Ok, so it's not an official rule about how to kneel when praying, but I couldn't help but notice that when any group prayer is offered, the ranking priesthood-holder always does a high kneel. Does kneeling higher make you more worthy? More righteous? More faithful?Maybe the older men do it that way because it puts less stress on the knees.
This is more of a private group prayer, rather than public. For example, a family prayer at home vs. a group prayer in sacrament meeting.
Consider the "high-kneel" vs. the "low-kneel".
Ok, I know this picture is kinda dorky, but it was all I could find without spending an hour.
This is how you kneel if you are a woman or a lesser priesthood-holder.
I was recently visiting TBM relatives and they wanted, naturally, to say a group prayer. Nothing new. At least they never ask me to offer it.
Anyway, they decided to make this prayer extra special by kneeling. Now, given my current views on god, I just won't kneel to the bleepety-bleep f**ker. He deserves zero of my respect.
So I sat in the Lazy-Boy while the prayer was given. They didn't like it much, but life goes on. Of course, the patriarch of the home did the famous high-kneeling, look-how-faithful-I-am pose. One of his sons did as well.
This post isn't about relatives son, but I have to say something. This particular son is "having problems" conforming to the church. He smokes and adamantly denies it. On the outside, he's as TBM as the rest, but on the inside, he's a confused young man. He has a chronic lying problem and, although he is in his early 20's, he still lives with his parents and needs to be reminded to take a shower.
Anyone else ever notice this pattern of kneeling by rank? My grandfather used to do the high-kneel. I've never seen a woman do it.
Many thanks to TBM relative. His high-kneel was the inspiration for this post.
3 comments:
omg... i'm just laughing! I understand what you are talking about, and i imagine the whole situation! nice blog!
This is so funny!!!!
You need a third category, but this one is one that I think people do on their own, away from everyone else, at least in my case.
Its the "upright fetal position" laying in bed. The last year I prayed this was my way every night. I was too lazy to kneel at my bed, plus I felt like an idiot kneeling when my husband had stopped praying altogether, so I developed this position. It looks like you are just curled in a ball, but you are praying. I often fell asleep and woke up with numb legs...its not ideal, but it worked...
I probably did that myself once or twice! LOL
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