ABSTRACT
The emphasis on detachment from the world and union with God alone is not characteristic for the whole tradition of Christian piety. Morality does not merely deal in general with the things people do, but more specifically with the things they ought to do and their policy for living. The relation between morality and religious belief becomes an external one, because there is nothing incoherent in accepting the moral principles and rejecting the religious beliefs. Moral discourse interns of models is more basic than that in terms of principles. Because of this very close connection between prayer and the moral life, it is not surprising that they have often been identified in some way or other. Although prayer does further the moral life of the believer, its significance goes further than merely being a means to this end. In their prayers, as in their moral life, believers are practicing their fellowship with God, and not merely practicing for it.
