THEO. It is explained by that other fact that prayer has several other meanings besides that given it by the Christians. It means not only a pleading or _petition_, but meant, in days of old, far more an invocation and incantation. The _mantra_, or the rhythmically chanted prayer of the Hindus, has precisely such a meaning, as the Brahmins hold themselves higher than the common _devas_ or “Gods.” A prayer may be an appeal or an incantation for malediction, and a curse (as in the case of two armies praying simultaneously for mutual destruction) as much as for blessing. And as the great majority of people are intensely selfish, and pray only for themselves, asking to be _given_ their “daily bread” instead of working for it, and begging God not to lead them “into temptation” but to deliver them (the memoralists only) from evil, the result is, that prayer, as now understood, is doubly pernicious: (_a_) It kills in man self-reliance; (_b_) It develops in him a still more ferocious selfishness and egotism than he is already endowed with by nature. I repeat, that we believe in “communion” and simultaneous action in unison with our “Father in secret”; and in rare moments of ecstatic bliss, in the mingling of our higher soul with the universal essence, attracted as it is towards its origin and centre, a state, called during life _Samadhi_, and after death, _Nirvana_. We refuse to pray to _created_ finite beings—_i.e._, gods, saints, angels, etc., because we regard it as idolatry. We cannot pray to the ABSOLUTE for reasons explained before; therefore, we try to replace fruitless and useless prayer by meritorious and good-producing actions. ENQ. Christians would call it pride and blasphemy. Are they wrong?