Question:

Why do Christians not offer prayers (Salah) like Jews and Muslims who bow down their heads to earth. It is also referred in Nehemiah 8:6?

Answer:

First of all, the majority of Jews in Jesus’ day did not bow while praying.  They prayed, looking up to heaven.  The statement in this inquiry shows that the one asking is not aware of how Jews pray.   Second, many Christians do bow their heads while praying.  Many also bow while praying.  But this is just one culturally-relevant way to show humility before God.  To some, kneeling is a way to show humility before God.  To others it is laying down. To still others, it is looking upward to heaven.  I am certain that God does not care about the actual posture we use while praying.  He is interested in our humility to him and our adoration toward him.  Making an issue of the actual body posture is to miss the entire point of praying.

It is true that the Jews in Nehemiah 8:6 showed their humility before God by bowing, and that is a good example.  But this is not the only posture when praying described in the Bible.  Paul told people to “lift holy hands in prayer.”  What could possibly be wrong with this?  We should not get into foolish and needless arguments about the proper body posture to use when praying.

John Oakes