At least it would be "strange" to mormons.

Worshiping God meant praising him, not asking for favors. The family would kneel at night and everyone would talk at once.

"Dear God, you are great."

"You are the light and the way to Heaven."

"You know all."

"You gave us life."

"You are the only true happiness."

This would go on and on until the mother decided they could stop. She would sometimes go into spasms and roll on the floor during this ritual.

Only occasionally would anyone ask for anything because prayer to these people was about worship, not getting favors.

I don't believe in prayer. I'm just pointing out how different the idea can be in differing faiths.

Mormons see worship as asking for blessings. The Holy Rollers my DH knew forced him to praise God as the way to worship Him. They didn't give God advice or lay out excuses for their mistakes. They mostly glorified, honored, revered and worshiped when they prayed.

It makes it easier in some respects when you don't feel like you need to ask for anything, to just praise, labor and to love.

The times I've prayed for guidance I haven't been disappointed however.

Cheryl, even though the asking for was left out, was there a background belief that if they fed the ego...err, I mean praised...god enough, that "blessings" would automatically follow?

As a result of living a stark virtuous lives according to the Bible, which included praying and going into fits on the floor.

I watched people do that at some evangelical churches I attended in the past. Emphasis on past tense.

Could never wrap my head around why people worshiped that way. One woman (a dear neighbor of mine,) told me it's called being "slain in the spirit."

Whatever. Not my style of worship. After having been a mormon for the first part of my life, I've gravitated toward conservative worship where I've attended since.

It's similar to the way people pray @ shul (synagogue.)

Amyjo Wrote:
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> It's similar to the way people pray @ shul
> (synagogue.)

I agree with this, but since the blessings [in other words: "prayer"] are said in Hebrew, and from any individual's perspective are in kind of a different category of activity than Christian prayer would be--often it is more a collective, folk kind of shared "togetherness" than what Christians would usually consider "prayer"--it does not FEEL the same.

Even when blessings are said when alone (think of someone lighting the Shabbat candles before sunset on Friday), there is a real sense of shared "togetherness" with all other Jews who are alive right now, and all Jews who have lived throughout history.

That's true, Tevai. That feeling of being connected to the living and the past really has drawn me into the fellowship.

When we say the prayer for the six million, and for loved ones lost, it isn't to mourn their passing. It's to celebrate the giving of life and to praise the Creator.

Still, the connection is always there. We remember those who have no one to say mourner's kaddish for. And for those we do remember.

The prayers have helped me come to terms with the loss of loved ones, including those I've lost to TSCC.

Mormons seem to believe / worship a transactional god, kind of like shopping at the Farmer's Market...

I tend to call it "wheeling and dealing."

"I'll be good forever if you help me get the high paying job I want."

Sounds kind of Pentecostal.

They were sternly forbidden to attend the meetings, but would sneak out at night. There was a tall tree near my grandmother's bedroom window. They would crawl out on a branch, and then carefully make their way down the tree, and then hustle to the revival.

Just hearing her describe the goings-on used to make me laugh as a kid. Talking in tongues, thrashing around on the ground, casting out devils - the whole shebang.

She and her brother didn't believe a bit of this; they just saw it as terrific free entertainment. Their presence was tolerated unless they laughed audibly.

They never got caught.