Prayer: A Neurological Inquiry Are silent prayers transmissible
to, or readable by, a supernatural being? A brief examination of
this question using modern information about the brain. A prayer
is, according to The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, “a
solemn request to God or an object of worship; a supplication,
thanksgiving, or other verbal or mental act addressed to God.”
Petitionary prayers—messages seeking help or guidance for
particular concerns—are common among Christians. They are also a
feature of some other religions, such as Islam (Bouquet 1956)
and Judaism where prayers expressing devotion and submission to
almighty God prevail. But even these are intended communions
with God. Although prayers are addressed to a supernatural
being, prayer is an empirical behavior and thus accessible to
scientific investigation. Much prayer is silent (mental prayer).
Silent praying is silent thinking, which “is really conducted
largely in unspoken words” (Langer 1970) and which occupies a
large part of our eve