public prayer, properly done

Public prayer, properly done, is an expression of public humility, and evidence of admission of a need or an insufficiency within the collective group assembled, and expression of reliance upon a greater power, and acknowledgment that God does in fact exist. Such a communication is an expression of belief (plus, we hope, the accompanying righteous action) and constitutes the public utterance of the combined faith of the audience.




Hartman Rector, Jr., “Our Prayers in Public,” Prayer. Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, UT. 1978. P.69