Sydlik's Prayer and Sunday's NYC Convention

by Mister Biggs 47 Replies latest social current

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  Nathan Natas

  You know the prayers are getting a bit too long when they start having musical accompanyment, intermissions and set changes partway through the prayer, and the audience breaks out the "Jehoagies" they prepared at home for sustinence of a less spiritual nature.

  What do you think the WTS would use a a title for their book of "approved" prayers?

  "The Watchtower Book of Common Prayer"?

  nah...

  "Approaching Our Dear Heavenly Father Jehovah With Appropriately Non-Ostentatious Words Of Sincere Gratitude For All His Gifts In The Name Of The Watchtower Bible And Tract Society, AMEN"?

  maybe...

  any other ideas?

  Edited by - Nathan Natas on 8 July 2002 17:53:1
• 

  Xander

  In The Name Of The Watchtower Bible And Tract Society

  *choke*

  Oh, that's *perfect*.
• 

  Satanus

  NN

  Well great, then it would be totally a religion of books and reading from the printed page. But then, what would one expect from a book publishing company that invented its own religion?

  SS
• 

  Quotes

  Since they (the WTB&TS) are so fond of using analogy in their teaching (like the flawed diamond listed above, sure to become a classic!) I would like to remind everyone of one of their other analogies, which they clumsily wield against other religions:

  If you knew that a beautiful meal contained only a little bit of poison, would you still eat it, thinking "Oh well, it is mostly good quality food and very little poison."???? Of course not! you would never put it near your mouth

  The above is just a paraphrase from memory. If anyone can tell me where in WT literature it comes from, I would be appreciative so I can add it to my Quotes website.

  http://quotes.jehovahswitnesses.com
• 

  minimus

  Those that like to pray in front of a captive audience for such a long time obviously love to hear themselves speak.Sydlik and others like him should remember the Society's own counsel about long public prayers....not to do it, unless of course you are GB.
• 

  Sunspot

  How's this one?

  "They are the ones devouring the houses of the widows and for a pretext making long prayers; these will receive a heavier judgment" (Mark 12:40, NWT)

  Annie (who used to mentally make up an entire week's grocery list for seven people during long-winded prayers :o)
• 

  ozziepost

  And how long was the Lord's Prayer - about 30 seconds?

  Was it? Reading over the words of the Lord's Prayer, do you think it was the COMPLETE prayer or a paraphrase? I don't find the point proved on this basis i.e. our public prayers now should be the same or similar length to the Lord's Prayer.

  I would think, though, that prayers should be made on a theme. Say one prayer for the congregation, one for the world, one for the witness work etc. This is the way I've seen it done in churches, and it's very effective. It serves to focus the mind much better than some rambling speech (prayer) that goes on...and on....and on.

  Cheers, Ozzie
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  ozziepost

  Lets say it took about 12 min for the prayer, and the average prayer says Jehovah about 1/5 seconds (the ones I hear "Jehovah, our heavenly father, Jehovah. We come to you, Jehovah, to thank you for everything you give us, Jehovah.....ect). That means Jehovah was mentioned 144 times, wow! Was he annointed, might have been symbolic for the 144k

  And yet in the 'model'prayer i.e. the Lord's Prayer, the name "Jehovah" was not mentioned once. Strange, isn't it? Could the WTS have got it wrong?

  Cheers, Ozzie
• 

  City Fan

  Ozziepost

  The point I was trying to make is that the Lord's Prayer was shorter but contained far more in it's few sentences than the typical District Convention closing prayer. I'm certainly not saying use a timer when praying that goes off after 30 seconds.

  We've all heard these same closing prayers at DC's that go on and on forever. Half way through most people will have completely switched off.

  What I'm trying to say is that far more can be said without waffling on for 15 mins. The trouble is that these closing prayers try to cover every JW subject all at once.

  You're right - far better to pick a theme or maybe one or two subjects to pray about. I'm sure it would be easier to concentrate on a prayer like this.
• 

  blondie

  Actually, I have found the closing prayers to be merely a review of all the points for all three days of the convention. Obviously, the review is meant for the audience, since if God wanted to, he could have directed his attention to the program the whole time, or he put it in the minds of the writers of the program, or he has known these points from before time's beginning.

  That being the case as I see it, they are not praying to Jehovah but reviewing the points for the audience reminding them that Jehovah expects them to do these things. A little discipline before the ride home.

  (Some things said tongue in cheek)