Mormon Prayer Taboo
Posted on Nov 2, 2011 by Trevor in Religion
For those who witness Mormon prayers, it’s easy to catch many language patterns and conventions. Even more specifically, you can find oddly worded phrases or curious word usages that are commonplace. The Bible cautions against praying using “vain repetitions” (Matthew 6:7), and I think that these language conventions we Mormons often adopt come pretty close to vain repetitions.
Many years ago, musing at this idiosyncrasy, I vowed my own personal effort to think of unique and fresh ways of praying. If you’ve ever played Taboo, the game by Hasbro, then imagine playing the game with your own prayers. Basically, the idea is to conceive of a list of “off limits” phrases or word usages, such as the following:
- Dear kind Heavenly Father
- Our Father who art in heaven
- Moisture
- Nourish and strengthen our bodies
- Travel in safety
- Bless the hands that prepared this
- That no harm befall us
I found it had the effect of making my prayers feel more genuine, soul searching, and thoughtful. It also mitigates my tendency to rattle off meaningless public prayers.
