Public or Group Prayer As A Weapon

by TMS 9 Replies latest jw friends

  • TMS
    TMS

    One of the sillier notions taught at KM Schools is the concept of "teaching through prayer." The idea is that words supposedly directed to Jehovah God through Christ Jesus are actually aimed at individuals who are in a position to say "amen" to the supplication.

    For example, in a judicial setting Brother Pompous opens the hearing in prayer: "Dear Jehovah, we ask your blessing on this arrangement. May you open Brother Fornicator's heart so as to be totally forthcoming with his conduct. May all of us, dear Father, be ever mindful of your watchful eye on all of our activities and, to the extent we confess them, to your tender mercies. . . . . . . ."

    This is obviously an exaggeration, but not by very much.

    Public prayer at a congregation meeting can also be used to "teach": "Jehovah, please create in us a submissive spirit, that we may always be obedient to those taking the lead among us, be modest in our dress and grooming, avoid a complaining or gossiping spirt, support the congregation's arrangements, put the Kingdom first in our lives, shunning the world's materialism, do our part in keeping the congregation clean, etc."

    These phrases thinly disguise various agendas of individual elders. The thinking is that whoever is being talked to through prayer will straighten up and fly right.

    This is just another weapon used in the despicable theocratic warfare.

    tms

  • Outaservice
    Outaservice

    They might as well be talking to and teaching the congregation for their own personal agenda's as I doubt very much that God is listening to these kind of prayers.

    Outaservice

  • TMS
    TMS
    Almost no one could identify with this thread six years ago.
  • cofty
    cofty

    It was one of my pet hates. I got so irritated by it when men were supposed to be talking to big J but were actually preaching to the audience!

    I never knew it had been encouraged at the Elder's School.

  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat

    Yes! And some brothers would of treat the prayer like a memory exercise:

    "Please Jehovah help us to be hospitable like the brother said in his talk. And help us keep to our family Bible study like we were encouraged to do in the Watchtower Study. And let us love your word like we sang about in the song. Amen."

    On top of that, like you say, they'd pick out points that were aimed at individuals at times.

  • cofty
    cofty

    Best prayer ever was Sunday evening at Murrayfield convention one year. We were all getting ready for the usual 20 minute review of the convention and the guy says "Jehovah in Jesus name we thank you. Amen"

    There was an awkward silence while everybody tried to work out if he was actually finished.

  • stillin
    stillin
    I called it "sniping" when they did that.
  • prologos
    prologos
    they joked once: The best prayer ever offered to a congregation by a clergyman.
  • LevelThePlayingField
    LevelThePlayingField

    I keep thinking that I am 100% awake, and then I read something like this, that elders actually do that. I never knew. It blows my mind. Those sons of b*tches. When you are supposed to be praying, that's what's you are supposed to be doing, praying. NOT, working out your agenda!

    I will never hear another prayer the same ever. I only go the kingdom hall anyway because of my in wife, but all the same, when someone prays to God it should be true, but hey, who am I kiddin'. I should have known all along.

  • Hadriel
    Hadriel
    Great post. This has been done for a long time even before it was a "thing" but the point here is even if someone was genuine or the prayer eluding to things that were truly troubling the person, the reality is that it is contrived. That is unequivocally the opposite of what JW's are taught to do.

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