu kategoriler ve frekansları şöyledir: Yalıtım ve yalnızlık (n: 31); Anlamsızlık, hayatın anlamı ve hayatın amacı (n: 34); Özgürlük, sorumluluk ve isteme (n: 23); Ölüm, umut ve var olmaya devam etme (n: 25). Ayrıca, daha ayrıntılı tahliller yapmak için, bu dört kategori altında sunulan gerekçeler, 12 kavramsal alt kategori olarak gruplandırılmıştır. Örneklemin 6’sı acizliğini belirtme, 14’ü yalnızlığını giderme, 11’i iletişim kurma, 17’si rahatlama, 17’si manevî açıdan güçlenme, 9’u istekte bulunma, 7’si yardım isteme, 7’si güvende hissetme, 14’ü ihtiyaç duyma, 3’ü teselli bulma, 3’ü şükretme ve 5’i günahlardan bağışlanma alt kategorilerinde gerekçe sunmuşlardır. Sonuç olarak; dua etmeye ilişkin sunulan gerekçeler, ilgili araştırmalar ve dini referanslar tarafından desteklenirmiştir. Diğer yandan, rahatlamak ve manevi açıdan güçlenmek için dua etmenin en çok tercih edildiğine; teselli bulmak ve şükretmek için dua etmenin ise en az tercih edildiğine ulaşılmıştır. ....................................................................................................................................... ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to investigate on what the aims of praying. This research was applied for students at the Theology and Communication Faculties of Gümüşhane University in May 2015. Data from the fulfilled phrase “Prayer is like/similar…, because…” were analyzed through qualitative methods. In terms of common features, the reasons related to praying were examined, which is given by 113 participants, and were classified as 4 conceptual categories. The categories and frequencies are such as Isolation and loneliness (n:31); Meaninglessness, meaning in life and purpose in life (n:34); Freedom, responsibility and demand (n:23); Death, hope and survival (n:25). Besides, in order to do elaborate analyses, the reasons, given under the 4 categories, were classified as 12 conceptual sub-categories. The participants gave reasons for the sub-categories that 6 for expressing weakness, 14 for coping with loneliness, 11 for making contact, 17 for feeling relieved, 17 for refreshing spiritually, 9 for making request, 7 for asking for help, 7 for feeling safe, 14 for needing, 3 for finding consolation, 3 for being thankful and 5 for wishing to be forgiven. As a result, the reasons, gave related to praying, were acknowledged by the related studies and religious references. In addition to this, it is concluded that praying to feel relieved and refresh spiritually are the most preferred, while praying to find consolation and be thankful are the least preferred.

What is the relation between the Christian Orthodox tradition and people's everyday lives? The volume, Praying with the Senses: Contemporary Orthodox Christian Spirituality in Practice, edited by anthropologist Sonja Luehrmann, aims to "describe the workings of prayer in a tradition where hierarchies and prescriptions matter but where they are deployed through flexible and highly personal relationships" (p.12). In doing so, the authors of the chapters argue that living 'the perfect Orthodox' life is made both possible and difficult through the everyday interactions that people develop during their prayers. Hence, what people hear, see, and say even when they privately pray can be considered continuous relational milieux for negotiating and determining the 'right' ethical norms of the Christian Orthodox tradition.