Did you know that the tradition of praying in the direction of a certain location (bowed down towards, facing, hands raised towards) can be seen as early as King Solomon? Study the dedication prayer of the temple made by Solomon in 1 Kings 8:22-53, he references praying towards Jerusalem, towards the temple, more than once. We see this repeated in the life of Daniel (Daniel 6:10).
Why? Because that was known to be the dwelling place of the Most High God (1 Kings 8:10-13).
So what has changed? God has made a new covenant with us (Jeremiah 31:31, Hebrews 8) . We no longer look to Him in a temple made with hands (Mark 14:58), because WE have become His temple, His dwelling (1 Corinthians 6:19).
What does this mean? It means I am no longer separated from Christ, and through His blood sacrifice for me, I have been reconciled to the Father (2 Corinthians 5:19, Romans 5:10, Colossians 1:22), to fulfill His purposes prepared in advance for me (Ephesians 2:10).
We bowed towards a holy place before because we were separated from the God who dwelled there. If you think about it, this is also true of any religion that continues this practice today. That they bow down towards, face, or raise hands towards a place still is an indication they are separated from their god. And the division does not often stop there, as many of their religious practices in themselves continue to create divisiveness.
Christianity, on the other hand brings unity.
Ephesians 1:4-10
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”
Alabastersky 