...hands that are gripped together are unable to present a threat...

Counterpoint:

If you say a prayer without joining your hands, does it not reach god?

Lol, yes the hands act as a transmitter antenna to send the message. Without it you'll get bad reception.

Under Christianity, I think children were instructed to hold their hands together in order to discourage fidgeting. I'm not aware of any Biblical reason to clasp hands. In fact, I think in the Old Testament hands were often raised in prayer.

I don't have any expertise with which to answer your question definitively, but I wanted to chime in to say that my first thought was exactly this: "hands that are gripped together are unable to present a threat to you, so it is a signal of voluntary vulnerability."

And rather than vulnerability, it might be more accurate to say that it represents submission, which would tie in with your second question, so it's not so much that one is signaling that one is not a threat to the god(s), but that one submits.

And in that context, it's likely noteworthy that the most common example of clasped hands outside of prayer is when one is earnestly begging something of someone else, and especially a favor or a certain inconvenience.

The only thing I clasp is my ankles when screaming "oh god oh god"

because religion does not like masturbation.

Alternatives:

Shaking a raised fist

Double middle fingers

Fingers pointing up, thumb touching nose

Right fist thrusting under left hand

Do any holy books actually describe or prescribe 'praying hands'? If so, what do they have to say about it?

Hinduism originated in the Indus River valley as a collection of oral traditions for a couple millennia. Then, 3000-3500 years ago, the Sanskrit word "namaste", meaning "bowing to you", and it's hands-together pose was documented in what's today the Hindu Vedas.

In the Vedas it symbolized the connection of the human and divine. Today "namaste" is commonly used as a respectful greeting. Instead of "namaste", in America we might say, "Thank you for inviting me to your home."

Idk about ally hat, I just wanted to say that emoji always makes me think of two people high fiving first, and I need to mentally change it to "no, it's probably praying".

Holding hands is hard wired in us, it makes us feel secure on an instinctual level.

When someone prays alone, they hold their own hands and our brains are dumb enough to not know the difference.

When done with a group and you hold each other, it promotes group bonding as well.

It's like when they have you shake hands or hug your neighbor to begin with, it's the same psychological reaction as smiling because smiling makes you happy.

You're tricking your brain into thinking everything is fine and you're safe by going thru the motions.

It's much older than any religion that exists today, it's older than hominds.

Idk but Pickle from Baki does it to so it must be significant.

I wondered this the first time going to a temple or shrine in Japan. It's also quite common here. I wondered if maybe it came over with Buddhism and it made it's way into the now-mostly-unified Shinto practice (pre-meiji-restoration, beliefs and practices were a lot more local). It could also have come in at the time of christian missionaries, but that seems a lot less like especially since it persists after the christians were forced to leave, convert, or die (though hidden christians remained, often meeting in caves in the hills and such).

I think one would have to search through what written accounts of people remain, particularly those of outside observers in a new place.

I thought maybe it came from some older homo sapiens practice, but even things such as nodding for yes aren't consistent, so maybe not.

Jesus -who Christians believe to be God Himself- is described as looking up to Heaven to pray

John 17:1 ESV

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you

He also fell on His face Matthew 26:39 ESV

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

I don't think this is biblical in origin

Can't speak for anyone else, but I personally like the feeling of two equal and opposite forces pushing against each other, cancelling each other out and creating a firm, unchanged, structure no matter how much force is applied. I do the same while doing squats sometimes, pressing hands together while descending, and it feels more stable.

I’m sure there was some bullshit reason back in the day that is lost to us now. When I was in Catholic school they told us it was to make sure the prayers went straight to heaven🙄

I'm just gonna leave this here

😂😂😂😂😂...

Pavlovian behaviour groomed into humanity by the cults leaders. Knees on the floor, grovelling at their masters, wishing for forgiveness for “sins” they haven’t committed.

My opinion is that if there is more to 'this world' than we see, then there is likely a way to interact with those things in some way.

Like an antenna, your body is a transmitter and potential receiver of some electromagnetic waves (light, radiation, heat, etc), the shape and position in time and space may effect that.

It's likely that mudras or hand signs used while mediating and this post share a common source

The Christian cult has big influence in the USA