Prayers for my wife, who was simply identified as "sdi's pregnant wife," were answered very palpably. Prayers for me, on the other hand, received a significant boost in "strength" when I switched my entry to use my first name. (In fairness, there's the confounding variable that I also focused the intention of the prayer at the same time.) I can also state that the Crystal Silence League, which violetcabra has linked to, is quite a thing and I noticed angels all over the place—and there I gave my full name and photo (at least to their inner circle, since that information isn't posted publicly).
So it's clear to me that it's not necessary to give one's information for prayer to be effective, and yet I've seen a boost in potency in giving that information. I'm also very cognizant of the privacy issues involved: I won't give my full name in any public place, because I have many enemies who have Google emailing them whenever new pages appear on the Internet containing it. (Indeed, the psychically gifted of these have been part of my problem!)
Also, from a purely metaphysical standpoint, it is not clear to me why personal identification is necessary. Surely divinity Knows, right? So while I've seen it and experienced it, I can't say I have any deep understanding of it.
So, in my opinion, I think a simple bullet point in the FAQ's "efficacy" question stating something like "Some of the people participating in this prayer list have found that greater amounts of personal identification—one's real name, description, photograph, etc.—helps them direct prayers and makes them more effective. However, there are many personal issues involved with doing so, and we don't want to turn anyone in need of spiritual help away. If you are comfortable doing so, you may find that identifying yourself more specifically may cause prayers for you to be more effective." That is, I think this should entirely rest on the person asking for aid and that there should be no formal policy except those of tunesmyth's judgement of taste and moral responsibility (e.g. those that are already in place).
(That is to say, I don't think this is a Big Deal™, merely that violetcabra was giving something of a PSA.)
no subject
Prayers for my wife, who was simply identified as "
So it's clear to me that it's not necessary to give one's information for prayer to be effective, and yet I've seen a boost in potency in giving that information. I'm also very cognizant of the privacy issues involved: I won't give my full name in any public place, because I have many enemies who have Google emailing them whenever new pages appear on the Internet containing it. (Indeed, the psychically gifted of these have been part of my problem!)
Also, from a purely metaphysical standpoint, it is not clear to me why personal identification is necessary. Surely divinity Knows, right? So while I've seen it and experienced it, I can't say I have any deep understanding of it.
So, in my opinion, I think a simple bullet point in the FAQ's "efficacy" question stating something like "Some of the people participating in this prayer list have found that greater amounts of personal identification—one's real name, description, photograph, etc.—helps them direct prayers and makes them more effective. However, there are many personal issues involved with doing so, and we don't want to turn anyone in need of spiritual help away. If you are comfortable doing so, you may find that identifying yourself more specifically may cause prayers for you to be more effective." That is, I think this should entirely rest on the person asking for aid and that there should be no formal policy except those of
(That is to say, I don't think this is a Big Deal™, merely that