Prayer Language – Mormon Quotes

Answers to Gospel Questions 2:15; Question: “In our Sunday School class..The question is this: Is it important that we use the words, thy, thine, thee, and thou, in addressing Deity; or is it proper when directing our thoughts in prayer to use the more common and modern words, you and yours? Our bishop and our stake president have told us that the older words should always be used, but we seek further information on the question.”

Answer: Your bishop and stake president have given you proper advice which should be followed strictly. Our Eternal Father and his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, should never be approached in prayer in the familiar expressions so commonly used in addressing human beings…In the days when the Bible was translated into English it was common for men and women to greet each other using the pronouns thy and thine, thee and thou. As time went on and men and women became more worldly minded, such a custom was discontinued…Prayer and poetry certainly would miss much of their value if this were changed.””

Psalm 57:7-11“7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.  8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.  9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.  10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.  11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

Do you honestly believe that Moses or even Jesus used “thee and thou” when they prayed to the Father?  What about Daniel when he went home and kneeled three times a day asking for God’s protection?  Was he speaking 1611 English?  Do you speak proper 1611 English today?  1611 English contains more words than just “thee” and “thou”…

It wasn’t until after I left the Church that I learned I could incorporate prayers from the Bible into my personal prayer life.  The conversations I now have with God are sweet beyond description.  The example from Psalm 57 is one of my favorites.

One Response to “Prayer Language – Mormon Quotes”

  1. Anonymous October 7, 2017 at 6:50 pm #

    Thank you for posting this! It is good to be sincere and sweet. It would actually be INsincere and unnatural to address God with 1611 English. I would feel sorry and embarrassed.

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