Zippy
09-28-2008, 05:35 AM
One of the most beautiful parts of the bible is the Psalms, and particularly fitting for discussion on a literature site.
They are also a common feature of all three monotheist religions – they are the Tehilim in Judaism, the Psalms in Christianity and the Zabur in Islam. They also appear in a host of other religions including Rastafari where they play an important part in worship.
The common factor is praise of God through poetic imagery, sometimes set to music. Most people will probably have heard at least one Psalm, most probably Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd.
I was reading a collection of Jorge Luis Borges’ stories recently and came across one called A Prayer, in which he poses a question which I have been asking myself for a long time: why are there no original prayers?
We are taught prayers and learn to say them automatically, almost without thinking about what they mean. It should be possible to create a prayer which is truly unique to you, from the heart and in praise of God. This is obviously an intensely personal thing, but I would like to encourage everyone to go a couple of steps further. Not only share their original prayers by posting them here, but try to turn your prayer into a Psalm – a poetic work in praise of God.
So, it’s over to you. Here is your chance to think about what God means to you and to post your original Psalms here.
They are also a common feature of all three monotheist religions – they are the Tehilim in Judaism, the Psalms in Christianity and the Zabur in Islam. They also appear in a host of other religions including Rastafari where they play an important part in worship.
The common factor is praise of God through poetic imagery, sometimes set to music. Most people will probably have heard at least one Psalm, most probably Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd.
I was reading a collection of Jorge Luis Borges’ stories recently and came across one called A Prayer, in which he poses a question which I have been asking myself for a long time: why are there no original prayers?
We are taught prayers and learn to say them automatically, almost without thinking about what they mean. It should be possible to create a prayer which is truly unique to you, from the heart and in praise of God. This is obviously an intensely personal thing, but I would like to encourage everyone to go a couple of steps further. Not only share their original prayers by posting them here, but try to turn your prayer into a Psalm – a poetic work in praise of God.
So, it’s over to you. Here is your chance to think about what God means to you and to post your original Psalms here.