Abstract

Research on adult petitionary prayer indicates domain differences in prayer requests with adults are more likely to ask God for psychological than biological or physical interventions. What people pray for may depend on their view of what God can do. Do adult beliefs in what God can do also vary by domain? Do mainstream Christian adults view each person in the Trinity as equally omnipotent? Are God concepts related to prayers? In Study 1, adult participants completed a questionnaire consisting of questions about what different agents (God, a superhero, and a Dad) can do. The actions varied by domain (physical, biological, and psychological). Participants were asked for explanations for each response and asked questions about demographics, religious affiliation and religious practices. In Study 2, adults completed a questionnaire with a prayer scale (Ladd & Spilka, 2005) and questions about what different members of the Trinity and a teacher can do in different domains. Results will be discussed in terms of differences in responses for agents and domain and connections between God concepts and prayer.

Share

COinS
 
Apr 23rd, 9:00 AM Apr 23rd, 5:00 PM

Can God lift a heavy rock? The relationship between beliefs about God's power and prayer practice

Research on adult petitionary prayer indicates domain differences in prayer requests with adults are more likely to ask God for psychological than biological or physical interventions. What people pray for may depend on their view of what God can do. Do adult beliefs in what God can do also vary by domain? Do mainstream Christian adults view each person in the Trinity as equally omnipotent? Are God concepts related to prayers? In Study 1, adult participants completed a questionnaire consisting of questions about what different agents (God, a superhero, and a Dad) can do. The actions varied by domain (physical, biological, and psychological). Participants were asked for explanations for each response and asked questions about demographics, religious affiliation and religious practices. In Study 2, adults completed a questionnaire with a prayer scale (Ladd & Spilka, 2005) and questions about what different members of the Trinity and a teacher can do in different domains. Results will be discussed in terms of differences in responses for agents and domain and connections between God concepts and prayer.

 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.