Posts Tagged ‘ prayer ’

64: Mormons and Prayer

December 13, 2011

Mormons pray . . . a lot! Latter-day Saints are encouraged to have daily (twice or more) personal prayer, family prayer including children (in addition to parents praying together), prayers before meals, prayers for safety, and even other injunctions to “pray without ceasing.” Mormon meetings and classes all open and close with prayer, and Mormons offer scripted prayers when blessing the emblems of the sacrament, when baptizing, and performing certain temple ordinances, and they offer blessings and other types of prayers in language that isn’t scripted but that must include certain elements. LDS rhetoric also often prescribes certain language forms…

Sorrowing for Korihor

September 12, 2010

By FireTag

Mormon Heretic’s post on forgiveness from a few weeks ago touched me deeply, but I needed time to get my thoughts together about it before I could respond. I once had the neighbor from hell. I use the expression with theological intent. Smart and relentlessly treacherous, he was somewhere on the spectrum from malignant narcissist to full-fledged sociopath, and I had no desire to observe closely enough to find out where. I do not know what horror had befallen him — if anything more significant than a stray cosmic ray hitting the genome at the wrong time — but he…

The Repentant Sinner – Extreme Edition! (aka too many rules)

May 14, 2010

By jmb275

Suzy: Dad, I’m sorry I scratched the couch! Dad: It’s okay, just don’t do it again. 2 minutes later Suzy: Dad, I’m sorry I picked my nose. Dad: Yeah, we don’t pick our noses or they bleed. 2 minutes later Suzy: Dad, I’m sorry I kicked the chair. Dad: Yeah, it’s okay, don’t worry about it. repeat ad nauseum next day Suzy: Mom, I need to tell you a secret.

The Sacred Made Real: Mormonism, Iconography and the Passion of Christ

February 9, 2010

By Aaron R. aka Rico

The Sacred Made Real: Mormonism, Iconography and the Passion of Christ

A few weeks ago I attended an exhibition entitled ‘The Sacred made Real’ at the National Gallery in London. The collection was focussed on Spanish hyper-realism (painting and sculpture) between 1600-1700. Some of the more famous artists included in this collection were: Velazquez, Zurburan and de Mena. The intent of these artists was to provide life-like depictions of the suffering of Christ in order to invoke feelings of sympathy and awe in the observers. These artists wanted to create a form of spiritual devotion through the simulated presence of the Passion. I was surprised at my own response.

Richard Dawkins, God and Santa Claus: Belief as a Form of Abuse

January 3, 2010

By Aaron R. aka Rico

Between Christmas and New Year I had the opportunity to meet with some friends and at one point during the evening we began discussing the role of Santa Claus in raising children. As I was thinking about what was said on the way home I recalled an article I had read in the ‘New Scientist’ which discussed whether teaching children about Santa Claus is a ‘harmless fantasy’ or whether it is a ‘cruel deception’ [1]. This then led me to consider whether believing in God is a similar relationship?

Gregory House and Emmanuel Levinas: Finding Meaning in Suffering: Part 2

December 21, 2009

By Aaron R. aka Rico

Gregory House and Emmanuel Levinas: Finding Meaning in Suffering: Part 2

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on suffering. Resulting from a thoughtful critique of that post, by Andrew S, and a recommendation (in the following discussion) to read Emmanuel Levinas’ essay on ‘Useless Suffering’, I have decided to present a re-formulated version of my comments; because my thinking has moved on. I hope that this is not redundant, it certainly has not been for me. I actually hope to write a third post based on a more detailed survey of Levinas’ arguments but that will be in the future.

Approaching Isaiah 58: Fasting as a Spiritual Practice

October 12, 2009

By Aaron R. aka Rico

Sometime ago Jana Reiss wrote a column for Sunstone entitled ‘Mormonism as Praxis’[1] in which the writers attempted to explore what Mormonism means in terms of ‘spiritual practices’. Jana, in a Sunstone podcast with Dan Wotherspoon, has explained that one of her main interests is trying to understand how these spiritual practices can become effective through a Mormon context. This post is a feeble attempt to think in that same vein. I wanted to try and understand how fasting is a spiritual practice.

A Jungian View of the First Vision

October 5, 2009

By Hawkgrrrl

The First Vision is often viewed as a literal visit from two Heavenly beings during Joseph Smith’s waking hours. Yet, he consistently refers to it as a vision. Often, visions in scripture are vivid dreams with meaning that is applied to the larger organization rather than just the individual. What if the First Vision is more like a dream, a foray into the subconscious mind of Joseph Smith?

Enos Envy

July 23, 2009

By Shawn Larsen

Over my lifetime, I have offered all manner of prayers. These range from earnest, well-intended pleas on behalf of others (“please comfort my sister as she deals with her MS diagnosis”) to mundane requests for undeserved assistance (“please help me pass my Spanish pop quiz”) to the downright inappropriate (“oh Lord, please let me be able to hold it until I get off this bus!”)* But now, after 36 years of practice, I’m rethinking prayer. In the interest of full disclosure, let me say that I’m not a “lose the keys, pray for keys, find the keys” sort of guy by…

Is Prayer About God?

July 22, 2009

By jmb275

What does prayer mean? What is its purpose in our lives? Today’s guest post is from jmb275.

Time and Art, Part 2

June 11, 2009

By Arthur

Last Sunday, I mentioned a philosophical question I had in my mind and the comfort I received from the Lord after receiving an answer. In that post, I also mentioned that this question and answer led me to rethink the way I pray. Let me start with some information. In Logic, we learn that it is a fallacy to use something to verify itself. Let me give you an example from my Logic textbook from class (I’m not making this up): The Book of Mormon is true because it was written by Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith wrote the truth because…

Using Prayer As A Weapon

September 18, 2008

By Shawn Larsen

Here’s how the bedtime ritual usually goes at my house. After baths are finished, hair is combed and teeth are brushed, my family gathers for evening prayers. Each of my daughters takes a turn, with the oldest (7 years old) usually volunteering to go first. Without fail, her short prayers contain the following elements: (i) expressions of gratitude for “this day” and “our friends,” (ii) a request for a blessing that she have a “good night’s sleep,” (iii) a request that the Lord help us “find a new house” (we’re house hunting at the moment), and (iv) pleading that she…