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Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Alice Irizarry.
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And I’m Colin Lowther. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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In both the Christian Bible and the Tanakh, the Hebrew scriptures, there is a story about a man named Daniel. Daniel is a high-ranking official in the kingdom of Persia. Daniel prays to God three times a day. Other men are jealous of Daniel. They know King Darius favors Daniel over them. They want to get rid of Daniel. They persuade King Darius to pass a law to stop people from praying to anyone but him for 30 days. The men know that Daniel will not be able to stop praying to God. Prayer is too important to him. The men report to King Darius that Daniel continues to pray to God. King Darius has no choice but to put Daniel into the den where the lions live. Surrounded by lions, Daniel prays to God for protection. God sends an angel to shut the lions’ mouths to protect Daniel. Daniel’s prayers are answered, and King Darius releases him.
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Today’s Spotlight looks at the way people who follow different religions pray. Prayer is talking with a higher power or deity. Some people believe this higher power is the supreme creator called God. Others find this higher power in the sun, moon, or ocean. Some believe in a powerful energy behind nature and life in the universe.
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People express their prayers with words, thoughts, chants, songs, or physical movements. Prayers have several purposes. People offer praise to God or the higher power. They ask for forgiveness. They offer thanksgiving. They ask for help for themselves or for other people. People think about spiritual truths.
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Buddhism is a religion followed by many people. It is based on four teachings called Dukkha, Samudaya, Nirodha, and Magga . Dukkha teaches life is full of suffering. Samudaya shows suffering comes from desire. Nirodha says it is possible to end suffering. Magga teaches to end the suffering a person must take the Noble Eightfold Path. This path includes right action, speech, effort, understanding, and thought. Buddhists believe that they reach the end of this path by gaining greater understanding, also called enlightenment. They do not believe they will find this enlightenment with the help of an all-powerful God. Meditation and prayer help this enlightenment happen. Buddhists use sacred phrases or sounds with spiritual significance in their prayers. While praying, Buddhists often sit with their legs crossed and a straight back. They picture in their minds the great qualities they want to have.
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Thich Nhat Hanh was a well-known Vietnamese writer, speaker, and Buddhist monk. He saw much suffering during the Vietnam War. He taught “engaged Buddhism” that encouraged participation, or being active, in social and political issues. This participation comes from Buddhist spiritual practice. Hanh started schools and programs to help children affected by the Vietnam War. Hanh said:
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“Anyone practicing understanding and compassion can show true power. Anyone can be a Buddha.”
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Muslims follow the religion of Islam. In Islam, prayer is called Salat. Muslims pray to Allah. They believe that Allah is the creator of the universe. Muslims pray five times a day at dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset, and night. Before they start praying, Muslims must perform Wudu. Wudu is a ritual cleaning of the hands, face, arms, and feet following specific rules for purity before prayer.
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During Salat, a Muslim must stand, bow, lay flat on the ground, face forward, and sit. This symbolizes submission to Allah. Muslims say their prayers in Arabic from their holy book, the Qur’an. They face in the direction of the Kaaba. The Kaaba is a structure located in the Sacred Mosque, or Masjid al-Haram, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Mecca is the spiritual center of Islam. The prophet Muhammad received the first revelations for the Qur’an in Mecca. Qur’an chapter two, verse 144 states:
“Indeed, We see you ‘O Prophet’ turning your face towards heaven. Now we will make you turn towards a direction of prayer that will please you. So turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque in Mecca. Wherever you are, turn your faces toward it.”
Muslims must know the direction towards Mecca in order to pray properly because of this verse from the Qur’an.
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Over one billion people practice Hinduism. 80% of the population of India follows Hinduism. Hindus do not have a single book they read like the Bible for Christians, the Tanakh for Jews, or the Qur’an for Muslims. There are several collections of books that Hindus read such as the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Mahabharata.
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Also, Hindus do not believe in one God. They believe in an ultimate reality called Brahman that is the source of all existence. Hindus believe in millions of gods and goddesses that represent different characteristics of Brahman. These gods and goddesses also have different roles in the universe. Most Hindus have a small altar in their home where they worship different gods. They also go to temples to worship.
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Prayer is important to Hindus. They follow several steps. First, they bathe and put on clean clothes. They light an oil lamp and a candle with a strong smell. Hindus place pictures or small statues of gods on a clean platform. They arrange fruit, water, sodas, flowers, and other offerings before their gods. Hindus pour water into a small cup. They light a ghee lamp. Ghee is a type of butter.
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The ghee lamp creates a peaceful environment. Hindus move the lamp in a circle in front of a god. They sing or speak a mantra. Mantras are words or sounds that are repeated as prayers. The mantras are dedicated to their gods. Hindus meditate, or think with focused attention, about their gods and offer prayers of thanks. They wear white, yellow, red, or orange clothes to symbolize purity, wisdom, and power.
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Judaism and Christianity are two of the biggest religions in the world. These faiths share many similarities. Both religions worship one God who created the universe. Both religions believe that the Tanakh is the word of God. The Tanakh is a collection of books. It includes the Torah (the Five Books of Moses), the Nevi’im (the Prophets), and the Ketuvim (the Writings). Christians call these books the Old Testament.
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Christians also believe that the twenty-seven books of the New Testament are also the word of God. The New Testament books include the four different writings about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and writings by Paul, a Jewish disciple of Jesus, who taught others how to faithfully follow Jesus. Jews and Christians also believe that humans are separated from God by their sin. Sin is anything in thought, word, or deed that is contrary to the word or law of God. Because of sin, it is necessary to offer a sacrifice to bring God and man together again.
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But there are differences between Christianity and Judaism. Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. While he lived on earth, Jesus Christ did not sin. He remained God’s perfect, sinless Son. Christians believe the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was the one perfect sacrifice for all the sins of mankind. His death satisfied God’s justice, healing the separation caused by sin. Jesus Christ’s returning to life after he died shows that all mankind can have a new relationship with God. Christians believe that they are saved from sin and death by their faith in Jesus Christ. They believe that all people who have faith in Jesus Christ will have everlasting life with God. Those who reject Jesus Christ face everlasting death. Death means complete separation from God for eternity.
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Judaism does not teach that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jews believe that Jesus was a good teacher, or a rabbi, who encouraged people to love God and their neighbor in the first century A.D. Judaism focuses on living a good life by obeying God’s commandments. This good life requires daily study of the Torah, or law, to know the 613 mitzvot or commandments. These are such things as keeping Shabbat, eating kosher, and giving charity. Reciting prayers should be a daily part of Jewish life. Prayer helps Jewish people realize their dependence upon God through their covenant, or relationship, with God. Jews pray three times a day: in the morning, afternoon, and evening. This gives structure to daily life. Jews add a fourth prayer on certain Jewish holidays. The Jewish approach to prayer emphasizes community by praying together with other Jews to move their community towards compassion, justice, and following the commandments. The Siddur is a prayer book for a Jewish prayer service which has replaced the ancient temple sacrifices.
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Christians pray whenever they want to talk to God throughout the day. They believe that God wants them to spend as much time with him as possible. God wants to have a close, personal relationship with them. In their prayers, Christians talk openly about their struggles and fears. They thank God for his faithfulness and his blessings. They ask forgiveness for sins. They ask for God’s direction. Many Christians do not repeat a scripted prayer. They say what they are thinking and feeling at that moment. Some Christians, however, do follow a pattern for daily prayers. The Christian monks in the sixth century A.D. noted specific hours of the day for regular prayers – or canonical times.
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They used the words of the book of Psalms found in the Bible for many of these prayers. Thomas Cranmer compiled the Book of Common Prayer during the 1500s for the Church of England. It includes the Psalms, prayers for daily morning and evening services, and prayers for each Sunday and other holy days throughout the year as well as prayers for specific occasions. Some Christians regularly use these written prayers.
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Reverend Billy Graham was a well-known Christian preacher around the world in the twentieth century. He taught about the Christian Bible and Jesus Christ to millions of listeners. Reverend Graham said about Christian prayer:
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“Prayer is simply talking to God. The most important thing I can say about this is that God wants you to talk to Him! He loves us and He has promised to hear us when we pray.”
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Reverend Graham added:
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“One of God’s greatest gifts to us is the blessing of prayer. It is a blessing that is possible because of what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross. Thank God for the blessing of prayer. Give your worries to God. He cares about you.”
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This program on prayer will conclude with the word “Amen.” Amenis a declaration of affirmation. It means “truly,” “it is true,” “let it be so,” “I agree,” or “I consent.” It is used in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic practices as a concluding word, or as a response to a prayer. It is also used in ordinary conversation to show agreement. In English the word “amen” has two primary ways to be pronounced: ah-MEN (/ɑːˈmɛn/) or ay-MEN (/eɪˈmɛn/). We hope that you will agree with us that this program about prayer has been helpful to your understanding of practices for prayer from different faiths around the world. Perhaps you will say, “Amen.”
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How do you pray? What practices do you follow? Have you found prayer helpful? Why do you think prayer should be important in daily life? You can leave a comment on our website at www.spotlightenglish.com. You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and X. You can also get our programs delivered directly to your Android or Apple device through our free official Spotlight English app.
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The writer of this program was Peter Anderson. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. No A.I. or artificial intelligence was used in this program. Spotlight programs are written, voiced, and produced by real people for real people, no matter where in the world they live. This program is called “Amen: Prayer Practices Around the World.”
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We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
Questions:
How do you pray? What practices do you follow? Have you found prayer helpful? Why do you think prayer should be important in daily life?
