New Phatmass Tag?

[Gabriela]

I know we're all probably happy we've had a rest from the tag debates, but I think we should have a "Prayer Warrior" tag for the people who spend the most time reading posts in the Prayer Room. Some people are in there propping every post and I can just see them sitting in front of their screens praying for Phatmassers half the day.

God bless them. Let's reward them.

[blazeingstar]

This is nice, but it sounds very clique in the making.  Some prayers get a lot of attention depending on the poster or topic, others don't.  I think it'd feel pretty awful to be someone who had only one prayer warrior when everyone else had a dozen.  Sometimes even those who pray a lot need PM breaks and a prayer warrior team would have to be coordinated and vigilant.

[Gabriela]

You lost me. I was talking about just going through the Prayer Room posts and seeing who keeps showing up again and again. Those are the Prayer Warriors.

It's not about who makes the posts. It's about who's doing the praying (typically indicated by propping in the Prayer Room, although if we've got other analytics, we could use those to "refine" the tag).

[blazeingstar]

You lost me. I was talking about just going through the Prayer Room posts and seeing who keeps showing up again and again. Those are the Prayer Warriors.

It's not about who makes the posts. It's about who's doing the praying (typically indicated by propping in the Prayer Room, although if we've got other analytics, we could use those to "refine" the tag).

My point is that lets say a poster that no one knows, Larryforlife, posts a vague "pray for me I'm having a bad day"  and gets 3 props.  Then Homeschool mom posts about one her kids and gets 3 dozen props.  I'm not saying she dosn't deserve it, just that this sort of thing happens and is really ok in an ungoverned system.

You add titles in and that changes everything.

This can leave Larryforlife feeling like he dosn't matter.  Now i could mean that all the regular prayer warriors were busy, but unless people really want to commit it's tough.  Not only that, what happens if a prayer warrior commits, prays regularly and then and has a bad week?  or a bad month?  when do you cut off their status?  What happens if all the prayer warriors have a bad week in the same week?

Edited November 18, 2015 by blazeingstar

[Gabriela]

My point is that lets say a poster that no one knows, Larryforlife, posts a vague "pray for me I'm having a bad day"  and gets 3 props.  Then Homeschool mom posts about one her kids and gets 3 dozen props.  I'm not saying she dosn't deserve it, just that this sort of thing happens and is really ok in an ungoverned system.

You add titles in and that changes everything.

This can leave Larryforlife feeling like he dosn't matter.  Now i could mean that all the regular prayer warriors were busy, but unless people really want to commit it's tough.  Not only that, what happens if a prayer warrior commits, prays regularly and then and has a bad week?  or a bad month?  when do you cut off their status?  What happens if all the prayer warriors have a bad week in the same week?

You're misunderstanding what I'm proposing. If Jane posts 100 prayer requests in the Prayer Room, nothing happens. If Bob props 1,000 posts in the Prayer Room, he gets a "Prayer Warrior" tag, cuz Bob is praying for a whole lot of people.

It doesn't matter who POSTS. It matters who PROPS. And anyone who goes around propping in the Prayer Room just to get a tag is certainly going to straight to hell.

(Not really, but you know.)

There are analytics on Wordpress that make it possible to see who is a consistent pray-er for others. I propose we use those. If someone disappears for a month, or even for a year, it doesn't matter. If when they come back they always go to the Prayer Room and pray for people, they're a "Prayer Warrior". At least compared to the rest of us schmucks who just come around to gripe about politics and whatnot.

[MarysLittleFlower]

I think what Blazeingstar means is that people who post might feel their requests matter less if they have less "Prayer Warriors" praying for them. However that might not happen if some system is worked out. 

[vee]

Not 100% reIated but I often pray for people's intentions without propping them because, depending on the nature of the request, it can seem a bit strange.  For example their car broke down, their dog died, and their date punched them in teh face.  Im not propping that but Id certainly pray!    Other times Im just too lazy and Ill read the request and not bother to prop it.  So just because there arent a whole ton of props on something doesnt mean they arent getting prayers. 

[veritasluxmea]

Yeah half the time I don't bother to prop unless I'm really emotionally moved. But I do pray no matter how I feel. tbh sometimes the titles tells me what I need to bring to prayer and I won't even click on the post, or I just pray for a whole page in general (for all the requests on page two, keep them in mind, Lord- that sort of thing). 

[elizabeth09]

Great idea.  What does a prayer warrior does, besides pray for that person needs?

[blazeingstar]

I think what Blazeingstar means is that people who post might feel their requests matter less if they have less "Prayer Warriors" praying for them. However that might not happen if some system is worked out. 

Yep, that's what I'm trying to relate.  Once you have prayer warriors there is a sense of responsibility to those who post for prayer.

[Gabriela]

Ah, I see. I'm not sure I feel any more responsibility to post stuff in line with the Faith after receiving the Church Militant tag than I did before. I mean, I got the tag (presumably) because I showed a record of being faithful to Church teaching. It'd basically be the same for Prayer Warriors. They've shown a long record of praying for others, so they get the tag, like Church Militants. If they then drop out for a while, no biggie.

And anyway, since when it is a BAD thing to pressure people to pray?  

We don't have to use props to determine who's a Prayer Warrior. We can use other analytics—if dUSt is cool with that.

[marigold]

If someone is regularly propping prayer requests, that's imo all the recognition they need to get. Let's not get status or titles involved. That really strikes a bad chord for me  

[blazeingstar]

Ah, I see. I'm not sure I feel any more responsibility to post stuff in line with the Faith after receiving the Church Militant tag than I did before. I mean, I got the tag (presumably) because I showed a record of being faithful to Church teaching. It'd basically be the same for Prayer Warriors. They've shown a long record of praying for others, so they get the tag, like Church Militants. If they then drop out for a while, no biggie.

And anyway, since when it is a BAD thing to pressure people to pray?  

We don't have to use props to determine who's a Prayer Warrior. We can use other analytics—if dUSt is cool with that.

Well, I think it's bad in the sense that even Jesus said when praying go into a room and close a door so that no one would know.

Honesty, look how it's hashed out on CAF.  It's a mess.  Feelings do get hurt when people don't respond to a post (they don't have props there).   As someone who is not popular, I don't ask for prayers because I really often think "who cares".  For a young teen who already feels that way, does a prayer post, then has little response that can be devastating.

I really don't care about the people who would prop for status...I don't think they are going to hell...mostly because they may pray in their own way and PM dosn't mandate Hail Mary or Our Father or whatnot.

I also think that as vertas mentioned many of us do pray without propping.  For instance Maggye's been in my prayers for some time and I look for her updates but I don't have the wherewithal to prop every.single.mention.of.baby (or previously lack thereof).  Some of my most sincerest prayers have been for PM people that I didn't ever prop.  Not even once. 

To me, receiving a tag like that, would be a responsibility.  As Church Militant we do have a responsibility to be that much more mature, that much more accurate and that much more kind than the average poster.  Regardless if it dosn't change your behavior, more is expected.  I think that Prayer Warriors would feel that burden all the more.  At Steubenville conferences they literally have a group of volunteers who pray and do 24/7 adoration apart from the kids.  Those who sign up for it often take their volunteering very seriously and feel the weight of their task.  They may often feel guilty eating or sleeping or even walking to the dorms.  They want to give themselves to prayer for the sake of those kids.  Now, our prayer warriors aren't in 24/7 adoration but the point remains, once given the title there is responsibility.   I would not want to be the person who missed the thread of a hurting teenager and caused them further pain...right now, with no title, if I do miss it's sad but not devastating.

[Gabriela]

I don't think the suggested tag has anything to do with the (very real) problem you mention of people feeling hurt when their prayer posts aren't propped. They may feel like no one is praying for them. That's a post (and self-esteem) problem, though, not a tag problem.

Still, I think it's clear from this thread that the suggested tag isn't popular. I think that's a shame, because even though I agree with a lot of what the non-supporters have said, we do give other people credit on Phatmass, through tags, for stuff equally or even less important than faithful prayer support of others.

But okay. Tag changes typically go down in flames anyway. So whatevaz.

[blazeingstar]

I don't think the suggested tag has anything to do with the (very real) problem you mention of people feeling hurt when their prayer posts aren't propped. They may feel like no one is praying for them. That's a post (and self-esteem) problem, though, not a tag problem.

A dedicated prayer team would go a long way to making sure PM was doing it's duty to its neighbor.  I think that we should be a bit ashamed that DuST gets more props for prayer than a PM "stranger".  In a world where PM was a bit more put together, had a bit more ooph and a little less "I'm leaving foreverrrrrrrrr" drama we could develop an amazing group of prayer warriers.

 

Still, I think it's clear from this thread that the suggested tag isn't popular. I think that's a shame, because even though I agree with a lot of what the non-supporters have said, we do give other people credit on Phatmass, through tags, for stuff equally or even less important than faithful prayer support of others.

But okay. Tag changes typically go down in flames anyway. So whatevaz.

You make a point about something, "we give people tags for stuff less important"  And maybe, that's ok.  Because we want to ensure something so vital to our faith is not taken for granted.

Tag-I'm 100% against

But perhaps something in a profile, something that can be selected like gender or religion?  Why not?  Maybe you have to renew that part of your profile every 3 months. Maybe we can find a way to have prayer warriors that do make a commitment by self selecting, not by an "honor" bestowed by a computer metric.