Dear LPG,

I read with interest the LPG post that celebrated World Religion Day in January (►►►) and as a believer myself, feel the need to point out that today is recognised as the Global day of Prayer.

I know that today’s celebration has a history routed in Christianity but, whatever your religion, perhaps this is the day to pray for those things that we all need and don’t have. From what I understand there have been many years when this day has seen large public gatherings of people who came together for the sole purpose of praying on this particular day. It will not affect the Muslims amongst us who pray five times a day anyway. 

I suppose that the ultimate question has to be, ‘does prayer work’, and I suppose that the answer to that is very individual, but even if you are a reader who’s answer to that question would be ‘No’, it can’t do any harm.  

No matter what the religion, nearly everyone who is involved feels that need to communicate with their deity and while the more devout believers are more practiced, most people have had a go at some point, be it in private or as part of a more public gathering.

I am guessing that there will not be many gatherings of any sort today because of the suspicious world that Covid-19 has left us with, but whatever your religion, one thing is for sure. In the light of what the whole world has experienced over the past year, it could do with every prayer it can get today.

For all its faults, England allows people to believe whatever they want to believe in peace, but there are still nations where people are not free in that respect, and if the statistics that I found on the internet are to be believed there are only 16% of people who don’t believe in anything.

I defy there to be one person who is completely happy with the state of the world.  So, no matter who you direct your prayers to, perhaps a couple of minutes spent on your knees (or in any other position if you have trouble getting down on them) might do us all some good.

EL, Lewisham

LPG found some related information…

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