Pre-written prayer at assembly? (page 2)

tenyearsafter

I personally miss the hour long prayers Fred Franz would give at conventions...NOT! What was he thinking regurgitating the entire convention program?? I certainly don't miss the prayers that subsituted quantity for quality...

cantleave

Cofty - was that John Blaney?

punkofnice

At Nottingham some boring old sod from bethel was reading his prayer from a script. I saw it with my own eyes. I was positioned diagonally behind him!! How happifying!

WTWizard

It may not be illegal, but it sure smacks of hypocrisy when they say that prayers should be heartfelt and not rote, and yet they are reading them from the platform. Also one thing most people can agree with (save those attending their first a$$embly and not wanting it to end) is that they are way too damn long.

N.drew

Hi sir82 How embarrassed I was for the brothers who would do that mini review of the assembly for Jehovah's sake? WTF? I always thought He is Almight God, for god's sake. Jehovah?, you there?, we're just making sure you heard everything we said.

Wait a minute! Are not we suppose to be listening to HIM?

I always wanted to write WTF, I think I have found the proper place to write it, finally. I hope it doesn't become a bad habit.

Peace!

blondie

I (Blondie) was actually brave enough to ask the brother in charge of the convention (old family friend) why such long prayers were given at the end that consisted of a verbal review of the details of the convention, and as was said here, since the prayer was to God, who supposedly already knew what had been said and done, why did he need a reminder, after all he has a perfect memory.

He said that we were merely telling God specifically what we appreciated....then I asked him how could one man read the minds of everyone there and speak to God as to what they appreciated. Then I just got silence, and he added, that is what the "slave" wants us to do.

Matthew 24:45-47 which covers everything the WTS does.

Maybe is should be Luke 20:45-47

(Luke 20:45-47)

Then, while all the people were listening he said to the disciples: 46 “Look out for the scribes who desire to walk around in robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and front seats in the synagogues and most prominent places at evening meals, 47 and who devour the houses of the widows and for a pretext make long prayers. These will receive a heavier judgment.”

*** w09 2/15 pp. 15-16 par. 5 Do Jesus’ Sayings Influence Your Prayers? ***Since most people were not near the temple or a synagogue for the prayers just mentioned, they might pray wherever they happened to be at those times. Some liked to have the times for prayer catch them while they were “on the corners of the broad ways.” They wanted to be “visible to men” who were passing through those intersections. The pious hypocrites would “for a pretext make long prayers” in order to be admired by onlookers. (Luke 20:47) That is not the attitude that we should have.

*** w09 2/15 p. 16 par. 11 Do Jesus’ Sayings Influence Your Prayers? ***Jesus’ sayings about unacceptable prayers should remind us that God is not impressed by high-sounding speech and superfluous words. We should also realize that public prayer is not an occasion to try to impress listeners or cause them to wonder how long it will be before we say “Amen.

(Matthew 6:5-8)

5 “Also, when YOU pray, YOU must not be as the hypocrites; because they like to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the broad ways to be visible to men. Truly I say to YOU, They are having their reward in full. 6 You, however, when you pray, go into your private room and, after shutting your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; then your Father who looks on in secret will repay you. 7 But when praying, do not say the same things over and over again, just as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words. 8 So, do not make yourselves like them, for God YOUR Father knows what things YOU are needing before ever YOU ask him.

*** w99 1/15 p. 16 par. 4 Lift Up Loyal Hands in Prayer ***If we are praying publicly before or after a Christian meeting, we do not need to offer a long prayer covering many points. Jesus criticized the scribes who ‘made long prayers for a pretext.’ (Luke 20:46, 47) Never would a godly person want to do that. At times, though, a somewhat longer public prayer may be appropriate. For instance, an elder chosen to say the final prayer at an assembly should give it advance thought and may desire to mention several points. Yet, even such a prayer should not be of excessive length.

So what is excessive?

(PS I knew brothers that gave the prayers that used an outline so they did not miss any points and worked in the theme of the assembly or convention several times)

nateb

How are they any different from the Pharisees they claim to despise?

drewcoul

I've seen it twice. Once at a DC and once at a CA. The one at the CA was obvious because the brother lost his place. As I undrstand it, he got a bit of a chewing out by the assembly overseer.

Pre-written prayer at assembly?

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