[kosta50]

Raising of hands in praise to God is an ancient practice, in fact the OT Jews made it a tradition.

Did they? You mean the Jews worship "Portestant" style? Nehemiah 8:6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground

The Hebrew text Tanakh) says "and they bent their heads and prostrated themselves to the Lord on their faces to the ground."

Now, I have yet to see Protestants prostrate themsleves face to the ground...

Lifting up the hands is not the same as stretching out arms of the arms, but turning their palms upwards, boatbums.

This is like night and day what the Portestants do...

[boatbums]

I am POSTIVE that you have not seen every Portestant(sic) and how they worship. Regardless, it is none of your concern how anyone worships God. You can mock it, sure, as you so eagerly do whenever the mood strikes, it seems, but, as Metmom's posts showed each person answers to God in how they worship him and live their lives. I shouldn't judge them in that and you shouldn't either. It's unbecoming and juvenile. I thought you were supposed to be above all that.

[Quix]

Protestants [including me], have prostrated themselves in worship, with their faces to the floor . . . routinely in churches I've been in, virtually all my 64 years. The Chinese term is kowtow ("kuh tow").

It would appear, Kosta, that your awareness & convictions about such practices is as flawed as your awareness and convictions about God, His Ways and His Word generally, these days.

Further, It's highly likely that the Old Testament outstretched arms, lifting 'holy' hands up to God was the same as in Pentecostal circles.

1. Pentecostals do it both ways.

2. Old Testament Jews likely did it both ways.

3. The outstretched arms way is obeying Scripture in Christ's own words about coming to God as little children. Perhaps you've seen a 2 year old with outstretched arms reaching for Daddy to pick her up.

4. There are times when "assuming the position" [i.e. "the position" of waiting expectantly receptively on The Lord--with hands held palms open and up--held half-way up at slightly above or at waist level] a la your Jewish pic, suddenly becomes inadequate. One's worship rising up within, Holy Spirit rising up within--compels one, urges one, fosters one, leads one, to stretch as far as possible TOWARD DADDY GOD.

5. I'd have thought that someone purportedly as versed in the Old Testament as you, would have recalled the WAVE OFFERING of the Old Testament. One doesn't do a "WAVE OFFERING" with arms held half way. GOD is virtually NEVER THAT interested in HALF-WAY WORSHIP. WAVE OFFERINGS by their very NATURE are with OUT-STRETCHED ARMS.

1.Exodus 29:24
And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before the LORD.

2.Exodus 29:26
And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD: and it shall be thy part.

3.Exodus 29:27
And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons:

4.Leviticus 7:30
His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD.

5.Leviticus 8:27
And he put all upon Aaron's hands, and upon his sons' hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the LORD.

6.Leviticus 8:29
And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD: for of the ram of consecration it was Moses' part; as the LORD commanded Moses.

7.Leviticus 9:21
And the breasts and the right shoulder Aaron waved for a wave offering before the LORD; as Moses commanded.

8.Leviticus 10:15
The heave shoulder and the wave breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be thine, and thy sons' with thee, by a statute for ever; as the LORD hath commanded.

9.Leviticus 14:12
And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:

10.Leviticus 14:24
And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:

11.Leviticus 23:15
And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:

12.Leviticus 23:20
And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.

13.Numbers 6:20
And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine.

.

6. However, Proddys likely welcome your being your habitual contrarianly wrong most any time, about Scripture and authentic Christianity. It's become a sad to an occasionally amusing FR !!!!TRADITION!!!!

7. Worshippers of The Living God in congregations not given to such practices are missing out on a very Biblical Blessing in their avoidance of a very Biblical practice. Avoidant, passive !!!!TRADITIONS!!!! of man are no more Christian and admirable or Godly than active !!!!TRADITIONS!!!! of man.

8. Both sacrifice a deree of, a measure of, obedience and of a Blessing strictly because of giving social pressure and what other humans think of one's actions, priority over God. I can't find a single Biblical example of God EVER being PLEASED with such an upside-down priority, practice.

[metmom]

And so what are your pictures for comparison supposed to prove?

You cnn’t know how the Jews in the OT raised their hands to pray or praise. You weren’t there.

A staged picture of some guy posing is not *proof* of anything.

If you’re going to be the great skeptic that you claim and question Scripture because of evidence from the material world, I would hope that what you’re allowing to make you question your faith is of better substance than something like that. If that’s an example of the kind of evidence* you allow to challenge Scripture and your faith, you need to hold your standards of proof to a much higher standard.

[metmom]

Now, I have yet to see Protestants prostrate themsleves face to the ground...

Then you aren't frequenting the right Protestant churches. FWIW, I have.

Lifting up the hands is not the same as stretching out arms of the arms, but turning their palms upwards, boatbums.

Pivoting the hands at the ends of the arms so that the palms face upwards is not lifting hands up. *lifting up* means raising in elevation.

Honestly, your standard of prove as evidence against something is anemic at best. You really need to work on finding something of more substance.

If you're going to reject Scripture and the church, and by implication God, or criticize someone for being wrong, you ought to at least have some really good reasons for doing so.

Sheesh.....

[presently no screen name]

Lifting up the hands is not the same as stretching out arms of the arms, but turning their palms upwards, boatbums.

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."