A Comparative Study on Shi'ite and Catholic Prayer Types

In terms of content, presentation and audience, a research on prayer and its characteristics is a necessity in prayer studies, which is considered as a typology of prayer. The importance of prayer in Shiite and Catholicism, its constructive effects on happiness, the necessity of research on its kinds and types, and the importance of a comparative investigation between these two religions led the author to conduct a comparative study on the types of prayer from the viewpoint of Shiism and Catholicism and present the similarities and differences. Using an analytical -descriptive method, the paper reviews the types of Shiite and Catholic prayers based on presentation, content and audience. The most important findings of this study include the similarity of the content of the Shi'a and Catholic prayers in some cases such as glorification of God and asking Him for the fulfillment of wishes. The findings also show some differences in the monotheistic or trinity-related glorification, invocation or intercession. The audience of the Shi'a's prayer is God, and longitudinally the prophet and the Imams, but Catholic prayer addresses the three beings, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit independently