How important is it to pray in the original language?

[Spirit of Light]

How important is it to pray/ask for Guidance to/of God in the original language of the religion someone follows?

Some people say you HAVE TO Pray in the original language others say, God knows every language so go ahead pray in the language you feel most comfortable with.

Any thoughts?

 

[Truthseeker]

In the original language of a prayer of a prophet, it does help comprehension of the full meaning of what you are saying. However, it doesn't affect much the effect on you if you recite a translated prayer, and the prayer is accepted just as much by God. It is good to know the original language. In the Baha'i Faith both Arabic and Persian prayers are revealed.

 

[The Hammer]

How important is it to pray/ask for Guidance to/of God in the original language of the religion someone follows?

Some people say you HAVE TO Pray in the original language others say, God knows every language so go ahead pray in the language you feel most comfortable with.

Any thoughts?

The original language isn't necessary, but it can be beneficial. Some things/phrases lose meaning in translation.

 

[Spirit of Light]

The original language isn't necessary, but it can be beneficial. Some things/phrases lose meaning in translation.

Would God know what your intention was, even if your wording was a little off, from the original?

 

[JustGeorge]

How important is it to pray/ask for Guidance to/of God in the original language of the religion someone follows?

Some people say you HAVE TO Pray in the original language others say, God knows every language so go ahead pray in the language you feel most comfortable with.

Any thoughts?

I wonder, really. I don't mind repeating prayers in Sanskrit, but I find my prayers are more easily answered when I pray in English. I think this is because it comes from the heart. However, I acknowledge the power of sound during specific rituals.

 

[The Hammer]

Would God know what your intention was, even if your wording was a little off, from the original?

Yes, but to us, saying things a certain way, conveys a particular message. I say cat, you picture four legged fuzzy animal (probably). I say Nauthiz, the runic letter N. And it means little to you (probably) but it evokes the image and feeling of need-fire to me. Need-Fire is a little harder to explain, but essentially Necessity/Warmth/Safety rolled into one, what you would be looking for lost in the freezing mountains.

 

[Firelight]

How important is it to pray/ask for Guidance to/of God in the original language of the religion someone follows?

Some people say you HAVE TO Pray in the original language others say, God knows every language so go ahead pray in the language you feel most comfortable with.

Any thoughts?

My religion doesn’t use original language, but I agree that God knows every language and would pray in the language that I understood the best. For me, it would difficult to pray from the heart in a language I didn’t know very well. However, God hears all prayers no matter the language.

 

[sun rise]

Sounds have an impact on consciousness. So I think in some instances it's helpful.

But to me the best prayer is the spontaneous prayer of the heart. If the heart is not in the prayer, what worth empty repetition. Kabir said of such empty repetition:

If saying God gave liberation,
saying candy made your mouth sweet,
saying fire burned your feet,
saying water quenched your thirst,
saying food banished hunger,
the whole world would be free

 

[Aupmanyav]

How important is it to pray/ask for Guidance to/of God in the original language of the religion someone follows?

Language of religion? What is the language of Hinduism? Are Hindu criptures only in Sanskrit? What about "Ram Charit Manas"? That is in Awadhi, and for many the only scripture. That Sanskrit is the language of Hinduism is a strategy used by brahmins to not allow others to lead the prayers. Gods and Goddesses understand all languages. One can converse with Gods and Goddesses in his/her own language, like @JustGeorge said. Though Sanskrit is very important in understanding the philosophies in Hinduism.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Language of religion? What is the language of Hinduism? Are Hindu criptures only in Sanskrit? What about "Ram Charit Manas". That is in Awadhi, and for many the only scripture. That Sanskrit is the language of Hinduism is a strategy used by brahmins to not allow others to lead the prayers. Gods and Goddesses understand all languages. One can converse with Gods and Goddesses in his/her own language, like @JustGeorge said. Though Sanskrit is very important in understanding the philosophies in Hinduism.

Some people would say as an example arabic is the language of Islam

 

[RestlessSoul]

Some people would say as an example arabic is the language of Islam

Forgetting the theology for a moment, I have heard it said that in order to understand the poetic majesty of the Quran, it is necessary to read it in Arabic.

We are fortunate to live in an era where so much of the world’s great literature is translated into many languages, but one suspects that something is always lost in translation. In order to fully understand Tolstoy, is it necessary to read him in Russian? Possibly. But I got enough from reading him in English translation, to be persuaded that he was the almost certainly the greatest prose writer who ever lived.

I have a lot of reverence for the written word, almost as much as the author of John’s Gospel (in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God: and the Word was God). But in the end, words on the page record other people’s journeys, spiritual or otherwise. They can serve to guide us, but we each have to walk our own path, and are free to form our own relationship with a God of our understanding. And that relationship can be conducted in any language, especially so if we learn the language of the heart.

 

[stvdv]

But in the end, words on the page record other people’s journeys, spiritual or otherwise. They can serve to guide us, but we each have to walk our own path, and are free to form our own relationship with a God of our understanding.

Thank you, happy to read this, though I am not surprised to see you write this

Very important to know, "sadly" most Religious people on earth don't understand this, hence all the "Religious Troubles"

 

[exchemist]

Forgetting the theology for a moment, I have heard it said that in order to understand the poetic majesty of the Quran, it is necessary to read it in Arabic.

We are fortunate to live in an era where so much of the world’s great literature is translated into many languages, but one suspects that something is always lost in translation. In order to fully understand Tolstoy, is it necessary to read him in Russian? Possibly. But I got enough from reading him in English translation, to be persuaded that he was the almost certainly the greatest prose writer who ever lived.

I have a lot of reverence for the written word, almost as much as the author of John’s Gospel (in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God: and the Word was God). But in the end, words on the page record other people’s journeys, spiritual or otherwise. They can serve to guide us, but we each have to walk our own path, and are free to form our own relationship with a God of our understanding. And that relationship can be conducted in any language, especially so if we learn the language of the heart.

Yes, I have heard extracts from the Koran read in Arabic and it was obvious to me it is poetry, even though I couldn't follow the Arabic.

In the Catholic church, there can be extra significance in reciting prayers, or the text of the mass, in Latin (and a bit of Greek). It puts you in touch with the tradition of the church and all those people down the ages, from countries all over the world, who have said the same words.

In the Anglican church, Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer fulfils the same function (and is beautifully expressed, if a bit archaic.) It's English of course, but a different English from today's vernacular style.

One would not wish to make too much of this (and I realise I have the advantage of having learned Latin at school), but the original language can add something, even if it is not for every occasion.

 

[The Crimson Universe]

As @JustGeorge said above, the prayers are easily answered when it comes from the heart. I think language is not a big problem for God, as He knows all languages

Would God know what your intention was, even if your wording was a little off, from the original?

I have a bit of a speech problem. Sometimes i fail to describe what i really want to say and so all the words come out wrong, in a disorderly, jumbled up manner. Because of this i often have to pray again and again (religious OCD). And there was this one time he did answer my prayers irrespective of my speech problem.
God sees whether our heart is pure or not.

 

[PureX]

How important is it to pray/ask for Guidance to/of God in the original language of the religion someone follows?

Some people say you HAVE TO Pray in the original language others say, God knows every language so go ahead pray in the language you feel most comfortable with.

Any thoughts?

Prayer is meant to serve the person praying. So if it's important to them, then so be it. Otherwise, it's of no importance at all.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Yes, I have heard extracts from the Koran read in Arabic and it was obvious to me it is poetry, even though I couldn't follow the Arabic.

In the Catholic church, there can be extra significance in reciting prayers, or the text of the mass, in Latin (and a bit of Greek). It puts you in touch with the tradition of the church and all those people down the ages, from countries all over the world, who have said the same words.

In the Anglican church, Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer fulfils the same function (and is beautifully expressed, if a bit archaic.) It's English of course, but a different English from today's vernacular style.

One would not wish to make too much of this (and I realise I have the advantage of having learned Latin at school), but the original language can add something, even if it is not for every occasion.

I went to a funeral in a Greek Orthodox church recently. Most of the service was in Greek, and much of it was sung. I didn't understand a word, but found it quite beautiful. It helps that there's a lot to look around at in Orthodox churches.

 

[Aupmanyav]

In Hinduism, there are two separate genres. Karma Kanda - relating to rituals and payers. And Adhyatmic, related to sprituality and philosophy.

 

[Laika]

How important is it to pray/ask for Guidance to/of God in the original language of the religion someone follows?

Some people say you HAVE TO Pray in the original language others say, God knows every language so go ahead pray in the language you feel most comfortable with.

Any thoughts?

As an Atheist I don't pray, but I'd be liable to side with the view that people should pray in their own language and, assuming God is omniscient, God will be able to understand them. Using another language might be a gesture of respect or deference, like how we might treat someone from a foreign country, but I wouldn't expect it be a requirement.

However, there is an advantage to reading scripture in it's original language as some of the meaning is lost in translation. If you want to be a scholar in your religion, it's worth going back to the original source material. But your own language may be sufficient for most purposes though.

 

[crossfire]

How important is it to pray/ask for Guidance to/of God in the original language of the religion someone follows?

Some people say you HAVE TO Pray in the original language others say, God knows every language so go ahead pray in the language you feel most comfortable with.

Any thoughts?

Are prayers memes?

 

[Spirit of Light]

Are prayers memes?

no