Jews arrested for Praying

[Conductor42]

Wednesday, January 7, 2004 - Jerusalem Post

An Israeli visiting the Temple Mount Wednesday morning was arrested by police after he prostrated himself on the ground in prayer, police said. The suspect was removed from the area and taken into custody. They described him as being uncooperative during his interrogation.

Prayer at the site is not permitted for non-Moslem visitors, and police have repeatedly arrested Jews who have attempted to pray theres.

The temple mount was reopened to non-Moslem visitors four months ago by police after nearly 3 years, during which the site was off-limits to Jews and Christians due to concern over renewed Palestinian violence.

[Pilgrim]

Well, know says you have to throw yourself down prostrate to pray. If the guy prayed in such a way it was most likely because he knew what the end of the story would be and was hoping to make a scene. In that case his prayer was like the pharisee who prayed loudly on the corner with many words so everyone could hear and with little regard for an honest approach to God.

[Conductor42]

Prostration is the biblical method of praying. An example of this is Genesis 17 where Abraham does this.

[Pilgrim]

And David jumps and dances and sings. Prostration is most certainly not the only way of praying spoken of in scripture and it is not the only way practiced by my Jewish brothers and sisters. Just take a look at the Western wall or step in to a synagogue and you see people seated in prayer, standing in prayer, swaying to the rythym of those prayers. You also see folks seated in silence.

There are many ways of praying that are accepted by Jews and Christians alike. Granted there is something tremendously powerful about the prostrate prayer, and the attitude of humility it puts one in but it is not, by a long shot, the only style of praying which is written of or which is acceptable to God.

I am quite certain that what God is concerned with is the heart and the motive and attitude of prayer. I think this fellow was more interested in the spectacle of prayer he was creating and the politics that came with it, than he was with an authentic appeal to the almighty.

Micah 6:8

[Conductor42]

What examples of David are you reffering to?

[CatholicSage]

Even if he was trying to make a scene, so what? He successfully brought attention to an unjust law that we now know about.