Ministry News

Pray Without Ceasing? Not So Much

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Tuesday, 12 May 2009 10:00

Last Thursday millions of Christians around the country observed the National Day of Prayer. Yet when it comes to praying regularly, a nationwide survey of Americans indicates that Protestants are lagging.

According to a massive survey of 35,000 Americans, 89 percent of Jehovah's Witnesses pray at least once a day, compared to 78 percent of evangelical Protestants. And while Baptists, Pentecostals and charismatics are all known for their fervent prayers, the Pew Research study found Mormons (82 percent) are still more faithful when it comes to praying regularly. (Oddly enough, the survey segmented "historically black Protestants" (80 percent) as its own category.)

Among other faith groups represented, those who pray the least are Jews (26 percent), Buddhists (45 percent), mainline Protestants (53 percent) and Catholics (58 percent). more than seven out of 10 Muslims in America pray daily.

"People tend to think of prayer as a candy machine, where I put the right God words in and pull the lever and God gives us his goodies," commented Ernie Frederick of the Pittsburgh Prayer Network. "They think of answers to prayer as objects rather than as expressions of His will and purpose for us."

The survey also indicated some factors that affect prayer—including one even Jesus warned about. Among the 35,000 respondents, daily prayer decreased with personal wealth while increasing with age. Among those making less than $30,000, 64 percent pray on a daily basis, while only 48 percent of those making more than $100,000 offer prayers that regularly. In addition, women (66 percent) are far more likely to pray each day than men (49 percent). [pewresearch.org, 5/7/09; post-gazette.com, 5/7/09]