• This is the second of a series of things that we hear at church on a regular basis that I wish people would stop saying. They are not big, honkin', scary things, just little expressions that you hear frequently that just don't quite work. (Grammatically or doctrinally) The introduction to this series is here. The first post is here.
• If you have suggestions, email them to me at middleagedmormonman@gmail.com, but please don't post them as comments.
Of all the feedback I got on this topic, this was the hands-down winner for most mentioned. Some folks were surprisingly irritated - but please calm down, I doubt that this will impact anyone's shot at exaltation. (I don't want anybody refusing to speak in church because of this post.)
Here it is:
When you finish a testimony or talk, don't close "in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, Amen." I hear it almost every week. It is not a big deal, but apparently many saints don't quite understand the usage. Perhaps even you are scratching your head this very instant saying "I just don't see it."
Thy. That is the word that doesn't belong at the end of talks, testimonies, blessings, etc. It does belong at the end of prayers, It is all about who you are speaking to at the time.
When we pray, we are speaking with our Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son, Jesus. When we are giving a talk, or bearing a testimony, we are speaking to fellow saints - saints who do not have sons named Jesus.
So, when addressing mere mortals, simply close "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
When addressing the Father, it is nice, but not necessary, to refer to His Son.
When addressing the Father, it is nice, but not necessary, to refer to His Son.
A little more detail: If you are giving a blessing, or performing an ordinance, you are addressing the person - so no "thy".
Exception: If you are blessing a baby, you are addressing Heavenly Father, so "thy" is OK.
Now, to push it just a little too far...
I have figured out a hypothetical scenario where this doesn't apply. If you were in a Latin culture where many people name their sons Jesus, you could theoretically find a man with the surname Cristo, AND a son named Jesus. Then, (stay with me) if you were given power of attorney to speak on behalf of that boy, you could theoretically say something to his father, and close with the expression "te digo estas cosas en el nombre de tu hijo, Jesus Cristo." Ta-da!
(Yeah, I should have stopped sooner.)
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I was with ya right up to the end...I think...
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting that bunch of etiquette rules for those of us who are small-town hicks. Shore 'preciate it!
Sandy
I concur!
ReplyDeleteAmen Brother !!!
ReplyDeleteBien dicho, hombre, bien dicho.
ReplyDeleteHallelujah! That one does grate on my sensibilities just a bit.
ReplyDeleteLol! Yea you should have stopped sooner.
ReplyDeleteI have a talk that I wrote when I was primary age and at the end I wrote "amen Jesus Christ, Amen". People had been saying "in the name of" a little too quickly for me to catch what they were saying I guess :)
How did I miss this post? I completely agree with you. This drives me nuts and I'm shocked at how many people do it, even the seasoned chruch memebers who you assume would know better.
ReplyDeleteI'd like your take on another topic too. I've been to some wards where all the deacons pass the sacrament with their left arms behind their backs like the invisible man has them in a submission hold. Is this doctrinal?
It drives me nuts when people end talks and testimonies with the "thy" in there. Sometimes my husband and I are tempted to count how many people are not paying attention to what they're saying and slip it in there!
ReplyDeleteBut baby blessings: you go from addressing Heavenly Father to addressing the baby, then just end "In the name of Jesus Christ.." is correct, but "thy Son," would be a strange thing to say to an infant, don't you think?
I found your blog today via Pinterest, and I am hooked!!! Thanks for putting into words so many of the things that I feel! You do it in a way that is to the point, but humorous. And thanks for using the picture above from one of my favorite movies, What's Up Doc! It was the icing on the cake!
ReplyDelete