The Power of Prayer: A Prolegomenon to an Ascetical Sociology
"Ascetics" refers to that branch of theology that deals with the spiritual life of the believer--in practice this largely, if not entirely, becomes one with what is commonly termed a person's "prayer life." For any number of reasons, the sociology of religion has generally b...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
1982
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| In: |
Review of religious research
Year: 1982, Volume: 24, Issue: 2, Pages: 153-163 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | "Ascetics" refers to that branch of theology that deals with the spiritual life of the believer--in practice this largely, if not entirely, becomes one with what is commonly termed a person's "prayer life." For any number of reasons, the sociology of religion has generally been reluctant to treat prayer itself as a matter for scientific investigation; yet even cursory reflection yields data which strongly suggest that prayer is a thoroughly social activity rooted in empirical experience. Prayer is often done in public, and even that aspect of prayer designated as "private" is conditioned by and responsive to the interactions a person has in day-to-day life. The cloistered monastic, the hermit, and even the religious professional constitute so infinitesimal a proportion of the number of people who pray that it is theoretically inappropriate for their asceticism to be the origin for the development of general concepts. This essay has as its intention a preliminary corrective--based upon participant-observer and observing-participant data--for the weakness in the current literature. An initial taxonomy is proposed and illustrated. In turn, some of the functions of prayer in various types of societies--from the small group to the nation-state--are analyzed. Suggestions are made about both the theoretical and applied issues that might be addressed by a sociology of prayer. |
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| ISSN: | 2211-4866 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Review of religious research
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3511104 |