Synthesis philosophica, Vol. 40 No. 1, 2025.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21464/sp40102
In Defense of Mindless Prayer
Erik Ringmar
; Ibn Haldun University, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Başak Mah. Ordu Cad. F-05 Blok No:3 P.K. 34480 Başakşehir/İST, Turkey
Abstract
This paper defends the habitual performance of religious rituals, such as daily prayers, against the view that worship must always be mindful and focused on spiritual matters. Teachers in all religions emphasize the need for our minds to be engaged in the worship, yet this view overlooks the experiences of the body. Through habits, our bodies can have experiences that our minds may not recognize, or only partially recognize. Some of these experiences may involve a sense of unity with something greater than ourselves, which, for religious believers, may be interpreted as a religious encounter.
Keywords
habit; religious practice; ritual; embodiment; French spiritualists
Hrčak ID:
332031
URI
Publication date:
11.6.2025.
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