I've noticed an increasing trend of GAs / 12 to close a prayer with the expression 'even Jesus Christ' and this is now catching on with increasing regularity at a stake and ward level.

I hate it. That is all.

when i used to go, there was a guy in my ward who used. this term every fast and testimony meeting while calling us to repentance. its like watching SNL. hilarious. DH and i referred to him as the prophet

It's like there, maybe, could be someone else they might choose to end their prayer with.

I have never understood this phrase. Where did it come from? Why is it acceptable in modern English?

Could be worse--the messiah coulda been named Steven...

snort...awesome

Saying "odd Jesus Christ" just doesn't have the same ring to it I guess.

Ron

I'll take "even jesus christ" over "christ jesus" any day...

Does it work with other words?

I want a delicious sweet treat, even a twinkie...

I lost the thing to change the channel, even the remote control...

Awesome. That made me chuckle..

What I call an irl-lol. Hilarious.

...even Christ Jesus. What's that about?

Maybe it goes back further. But in Jesus, THE CHRIST!!! Talmage points out that Christ is not sweet Jesus' name. It's his title.

So, it could be put in front of his name like OFFICER Friendly or PRESIDENT Honeythighs.

Maybe one day I'll close a prayer in sacrament meeting with 'even Jesus H Christ'.

The phrase comes from the King James version of the Bible where it is used as an explanation of the subject, "This is He ..." Mormons do not use it as an explanation but as a further inclusion with an explanaton possibly implied but not stated.

King James Version: 1 John 5:6-8: "6. This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth."
1 John 5:6-8

Joseph Smith used the phrase in two places in the "Revelation Received West of Jackson County, Missouri, On 17 July 1831," better known as the Indian polygamy revelation.

"Verily, verily, saith the Lord your Redeemer, EVEN JESUS CHRIST, the light and the life of the world, ye can not discerne [discern] with your natural eyes, the design and the purpose of your Lord and your God, in bringing you thus far into the wilderness for a trial of your faith, and to be especial witnesses, to bear testimony of this land, upon which the zion of God shall be built up in the last days, when it is redeemed."

"Verily, inasmuch as ye are united in calling upon my name to know my will concerning who shall preach to the inhabitants that shall assemble this day to learn what new doctrine you have to teach them, you have done wisely, for so did the prophets anciently, EVEN ENOCH, AND ABRAHAM, AND OTHERS: and therefore, it is my will that my servant Oliver Cowdery should open the meeting with prayer; that my servant W. W. Phelps should preach the discourse; and that my servants Joseph Coe and Ziba Peterson should bear testimony as they shall be moved by the Holy Spirit."

In both instances, Joseph Smith presumably used the phrase as an explanation, as if people would not know who the "Lord and Redeemer" and "prophets anciently" were supposed to be. Actually, the phrases were formatted as a further inclusion and the reader must guess that the terms are used as an explanation of the subjects. If they are mistakenly interpreted by the reader to be further inclusions, it would mean that "Lord and Redeemer" might not be considered the same as Jesus Christ, and "prothets anciently" would not include Enoch, Abraham and others. Leaving he reader confused is not a very proper revelation.

Using the phrase can be very confusing if it is not used properly in context. In any case, the phrase was and is used simply for effect as an attempt to make it appear that what is being said is much more spiritual than it actually is. This is similar to praying using thee and thou, presuming that the use of an outdated form of the English language is more acceptable to God or that the person speaking is more spiritual by means of the use of certain terms.

I think I'd use, "like, ya know, Jesus."

So it's basically like saying "namely,..." or using "id est" (i.e....).

But devout devotees of Joseph Smith, yea, even Mormons, as they are called in these latter days, do delight in affecting the speech of holy writ, for it doth seem to impart upon them an air of righteousness by association, without regard to the truly iniquituous lust that they do feel in their hearts toward coffee-flavored ice cream or the actual disdain that they bear in mind in contemplation of the slippery undergarments of sacredness that they wear.

It is an affectation to imply membership in a group with special jargon, even the Twelve Apostles.

Anagrammy

I just wonder if they compete to have the most sanctimonious over the top crescendo to their talks. So for the next General Conference, I offer up the GA's a sample for their use:

Of these things I bear my solemn witness in the most sacred, holy, and magnificent name of the Lord and Savior of the world, even Jesus the Christ, the only Son of the true and living God, even the Eternal Father of all. Amen.

Mary named the boy Evan Jesus, but like a lot of odd first names, it didn't stick. As a boy they called him Jesus at home, but in school the teachers always called him Evan.

When he was in his 20's, he started signing his name "E. Jesus Christ," but later when guys like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John started writing about him it was easier to drop the E. Nonetheless, there were a few remnants, such as in 1 John 5:6-8: 6, where it states, "This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ."

It is thought by most Biblical scholars that this is a typo, and should read instead, "This is He that came by water and blood, Evan Jesus Christ."

OK, that one had me nearly laughing out loud at work. Awesome!

Evan. No. It's Chucky.

Almost like he's listing off the party list for the afterlife and we weren't sure He was going to make it. Even Jesus Christ!
Like, Even JESUS is going to be there!!!! Oh Frabjous day! What, with the Apocalypse and everything, we weren't sure he was going to make it.

I hate ALL these screwball little phrases because it means these people have no minds of their own! They are ALL slurpin' away at Tommy's @ss and nobobdy calls them on it. And every TBM listening thinks that this is some kind of spiritual language that makes the talk that much more deep and meeningful.

Excuse me while I projectile vomit. I'm shootin' for 10' this time.

So frickin funny......this stuff can't be made up...it's that good.

Bunch of kooky old men making up words to impress the crowd.....sounds like more of the same stuff that's been going on since the history of man....even the beginning of time.

Does using this pharse Even Jesus Christ glorify or degrade Jesus?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2011 10:53AM by iamagodu.

My two teenage girls were watching 2 1/2 Men, and I remarked to my 14 year old how Aston looks like Jesus Christ with that beard. As I said that my TBM mother came walking in with this comment, "You are mocking the name of the Savior with that comment, son?". I said, "Oh, uh, I'm sorry, I didn't know comparing a resemblance of JC to someone else was offensive."

I had to snicker when my daughter whispered, "You didn't know about that sin did ya dad. You sinnerk..you're constantly sining. Stop sinning Dad. Gee's Mormons make up sins as they go along don't they dad? They're so serious. Everything is a sin..lol" From the mouths of babes.

Thank you everyone - these are the funniest posts I've ever read! :)

Anyone with a sense of humor left and came here.

Can you type in the exact sentence they use. That is weird. So they do this instead of "in the name of JC"????

I've heard it this way:

In the name of our Lord and Savior even Jc

I figured.....Well, to me that means JS is their Lord and Savior and then they say "even" in the name of JC. Again....JS gets top billing.

Mormons dislike too much Christian phraseology in their religious babble, speaking too much of Jesus as a first name, using "the Lord" a lot, and particularly "the Lord Jesus." Weird stuff. It's all merely habit, and besides, Mormons find EVERYthing "inappropriate," but give no reasons for it. Guitar music in church, even when playing classical-religious music--"inappropriate." Brass music, even when playing mellow music praising God--inappropriate. Violin and flute--appropriate. The harp--appropriate. I play hammered dulcimer, and once when I offered to do a piece in church the bishop had to worry and fret about it before coming back and apologizing that he feared it was "inappropriate." It's all too weird. Even if something were appropriate, the bishop could rule locally that it is not because it believes it personally to be inappropriate. Or the bishop could be for it, only to be shot down by a visiting high councilman who didn't like it.

It's a silly church full of unhappy, misinformed men with bloated egos.

A google search of LDS.Inc gives lots of statements from famous Mormons through the ages.

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:lds.org+%22even+Jesus%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari