Why People Pray

"Why People Pray provides ample material for a study group and includes many anecdotes that will be of use to those preparing sermons. It could be used with teenagers straight through to senior citizens." — Alice Ogden Bellis, Professor of Hebrew Bible at Howard University School of Divinity

What is prayer? While the question is rather straightforward, you might find there's no simple answer. Rabbi Mordecai Schreiber examines the elusive nature of prayer, as well as its history and how prayer continues to be shaped by an era of unprecedented globalization. Billions of people across the globe engage in prayer daily—learn what it is that compels us to keep or lose faith, in a world full of discrimination, conflict, illness, and loss.

Why People Pray introduces the fascinating new belief that people of all faiths and nationalities can conceivably find ways to pray together, by using universal prayers that preserve the integrity of each individual faith. Rabbi Schreiber's vision is one of a world united in a common prayer that does not replace existing religions, but rather transcends the world's differences to take a step toward peace, freedom, and social justice.