Ever Evolving LDS Rules on How to Pray Properly

12 December

Matthew 6:5 “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

From the mid 60’s to mid 70’s the LDS Church began implementing mandates on who could offer prayers at Church and how to do it.

In the beginning stages they publicly announced through their monthly magazine, The Ensign, that only men were to offer the opening and closing prayers at each service.

Moreover, they were to only pray using the pronouns thee, thine, thou, etc., when addressing ‘Deity’.

As time waned on through the beleaguered women’s rights era, new rules were implemented to accommodate societal whims.

We’ve listed a few links showing the evolving process during this time – see links below.

 

Questions:

Why does God only accept prayers spoken in 17th century Jacobean English?

If prayers are offered in that person’s vernacular will the Moron god listen?

If someone in Kenya, Norway, or Columbia speaks in their native tongue and doesn’t learn the proper vocabulary, then what?

If you’re LDS, we pray this gives you pause to think bout the god you’re choosing to worship – and that’s meant in all sincerity. If the good Lord demanded you speak in a certain vocabulary, it’d probably be in Hebrew dear one, not English.

Oct 1978 The Brethren fail to locate scriptural prohibition against females praying, ban is lifted, even in sacrament meetings.

“Established by a 1967 Priesthood Bulletin and was included in the 1968 General “Handbook of Instruction (no. 20, pg. 44):

… Prayers in Church Meetings

Prayers in all Church meetings should be brief, simple, and given as led by the spirit by the one who is voice. Their content should pertain to the particular matter at hand.

Brethren holding the Melchizedek or Aaronic Priesthood should offer the prayers in sacrament meetings, including fast and testimony meetings. Those praying should use the pronoun forms of Thy, Thee, Thine, Thou in addressing the Lord.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints General Handbook of Instructions, no. 20 (First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1968), 44.)

The 1975 Ensign also had this:

Prayers in Sacrament and Priesthood Meetings. Attention is called to the following instruction which appeared in the July-August 1967 Priesthood Bulletin.

The First Presidency recommends that only those who bear the Melchizedek Priesthood or Aaronic Priesthood be invited to offer the opening and closing prayers in sacrament meetings, including fast meetings. This also applies to priesthood meetings.

The draft Kimball bio says that Kimball was the one to get rid of it (your Church News quote being cited) Now the ordering of prayers, that is an odd thing and I would love any documentation of the Benson anecdote.”

First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1968

Saturday, January 12, 2013

ByCommonConsent.com

http://followtheprophets.com/chronology-of-mormon-history/

A (short) timeline on women and General Conference

1967- July- The “Priesthood Bulletin”, a church-wide newsletter for priesthood leadership, prohibits women from praying in sacrament meeting. (“Mormon Hierarchy-Extensions of Power”, By D. Michael Quinn)

1968 –- General Handbook of Instructions, pp 44- “Prayers in Church Meetings Prayers in all Church meetings should be brief, simple, and given as led by the spirit by the one who is voice. Their content should pertain to the particular matter at hand. Brethren holding the Melchizedek or Aaronic Priesthood should offer the prayers in sacrament meetings, including fast and testimony meetings. Those praying should use the pronoun forms of Thy, Thee, Thine, Thou in addressing the Lord.”

Women Banned from Praying at Church, Rules for Proper Prayer August 1975 — Ensign, “News of the Church”– “Prayers in Sacrament and Priesthood Meetings: Attention is called to the following instruction which appeared in the July-August 1967 Priesthood Bulletin. The First Presidency recommends that only those who bear the Melchizedek Priesthood or Aaronic Priesthood be invited to offer the opening and closing prayers in sacrament meetings, including fast meetings. This also applies to priesthood meetings.”

January 1976 – Ensign, ‘Lessons on Formal Prayer,’ January 1976

Members  creminded, and taught, how to pray properly by using ‘thee, and thou’ when addressing ‘Deity’.

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