Report on Faith and Belief Analysis: Prayer Diary and Interview

This report presents an analysis of faith and belief, drawing on data from prayer diaries and semi-structured interviews. It explores the significance of spirituality and kindness, as revealed in prayer practices and the book 'Practical Theology'. The report examines how individuals from various religious backgrounds, including Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim communities, approach prayer and the underlying motivations for seeking spiritual fulfillment. The findings highlight the common goal of finding inner peace and happiness through faith, irrespective of the specific religious practices. The analysis emphasizes the importance of prayer in providing strength and resilience in dealing with life's challenges, drawing on the understanding of God's power and wisdom, as well as the usefulness of prayer.

Running Head: FINAL ANALYSIS STAGE
FINAL ANALYSIS STAGE

FINAL ANALYSIS STAGE 2
Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Aspects find out from prayer diary..............................................................................................................3
Aspects from the semi-structured interview................................................................................................4
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................4
Reference.....................................................................................................................................................5

FINAL ANALYSIS STAGE 3
Introduction
The report focuses upon the study of faith and belief from the practical theology
developed from praying to God. Based on the results of the semi-structured interview and the
findings that have been gathered from the prayer diary, an intensive discussion has been drawn to
evaluate the effectiveness of God and the power of preaching and praying.
Aspects find out from prayer diary
The prayer diary that is maintained by the individual and from the relevance of the book
'Practical Theology', it can be stated that the presence of spirituality and kindness is the essential
thing that a prayer diary depicts. From the Practical Theology book, it has been said that in the
Bible, the prayers that are offered to God helps in the theological starting point of thinking for
accomplishing an empirical task (Cahalan, 2018). On the other hand, the twofold movement of
intercessory prayer that is mostly practised in Hindu and Christian religion denotes that an
individual can connect their soul and body through personal contact, listening and empathic
imagination. By folding hands while praying to God, a self inner peace and calmness can be
achieved, and the body can be transformed into a peaceful and quiet state of mind that helps to
recognize all the sinful and unmindful deeds done by the individual and repent for one’s own
mistakes. Through the prayer, an individual can attain soul divine and serenity by pouring their
mind and soul (Smith, 2018). Mostly in the prayer diary, the significant chant or prayer for the
different community is mentioned, and the ways each people belonging from various
communities pray to their individual GOD can be determined.
The way of praying for a Hindu, Christian, Buddhist or a Muslim is different, and it
means each community believes in a particular form of preaching or praying to God. The folding
of hands in Christian and Hindu Community depicts that their prayers are answered to God by
such body posture and gesture and it is their belief that portrays the holy and royal priesthood of
these cultural community (Bevans, 2018). The way of preaching in different methods has been
identified in the prayer diary, and the symbolic significance of each prayer has been mentioned
with examples. The spirituality of presence and the descriptive empirical task of practical
theological interpretation can be conceptualized with the help of reading a prayer diary, and the
relevance of attending a prayer daily can be identified.

FINAL ANALYSIS STAGE 4
Aspects from the semi-structured interview
The semi-structured interview results are based on the concept of the practice of religion
and the beliefs of the individual on their religious values and ideas. The two interviews that have
been conducted determine their community and spirituality and the expectations that are
associated with two different religion or society. From the interview results, it can be assumed
that the way of praying to God might be different in diverse cultural community or religion, but
the sole purpose for praying is similar in every religion, irrespective of the pattern of praying. In
Christian theological reflection, it is believed that God is within us, and it can provoke theology
into ever-fuller attention to understand the complexity of this world (Hemming, 2018). The
interview results are the signs of the reason behind people approaching God and praying to the
Almighty. Praying to God gives an individual an inner self-satisfaction and peace and also to
thank the Almighty for life, and the elements in the life people pray in different communities. No
matter what, it can be stated from the interview analysis that happiness is the ultimate factor in
any religion and any underlying spiritual values (Wong, Pargament & Faigin, 2018). In order to
find this spiritual happiness and happiness within one's self, it is important to thank God for life
and the opportunity that he has created for us, humans on this earth.
The prayer that is offered by the Muslim devotee also has the same underlying message
to provide to his Allah or God and thank for the gratefulness of life (Connerton & Moe, 2018).
Based on his answer and result evaluation it can be stated that prayers are essential to give the
humans a positive power and energy to overcome all the hardships and struggles of life and deal
with difficult situations with the inner belief and strength. Therefore, from the interview analysis,
it can be explained that way of preaching or praying might be different for each different
community. Still, the sole purpose for praying in each community is the same that is seeking for
happiness and peace.
Conclusion
The faith and understanding of the wisdom and power of God are immensely strong and
intense, as analysed from the interview results and the findings of the prayer diary. In this report,
the power and usefulness of God have been evaluated, and the reason behind the importance of
praying has been critically analysed.

FINAL ANALYSIS STAGE 5
Reference
Bevans, S. B. (2018). Contextual Theology as Practical Theology. In Essays in Contextual
Theology (pp. 30-46). BRILL.
Cahalan, K. A. (2018). Informed and Formed by Theological Education.
Connerton, C. S., & Moe, C. S. (2018). The Essence of Spiritual Care. Creative Nursing, 24(1),
36-41.
Hemming, P. J. (2018). ‘No offence to God but I don’t believe in Him’: religion, schooling and
children’s rights. Ethnography and Education, 13(2), 154-171.
Smith, A. (2018). Thoughts Concerning the Pastoral Prayer. Pastoral Psychology, 67(1), 85-97.
Wong, S., Pargament, K. I., & Faigin, C. A. (2018). Sustained by the Sacred: Religious and
Spiritual Factors for Resilience in Adulthood and Aging. In Resilience in Aging (pp. 191-
214). Springer, Cham.