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Mormon Mighty Prayer Enhanced - Page 2

That may very well be an excellent reason. Since 1890, the Church has been extremely jealous of the right to real, deep revelation. It appears to me that almost all people who experience that form of real, deep revelation become much more independent of the Church. Now, instead of each of us being urged to open up the eternities for ourselves, we are told to wait until the Prophet says anything before we are allowed to learn any new doctrine. The big problem is that the last Prophet to offer any such revelation was also the last Prophet to live Plural Marriage as the Prophet, Joseph F. Smith.

Actually, the letter that ended this practice said that it was to reduce the load on the General Authorities since many people would ask the GAs to attend their prayers. So, the point about taking time from families had to do with the GAs, not the members.

I would completely agree with that sentiment. To me, the whole idea of the Endowment is to make each of us spiritually independent. Instead, people would call on their favorite GA to come and help them pray so that they would get a better answer. That sounds exactly like the Catholic practice of praying to a saint for intercession, because the saint would be more successful at getting God's attention than a common mortal.

But none of us are common mortals. We are each His child. If we don't have the confidence to approach Him directly, then we need to fix what is wrong, not try to get someone else to approach Him for us.

The problem is that the letter from 1978 has come to be interpreted such that none of us is allowed to EVER perform the True Order of Prayer for our own benefit. The Temple workers always pray a generic prayer for the people involved in the circle. None of the Temple patrons are ever allowed to perform the prayer.

Perhaps the Temple President is able to perform the ordinance. Wouldn't that be great. Only the Temple Presidents and the Apostles are able to use the ordinance to seek out the Greater Light and Knowledge that we are all commanded to seek. All the rest of us are left to our own devices.

YES!

Have your home teacher, your EQ President or HP Group Leader come in and dedicate your home. Take the time yourself to seek how, and sanctify your home. Cast out Satan, then pray.

Read the 2nd link I gave in the post above. It is all about how to prepare and perform the ordinance for ourselves and our family, including examples of how we can do it with unendowed children present.

Offtopic but, I would be more than happy to address both of the previous offtopic notes in the Plural Marriage thread, if you are interested.

Edited: Nighthawk on 2nd Aug, 2005 - 8:37pm

Enhanced Prayer Mighty Mormon

So back to the original question, besides that one letter is there any official statement that we should not conduct this practise in our homes?

Offtopic but, You are always free to add points of doctrinal discussion as needed

Mormon Mighty Prayer Enhanced Studies Doctrine Mormon

JB, here there is an extract of the letter:

I suppose by saying "Outside the temples" they are talking about homes, too.

To read full letter: [Link not active]

Page 2 Enhanced Prayer Mighty Mormon

You see that is the thing, I am sure by 'outside' the temple can mean various things to people and seeing that they were at the time focusing on the prayer rooms in Ward buildings anyone can justify that they did not 'mean 'personal' prayer circles. Then again the letter also says,

"However, recognizing the value of these prayer circles in developing spirituality, commitment, and unity among those participating in them, we suggest that in lieu of such prayer circles, stake leaders may wish to consider the following: (1) that periodically stake leaders and their wives attend a temple session together in connection with which arrangements be made with the temple presidency for the prayer circle held during the endowment session to be composed of several stake leaders and their wives;"

Which implies that this cannot be done on a personal level, but strange that they would say this...

"recognizing the value of these prayer circles in developing spirituality, commitment, and unity among those participating in them, we suggest that in lieu of..."

That is strange to me. It is almost like saying 'We know how great testimony meeting is, but instead of that let us just have small family home evenings instead'. Is anyone else seeing that?

The other part that I am also find not necessarily strange, but 'isolated' I think is the better word is this...

"...stake leaders and their wives"

And so everyone else will just...?

Enhanced Prayer Mighty Mormon

See, that is my point. 115+ years ago, the GAs were urging members to have the "prayer circles" in their homes, BECAUSE they are so powerful in building the sprirituality of the people. Now, IF the members have prayer circles in their homes, then their memberships are at jeopardy.

One case in point is Jim Harmston, the founder of the True and Living Church of Jesus Christ
of Saints of the Last Days (TLC). When the excommunications of people from the LDS church became public knowledge, it wasn't that these people were going off in strange directions, it was that they performed prayer circles in their homes that was used as the most damning evidence against them.

Granted, that same example may be the very best argument available to NOT perform the True Order of Prayer in the home, since they REALLY went off into the wilderness theologically.

I guess it really comes down to a couple of specific things to decide whether or not to perform this ordinance.
1. Are we willing to do whatever the Lord requires of us as a result of this?
2. Are we willing to go to Him and really ask if it is right to perform this ordinance for ourselves?
3. If He confirms that it is right for us (individually), are we willing to risk our membership in the Church?

A "no" to any of these questions would probably mean that it isn't a good idea to attempt it.

Mormon Mighty Prayer Enhanced

Well again we always seem to reach that point in each discussion, however, the question always arises... 'Why are we 'fighting' against ourselves?', but that is for another thread that I will post in a second, however I believe this thread has given me a lot of food for thought.

Mormon Mighty Prayer Enhanced - Page 2

I got a whole different perspective from that quote of the letter, and went to the link to see it (just to make sure I wasn't misreading it).

This means to me that there was a very specific TYPE of prayer circle being requested -- perhaps as was mentioned before, with a GA present, being "taken away from family and other Church responsibilities."

I don't see anywhere in that letter where it says that "regular" members should not initiate prayer circles in their own homes.

It says "such prayer circles," and NOT "all prayer circles."

Nowhere did I see it tell me, specifically, not to hold a prayer circle in my home.

Mormon Mighty Prayer Enhanced Mormon Doctrine Studies - Page 2

FarSeer, I would like for you to write the Church Headquarters about the use of that word and your answer just proves what I said here:

Now if Nighthawk is right, that the reason some members get excommunicated is because they use these prayer circles privately (along with whatever else), then it means we are once again stuck with another policy and interpretation of that policy. You will get different answers depending on whom you ask, but I am sure most well tell you that you cannot do this outside the temple at all.