A Comparative Study of the Effect of Prayer on the Transcendental Tendencies of Man from the Perspective of Shiism and Catholicism

Prayer has a special status in the Shiite and Catholic religions. The importance of prayer in these two religions and its constructive effects, and the important role of tendencies in achieving perfection on the one hand, and the importance of comparative discussion between these two religions, on the other hand, led the author to examine the effect of prayer on tendencies, one of the existential aspects of man, from the perspective of Shiism and Catholicism and express their similarities and differences. The research method is descriptive -analytical. The prayer of the Shiites is to call God and desire for him. The ultimate perfection of a Shiite is nearness to God. The Catholic prayer is the ascension of the mind to God and the pursuit of goodness, and the Catholic perfection is similarity to Christ. Actualizing perfection, truthfulness, and seeking God are some of the common points of these two religions. On the other hand, some of the differences in the influence of prayer on tendencies from the point of view of Shia and Catholicism include focus on receiving spiritual knowledge from the Holy Spirit, granting of love and hope, emphasis on being the son of God, and hope in Catholic prayer, and also focus on giving knowledge through content as the context of tendency, acquisition of love and hope, emphasis on human’s servitude to God, and the balance between fear and hope in Shiite’s prayer.