Mormonism Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of t ...

, a prayer circle, also known as the true order of prayer, is a ritual established by

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

that some

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

s believe is a more potent method of prayer that can lead to receiving greater blessings and

revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

from God. The ritual involves forming a circle of participants around a person who offers a prayer, usually at an altar in a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. The members of the circle repeat the words of the prayer. Mormon prayer circles were once organized by local congregations on a monthly schedule, but in the late 1970s were restricted only to temples.

Origin of Mormon prayer circles

Prayer circles were common in the Protestant revivals of the

Second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States. The Second Great Awakening, which spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching, sparked a number of reform movements. R ...

that occurred in the youth of Smith. Ritual circles were also practiced in

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, to which Smith had been initiated in 1842 by Abraham Jonas. Early Mormons practiced conventional Protestant-type prayer circles at least as early as 1833. On May 4, 1842, Smith met with nine other men and performed the first endowment ceremony. It is not clear whether this ceremony included a prayer circle. However, prayer circles became the main purpose of meetings of the

Anointed Quorum The Anointed Quorum, also known as the Quorum of the Anointed, or the Holy Order, was a select body of men and women who Joseph Smith initiated into Mormon temple ordinances at Nauvoo, Illinois, which gave them special standing in the early Latter ...

beginning on May 26, 1843. Women were first included in the ceremony on September 28, 1843.

Within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

After Smith's death,

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) continued to practice prayer circles in its

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. In addition, local stake and

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

prayer circles were organized and conducted until May 3, 1978, when the church's

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

announced that all prayer circles should be discontinued except those performed in a temple as part of the endowment. The reason for this change is not known, but could have resulted in part from the growth of the LDS Church, and the fact that prayer circles were usually organized by a member of the First Presidency or the

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...

. Only members who had received the endowment could participate in prayer circles outside of the temple.

Within Mormon fundamentalism

Amongst some

Mormon fundamentalists Mormon fundamentalism (also called fundamentalist Mormonism) is a belief in the validity of selected fundamentalism, fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administrations of J ...

, such as the Apostolic United Brethren, prayer circles within temples, endowment houses, and homes are still common.

Notes

References

*. *
Excerpts
*. *.

External links