I know not all praying religions have their adherents join their hands, but I think it’s the case for most. Many cultures even use clasped hands in day-to-day life as a sign of deference or pleading (which I guess makes them “social prayers”).
My only ‘armchair anthropologist’ theory is that hands that are gripped together are unable to present a threat to you, so it is a signal of voluntary vulnerability. But that doesn’t make sense in a religious context (although it does in the social context), because how would you ever be a threat to any god in the first place? 🤔 If anything, you’re displaying arrogance by saying to god “yeah I COULD fuck you up, but just for this conversation, I’m gonna decommission my arms, arms which I have to register as deadly weapons by the way”.
A secondary question on this topic is what is the function of praying hands in the praying process? If you say a prayer without joining your hands, does it not reach god? Or does he hear it but he’s like “uhhh, excuse me?? Forgetting something? No childhood leukaemia cure for you, I guess!” like an overly-pedantic lawyer?
Third question: Do any holy books actually describe or prescribe ‘praying hands’? If so, what do they have to say about it?
Cheers! 🙏
If you say a prayer without joining your hands, does it not reach god?
Lol, yes the hands act as a transmitter antenna to send the message. Without it you’ll get bad reception.
Hands apart is for capacitive prayer transmissions, but most religions nowadays use inductive transmission where hands together help form the inductive loop through the hands. It is also important to not pray while laying down, as this changes the polarity.
Fun fact: the electronic symbol for capacitor represents two hands held slightly apart. This is because capacitive prayers were the most common back when the capacitor was invented.
Cup hands behind ears to best hear Word of God.
…hands that are gripped together are unable to present a threat…
Counterpoint:
How did people like that? Crazy.
I think you missed the fact that it’s in color!!!
Also TVs back then were pretty small and fuzzy compared to today, so bad makeup and special effects looked better
And actions/motions needed to be exaggerated to fully come across.
Shatner is also pretty clearly using stage acting techniques instead of screen acting techniques in much of the show, screen acting as a distinct skill still being rather new at the time. You can also see Nimoy using much more modern feeling acting and Kelley using something in between.
Under Christianity, I think children were instructed to hold their hands together in order to discourage fidgeting. I’m not aware of any Biblical reason to clasp hands. In fact, I think in the Old Testament hands were often raised in prayer.
This is why I was told to close my eyes, to do away with distractions. But my neurodivergent brain would just get distracted by unrelated thoughts, so staring at a stained glass window does nicely for me.
I vaguely remember, as a kid, older people would sometimes pray with open, upwards palms extended forward from the elbow. Catholic school said something like it was acceptable, but school and peer pressure made me feel like anything other than flat, clasped hands were illegal. No woven finger fistballs, either. But this is anecdotal from 30 years ago in one particular region.
I, personally am pretty inconsistent with how I do it, lol
I don’t have any expertise with which to answer your question definitively, but I wanted to chime in to say that my first thought was exactly this: “hands that are gripped together are unable to present a threat to you, so it is a signal of voluntary vulnerability.”
And rather than vulnerability, it might be more accurate to say that it represents submission, which would tie in with your second question, so it’s not so much that one is signaling that one is not a threat to the god(s), but that one submits.
And in that context, it’s likely noteworthy that the most common example of clasped hands outside of prayer is when one is earnestly begging something of someone else, and especially a favor or a certain inconvenience.
Or a prisoner
Alternatives:
Shaking a raised fist
Double middle fingers
Fingers pointing up, thumb touching nose
Right fist thrusting under left hand
Jazz hands
Also:
Right arm raised up and right, fingers extended
The only thing I clasp is my ankles when screaming “oh god oh god”
Dude…we don’t want to hear about your adventures o the toilet.
Also…see a doctor!
Toilet?!
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Oh, right, sure. Toilet. Yeah, definitely. Totally.
because religion does not like masturbation.
Well…not the lame religions anyways.
I am a member of the church of jerk-offs. Walk in on sunday, and you’re surrounded by jerkoffs
Do any holy books actually describe or prescribe ‘praying hands’? If so, what do they have to say about it?
Hinduism originated in the Indus River valley as a collection of oral traditions for a couple millennia. Then, 3000-3500 years ago, the Sanskrit word “namaste”, meaning “bowing to you”, and it’s hands-together pose was documented in what’s today the Hindu Vedas.
In the Vedas it symbolized the connection of the human and divine. Today “namaste” is commonly used as a respectful greeting. Instead of “namaste”, in America we might say, “Thank you for inviting me to your home.”
And then when they ask you to leave their home, one can also reply “namaste”.
Holding hands is hard wired in us, it makes us feel secure on an instinctual level.
When someone prays alone, they hold their own hands and our brains are dumb enough to not know the difference.
When done with a group and you hold each other, it promotes group bonding as well.
It’s like when they have you shake hands or hug your neighbor to begin with, it’s the same psychological reaction as smiling because smiling makes you happy.
You’re tricking your brain into thinking everything is fine and you’re safe by going thru the motions.
It’s much older than any religion that exists today, it’s older than hominds.
Idk about ally hat, I just wanted to say that emoji always makes me think of two people high fiving first, and I need to mentally change it to “no, it’s probably praying”.
The Christian cult has big influence in the USA
Can’t speak for anyone else, but I personally like the feeling of two equal and opposite forces pushing against each other, cancelling each other out and creating a firm, unchanged, structure no matter how much force is applied. I do the same while doing squats sometimes, pressing hands together while descending, and it feels more stable.
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Idk but Pickle from Baki does it to so it must be significant.
Jesus -who Christians believe to be God Himself- is described as looking up to Heaven to pray
John 17:1 ESV
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you
He also fell on His face Matthew 26:39 ESV
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
I don’t think this is biblical in origin
Pavlovian behaviour groomed into humanity by the cults leaders. Knees on the floor, grovelling at their masters, wishing for forgiveness for “sins” they haven’t committed.
