What's the difference in "prayers" and "spells"?

Question

I know of people who prayed for people to do things...and they did. Do you think this was a real prayer or was it a spell?

Answer 1

As a pagan, I've often felt that prayers and spells were very similiar.  Its a matter of will and direction.  A person praying directs the desire toward a higher being, while a spell may also be "invoking" a god/dess.  The intent is often the same and for me, the method is the same.  Often its simply the process, or ritual, that may vary.  But the mental state is the same, in my experience

Answer 2

Prayers are messages to God and the concept of spells is demonic.

Answer 3

Okay, Prayer is talking to Deity, whether you are a Christian praying to the God of the bible or a pagan talking to the God and Goddess of their path.



A spell is a ritual designed to manipulate energy to bring about a desired result. This can be as simple As a candle burning spell or writing your desire on paper then burning it to release it to manifest to very complicated spells done with precision of moon phases and long drawn out motions and words that rhyme.

In Wicca we do not  use spells to control others or for harm to others. We do not pray for, send positive energy to or cast a healing spell without that person's permission. We do not do anything to control or change and individual or interfere with their free will.

BB

Answer 4

I think that you can pray to God for people to realize the error of their ways, and pray that they will change their viewpoints or for God to help touch them in a speacial way, but I dont believe in casting spells. I know that some people do this, but its not the same as praying to God. Casting spells has been associated with bad things were praying to God is not. Casting spells is associated with witchcraft. Some believe that they are praying to mother earth and using witchcraft, which is one of satans tricks. I do believe in mother earth, father time and God, but I believe to get anything accomplished you need prayer.

Answer 5

erm...a prayer because prayers are wishes and spells are casted

Answer 6

it was a prayer....... spells are cast

Answer 7

Hi D.

Many people "pray for things" like "help our team win" or "don't let it rain on my wedding day", but this is not how christians are taught to pray.  They are taught to give thanks and to pray for the wisdom and knowledge to understand God's will.  Many Christians don't follow the teachings of the church and they do pray that some spirit should intervene on their behalf.

Anytime that a person is asking a spirit (the Christian God, mother earth, or any other spirit) to intercede on their behalf, they are not praying.  They are begging, wishing, or hoping.  This same type of request is often made when somebody is casting a spell in other religions (hoodoo or wiccan).  

A spell caster might verbalize a request, perform a ritual of respect to a certain spirit, and use their force of will to try to insure that their request is heard.  The request could be something that would benefit another person (help heal her pain) or something that would hurt another (make him hurt his ankle so he can't play).  There is not inherent good or evil in the act of spell casting.

People who make requests to a Christian God are using a similar mechanism as spell casters.  They verbalize their request, perform a ritual (get on their knees), and try to use their force of will to have their request heard.  There's nothing different unless you think it is a sin to make requests of spirits besided a Christian God.  There is also nothing inherently good or evil about these requests coming from those who believe in a Christian God.

True spell casting involves a request or a command to change the environment or people to meet a need that has been identified by the person making the request.  True prayer (in Christian religions) involves praising and showing respect for God or the saints.  Prayer involves giving thanks, asking for forgiveness, and asking for understanding.  True prayer does not involve asking that Alabama beat LSU or that you neighbor turns down their music.  "Prayers" of that type are more like chants or spells.

Good question!  Thanks!

Answer 8

It simply depends. If your a fundamental Christian a Wiccan prayer is called a spell and is Evil. Never mind that Wiccans have a Do No Harm creed or that you know nothing about the religion, they don't accept Christ so it's evil.

I noticed that many people on here have associated spells only with doing harm to another. The intent of a prayer or spell is not the difference as many spells (called prayers in many beliefs) are for the good of others.

I can pray to Satan without casting a spell and I guess this is OK because it's a prayer not a spell to harm others.

This just doesn't make any sense.

In most cases there simply is no difference. Yes, prayers are to a higher power (God?) but if I cast a  spell and invoke the name of Osiris (Egyptian God) it also is to a higher power.

The difference is your belief system. If I believe in Egyptian Gods that is my religion. If you do not then Egyptian Gods are Myth. If you believe in one God that is religion but if I do not to me one God is a myth.

So, all prayers not to my God are spells (and by extension evil).

Confused enough yet?

Psi

Answer 9

Both Prayers and spells are magickal acts.

The only difference is the intent.

Answer 10

Prayer is the intended communication by a human with a diety or higher power.  That might take the form of expression of gratitude, request for forgiveness, personal assistance or similar pleas and praises.

The word 'spell' is ambiguous and is historically attributed to witchcraft.  It is an attempt to use arcane energy to influence events.

That's the ideal.  However, when congregations or individuals pray to a diety to 'strike down' enemies the entire equation shifts.  Prayer of that sort is an attempt to manipulate energy in a destructive way [while blaming results on a diety].

Answer 11

Prayer is probably the opposite of a spell. A prayer is made with good intention on the behalf of someone in need or a situation needing resolution or to find personal strength or for forgiveness. A prayer is an intercession - we use our faith in saints and martyr's in the name of G*d and J.C. to put our prayer out there. Prayer's don't necessarily have to be rehearsed like an incantation or repeated hundreds of times for effect (even though it seems that many faithful do just that)

Spells are set incantations to any number of forces outside of religion (although there are many religions that utilize spells) They can be dramatic, call upon natural forces, deities, they sometimes require a ritual, potions, stones, settings, and many other items.

Answer 12

Semantics.

I pray, You use a spell what comes from the Devil.

Nevermind the fact that it's the same thing.

Answer 13

prayers are the people how pray  and spells are spells

Answer 14

My wife knows how to make it rain using Aztec rain gods,  more like a spell.  I ask for things from gods and spirits, more like a prayer.  My wife doesn't believe in gods, I believe in many gods.  I guess it comes down to your belief system, if you don't have a god, your not going to pray.

Answer 15

prayers get answered soon when someone else does it for you with faith or you do it for someone else with conviction.

spells not witnessed yet.

Answer 16

A wise old witch told me a spell is merly a prayer with props..so pray.  I have a wiccan friend that has a ritual or spell she does with prayers and it helps her so much, to each his own.  She writes the prayer down and burns it sending it to heaven.  Do your own thing and what makes you comfortable

ana

Answer 17

Prayers are to God or whomever you worship. Spells are for the evil like people who do witchcraft.

Answer 18

I believe neither prayer nor 'spells' give any substantial positive (to the one praying/casting the 'spell') effects for doing them to be worth it.

Read up on the "STEP Project" if you want to see the effects of prayer disproven.

Either way, in their true, original meaning, unbaised from a religous point of view, an incantation is quintessentially a prayer, but a prayer is not necessarily an incantation (spell).

- Word of an Atheist

(Thanks be to Science)

Answer 19

The primary difference between spells and prayers is this.

With prayers you are acknowledging that you can not accomplish something yourself and you are asking for a higher power to help you.

With spells you believe you can perform some task using incantations, potions, effigees, or with symbolic representations.

Lets use healing as an example. A Christian will pray, and ask God to perform the healing, thus the Christian is not doing anything.

A Wiccan will draw the enegry from her (or his) own body and carry out the healing themselves. They can not credit a higher power for performing the healing.

Answer 20

Prayers are hopes that an outside entity will take care of the situation to your advantage, or to someone else's advantage as you see it.

Spells are attempts to personally manipulate the situation to bring about a result.. Assuming spells aren't beseeching a diety, but are strictly actions on the part of the person doing the work.

Answer 21

hey.. i think spells are these things you use to do bad to people, control something or have it your way.. while prayer is an innocent asking or hoping for something..

hope i was help..

edit.. although i am not a christian.. i kinda think tunsa (is that his name? the guy with white hair) has got it all right.

Answer 22

Prayers are a personal interaction with your God or Gods.Even to a non-religious person like myself.They have purpose.It certainly can't hurt and in most cases it's a great comfort.Spells,on the other hand are silly,sometimes dangerous superstition.While they have no real power.To a person who believes in them they can be harmful.

Answer 23

I feel that anything labeled "prayer" is something that will have a positive outcome ex. i pray that my test results come back normal and spells can be done to get either a negative or a positive outcome to manifest.if what the people did was a positive or good thing then i believe that the person said a prayer. if the person was manipulated and did something that didn't have a positive ending or if they did something that normally they would have never done, then i believe that what the person did was a spell.

Answer 24

Yin and Yang. Prayers are to effect good, spells are generally evil, to harm. That's my take on it. Be good!

Answer 25

no difference in the intent, just in the action.

Answer 26

Prayers are requests meant to appeal to a god or all-powerful being, whereas spells are supposed to be performable by a human alone.

I called you a hypocrite because I misunderstood your accusations. Also, the reason I was tormenting psychics in the way you mentioned is because I had just found out about this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUCECDBOO...

and it made me very angry. She endangered that kid's life to make money by misleading the police. I took out my anger on Yahoo.