Talk:Prostration

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[edit] Christianity and prostrations

Robert Aitken (a Buddhist Zen master) has called Christian genuflections "a kind of abbreviated prostration."[1] Is this view shared by any Christians or is it something overlayed and alien? In addition, the referenced Aitken articles makes reference to the use of prostrations in Christian ordination services. Can anyone provide an additional source for this observation? Thanks! LarryR 18:09, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

Well, had I dug a little further in Wikipedia, I would have found the picture of Catholic deacon candidates prostrating themselves in the WP Holy Order article. Good enough for me. LarryR 04:21, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

Although I'm Jewish (keeping halakha according to Mishneh Torah, I attended a Roman Catholic school for 5 years growing up. Any time we would enter the church we were required to genuflect in adoration of the "Host" before sitting. What we were taught to do is to kneel onto one knee, with the other knee bent, and do the sign of the cross. I'm not sure but we might were instructed to slightly bow while doing the sign. In any case, I really don't think that this is what's usually understood by the word prostration. Prostration generally means either all out full prostration with the entire body flat on the floor (like the picture you mention on the Holy Order article, or bringing the face to the ground or very very close to the ground in some other manner. Genuflection is certainly a type of kneeling... and maybe could be called a type of bow... but prostration it is not. The picture on the Holy Order article is not a common practice among Roman Catholics -- although Roman Catholics certainly kneel very often during their regular prayers. As I've learned from Wikipedia, prostration is more common (though still not so often practiced) among Eastern Orthodox Christians, see the Zemnoy poklon article. I can also testify from experience (I use to be a Charismatic Christian) that although it is not an offical ritual of sorts, since Charismatic Christians are generally opposed to offical ritual ... nonetheless it is not so uncommon to see Christians in the Charismatic Movement prostrating during certain parts of their prayer services -- though any such prostrating is usually unplanned and natural expressions of their emotions in worship. Omedyashar 09:12, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Aitken (2002).

[edit] Bibliograpy