# Why do Christians pray with closed hands whilst Muslims with open ?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-christians-pray-with-closed-hands-whilst-muslims-with-open/220447>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 22, 2003, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-christians-pray-with-closed-hands-whilst-muslims-with-open/220447 "2003-12-22T13:48:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![APOC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@APOC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APOC)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-christians-pray-with-closed-hands-whilst-muslims-with-open/220447/1 "2003-12-22T13:48:52Z")

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I’ve searched all over for the awnser to this one.

Why when praying do Christians clasp their hands together ?  
Is there a pagan origin to this tradition ? How did it come into being ?

I understand that the Muslim method indicates an offering of some kind.

Anyone got the stright dope on this ?

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**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-christians-pray-with-closed-hands-whilst-muslims-with-open/220447/2 "2003-12-22T13:55:03Z")

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Although the hands clasped, or folded, is the most common Christian prayer position in modern culture, it hasn’t always been that way, nor is it universal. In some churches it is very common for people to pray with their arms raised and/ or palms outstretched.

I don’t know why the closed hands became prevalent. My WAG is that it stems from the story in the NT where Jesus denounced the man who prayed loudly in public – but I don’t know how the tradition came about.

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**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-christians-pray-with-closed-hands-whilst-muslims-with-open/220447/3 "2003-12-22T14:06:24Z")

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Among Orthodox Christians, praying with the hands open and raised is quite common among those from the Middle East. As there is iconography predating Islam showing people in the _orans_ posture (the proper name for it), it is probably a regional thing rather than an Islamic thing.

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**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-christians-pray-with-closed-hands-whilst-muslims-with-open/220447/4 "2003-12-22T14:44:15Z")

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WAG, but I would venture that the preferred posture for prayer would depend upon whatever a particular culture deemed a properly reverential pose of supplication.

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**Author:** ![APOC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@APOC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APOC)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-christians-pray-with-closed-hands-whilst-muslims-with-open/220447/5 "2003-12-24T08:31:47Z")

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Just a bump really.  
Can anyone help ?