My mother told me that she got a video from a sister that already went to the convention. The entire program was recorded except for the prayers. The sister said the Society says we have to shut off the recording if the prayer is being given. I guess the songs are alright, though.
Another New Rule-----You Can't Record Prayers at the District Convention
by minimus 54 Replies latest jw friends
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JH
What's the penalty if we break that law?
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run dont walk
Why ?????? was there a reason given,
Afraid it might be on the next prince/michael jackson cd ..........
The song will be called "PRAYER"
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Sunnygal41
Hi Minimus! No, that's not a "new" rule. I left over 4 years ago, and it was in force then.
Terri
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minimus
Terri, I don't remember it. What was supposed to be the reason for this, do you know???
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RunningMan
I can think of two reasons for this rule:
1. The prayers are the only part of the program that are not read from a manuscript. The society does not want to be responsible for what some 90 year old loose canon says in a prayer.
2. Something in the recording mechanism interferes with the magic that transmits words to the almighty - Steals its soul, or something.
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JH
Even at the meetings at the kingdom hall, I never did record a prayer. They gave me these instructions 15 years ago.
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City Fan
Maybe it's because the society realizes how tedious and dull the assembly prayers are. Hearing them once is once too much.
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blondie
It's a personal decision (of course we know how some in the congregation push their personal opinion onto others). I used to listen to the tapes of the local meetings and some taped the prayers and others didn't. See WT comments from 1993 Ministry School Review referring to a 1978 WT Questions from Readers:
*** km 12/93 5 Theocratic Ministry School Review ***
16. Why is it not improper to make tape recordings of public prayers? (2 Chron. 33:18) [Weekly Bible reading; see w78 1/1 p. 32.] The Bible does not speak against making a record of a prayer.*** w78 1/1 32 Questions from Readers ***
Is it improper to make tape recordings of public prayers?Some Christians personally choose not to do so
. But the Bible does not speak against making a record, written or otherwise, of the words of a prayer.—2 Chron. 33:18.A person may make a tape recording of a Christian meeting so he can review it later or share it with others who could not attend. In making such recordings,
some Christians begin recording after the opening prayer and stop recording before the concluding prayer.
They may reason that, basically, prayer is not a means of formally instructing others. Prayer, rather, is considered a personal expression to God, though others present may listen and concur by saying "Amen." Furthermore, a person making a recording of the meeting knows that if the prayer were on the tape he would not later listen to it and say "Amen," as if the recording were a prayer wheel that ‘sent up’ a prayer each time it was played.
It is of interest, though, that many prayers are written down in the Bible. (Gen. 24:10-14; Matt. 26:36-39; John 11:41, 42; 17:1-26; Acts 4:23-30) In reading these prayers we do not look on them as requiring our "Amen."—Rom. 8:26, 27.
Of course, these prayers are part of the Bible; they are there because God wanted them to be included. (2 Tim. 3:16) And some persons may respond differently to a tape-recorded prayer from the way they do to a prayer in the Bible.
Consequently, as long as no request has been made not to make a recording, the individual Christian may determine for himself whether he will include the prayers if he records a Christian meeting. There is nothing Scripturally wrong with this. Blondie
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minimus
Damn! You're good, Blondie.