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Article: An investigation of the sociological patterns of prayer frequency and content *.(Report)
- Article from:
- Sociology of Religion
- Article date:
- June 22, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Association for the Sociology of Religion. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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It would be difficult to overstate the importance of prayer to religion, for it is "belief and ritual at the same time" (Mauss 2003:22) and "to religion what thinking is to philosophy" (the poet Novalis as quoted in Heiler 1932:viii). Although prayer represents a fundamental aspect of religious life, the influence of social factors on prayer patterns has yet to be extensively explored. This study uses the 2005 Baylor Religion Survey to provide information about sociological patterns of prayer frequency and content. Demonstrating how sociodemographic variables influence prayer provides evidence for the connection between sociological factors and even the most private of ...