My feeling is that no one can have too many people praying for them, i.e. thinking about them. Maybe I'm weird, but it makes me feel good when people say "I'm praying for you." I don't think some supernatural being is going to convey blessings or healing on me based on the number of solicitations from believers that have been received. But I like that someone is thinking of me and sending good wishes my way.
So it doesn't matter how the envelope of names is received and the important thing is not what happens after the names are received, hell, they can throw them in the trash at that point. The important thing is that grandma can call grandson and say "I put your name in the temple," and that's the act that has some meaning. Knowing someone cares enough about you to even go to the trouble. For true believers, just hearing that can boost their mental healing which boosts physical healing. And for the giver, who feels helpless, and probably are, it's a kindness for them to be able to feel like they're doing the only small thing they can do. So while rolling your eyes when someone tells you they're praying for you or submitting your name for cult prayer or whatever, there's nothing wrong with just saying "thank you for thinking of me."
OK, I'll add one caveat to this. I do get riled if someone takes credit for someone else's healing because they prayed for them. That's when it's ok to punch them in the face. Like, "Of course, you beat that cancer, people all over the world were praying for you."
And you want to scream, "Oh really? I thought it was because I subjected myself to all that dreadful chemo and radiation and went through hell when I really wanted to give up and let go but didn't. Good thing we have real healing capabilities and don't have to rely on medical science." Then tell them to go fuk themselves.
The notion of having one's name added to the temple prayer rolls is a slap in the face.
"Hey, you can't do it, and no one who actually knows you can offer up a prayer that is useful, so we, the temple-blessed, will add you, about whom we know nothing, to OUR list; you're welcome."
Yeah, sure, we know that ghawd plays favorites.
And now it's online. How about googling the names of all the humans on death row and submitting a list of their names? Couldn't hurt, right?
I take your meaning. But I am also at the point where I am tired of seeing the praying hands emotes on social media. Our local news site will report a fatal car accident, and there is post after post of those praying hands emotes. I think I'd rather see, "That's terrible," or "How horrible" -- something indicative of human feeling instead of a kneejerk reaction of the vastly overused "thoughts and prayers."
Dave the Atheist Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Lets submit the names of fictitious literary and > movie and TV characters.
Certain real ones would be even better. Dustin Lance Black would be a good one.
Temple Prayer rolls are more like eye rolls than egg rolls. When my dad was alive, he used to put me on the temple prayer roll in an effort to soften my hardened heart and return to the fold. I wonder how he rationalized it when it flat out didn't work year after year.
Now, if the church had a "with six you get eggroll" policy, such that when you submit six names you get free eggroll in the temple cafeteria, they might get more attendance.
I remember the white bag that was raised high in the air during the temple ceremony. Allegedly it contained the names of people to be prayed for.
So here is the question: Did anyone ever see the names that were contained in the bag?
Sure there was a drop off box and people could "phone" names in.
I just don't think the temple workers did anything with the names. Just a charade. I think the bag was stuffed with newspaper strips. A big con game of the pigeon drop.
I always thought the bag looked like a fancy bank deposit bag.
For instance, could one ask that the missionaries serving in Malaysia be given the gift of learning how to spell bamboo, and that what they're doing, preaching mormonism, is bamboozling?