Prayer- Amanda Ewen

Phenomenology of Prayer- Chapter 3

Chapter three is broken down into six sections.  The first section explains to us about true prayer.  True prayer can come from two different inspirations.  The first is love and poetic inspiration and the second is a clear way for action or be a reflection on past deeds. 

            The second section is title “the happy Inevitability of Passion.”  This section focuses the different views of passion.  Plato sees passion as outrage at indignity.  David Hume said that without passion he sees no way for reason to gain traction.  Bertrand Russell says, “three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.” The thing that I found most interesting about this section was that Darwin noted that there were passions of grief, delight, and melancholy.  I never really thought about the fact that there could be passion of emotions other then happiness.

            Section three is called Passion of Prayer.  It was said that prayer is passion that is quiet but inwardly intense.  I feel that prayer is something that is very inwardly intense.  This section also talks about the different types of prayer.  There is prayer from fear, anger, despair, or one for the recognition of a need. 

            Section four is called “Is passion Self-Correcting?”  Hume said, “Sentiments can be self-correcting.”  This is saying true prayer corrects a passion for violent confrontation.

            The fifth section is centered on who a prayer is addressed too.  When people pray they do not really know whom the prayer is going too.  They have whom they believe the prayer is going too.  When I pray I do not actually know whom the prayer is going to, however, I think it goes to God.  We address our prayers to an unknown recipient but in our bones we can sense whom it is going to go too.