What's your favorite Hymn and why?

[Eddie]

I was in Primary last year as the kids were learning this relatively new song. Yeah - I can see some being less than fans at the parental role verses. But over the course of 3 weeks I was in there that they were learning this song, I'd tear up every time they sang the first verse and chorus. Every. Time.

The Family is of God


1. Our Father has a family. It’s me!
It’s you, all others too: we are His children.
He sent each one of us to earth, through birth,
To live and learn here in fam’lies.

[Chorus]

God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be—
This is how He shares His love, for the fam’ly is of God.

2. A father’s place is to preside, provide,
To love and teach the gospel to his children.
A father leads in fam’ly prayer to share
Their love for Father in Heaven.

[Chorus]

God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be—
This is how He shares His love, for the fam’ly is of God.

3. A mother’s purpose is to care, prepare,
To nurture and to strengthen all her children.
She teaches children to obey, to pray,
To love and serve in the fam’ly.

[Chorus]

God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be—
This is how He shares His love, for the fam’ly is of God.

4. I’ll love and serve my family and be
A good example to each fam’ly member.
And when I am a mom or dad, so glad,
I’ll help my fam’ly remember:

[Chorus]

God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be—
This is how He shares His love, for the fam’ly is of God.

[originalsocal]

In our lovely Deseret we will smoke a cigarette.

Good times as a deacon. Trying to sing just loud enough from the front row deacon box so sister Schwantees could hear us and give us a piece of stink eye.

HA! We used to sing, "In our lovely Deseret you look just like Bobafet."

[Moliere]

Not a fan. I think it leads to too much over-singing.

Yep. I don’t like it for that and other reasons. I hope it gets the ax.

Anyone know where Copelius is? I haven’t seen him chime in on this. I hope he’s writing the next great song of the restoration.

[falafel]

If those two are taken out, there will be much grumbling and dissension. HGTA is my favorite hymn.

Not a fan. I think it leads to too much over-singing.

[cowboy]

If those two are taken out, there will be much grumbling and dissension. HGTA is my favorite hymn.

[LVAllen]

My expectation is that any hymns that require a licensing agreement will be out. How Great Thou Art & Because I Have Been Given Much are two that will be axed, although they should be kept. They will be replaced by member-generated hymns for which the Church will be granted a "nonexclusive, perpetual license for unlimited use."

After being hacked up in the 1985 hymnal, "Up Awake Ye Defenders of Zion" will be eliminated altogether.

[old_gregg]

whatever the closing hymn is

[Jeff Lebowski]

Agreed. It's a creepy song. I have never liked it.

The hymn "Onward,Christian Soldiers" also needs to go. When we attended SacMtg at BYU Jerusalem some years ago, for some reason that song was selected as the opening hymn. Imagine sitting in the congregation looking out over the vista behind the chorister to see the golden Dome of the Rock and singing that song. Super awkward.

Ha. That's funny.

[Walter Sobchak]

Praise to the Man is one of those hymns that seems normal to lifelong Mormons — then if you bring a non-LDS person to church and they analyze those lyrics you know they have to think “Ok this is actually a violent cult that worships Joseph Smith.”

Wonder if they could figure out a way to save it but get rid of the creepiest lyrics.

Agreed. It's a creepy song. I have never liked it.

The hymn "Onward,Christian Soldiers" also needs to go. When we attended SacMtg at BYU Jerusalem some years ago, for some reason that song was selected as the opening hymn. Imagine sitting in the congregation looking out over the vista behind the chorister to see the golden Dome of the Rock and singing that song. Super awkward.

[Uncle Ted]

any guesses on which ones get the boot? does "If you could hie to Kolob" make it in?

I don't think the Adam-God hymn will make it...

Sons of Michael, He Approaches


Boldly
1. Sons of Michael, he approaches!
Rise, the ancient father greet.
Bow, ye thousands, low before him;
Minister before his feet.
Hail the patriarch’s glad reign,
Spreading over sea and main.


2. Sons of Michael, ’tis his chariot
Rolls its burning wheels along!
Raise aloft your voices million
In a torrent pow’r of song.
Hail our head with music soft!
Raise sweet melodies aloft!


3. Mother of our generations,
Glorious by great Michael’s side,
Take thy children’s adoration;
Endless with thy seed abide.
Lo! to greet thee now advance
Thousands in the glorious dance!


4. Raise a chorus, sons of Michael,
Like old ocean’s roaring swell,
Till the mighty acclamation
Thru rebounding space doth tell
That the ancient one doth reign
In his Father’s house again!

[cowboy]

I hope Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing gets reinstated.

Amen. Along with that, Amazing Grace, The Garden, and the original version of Away in a Manger. Nice additions with no chance in Hell would be The Old Rugged Cross, Softly and Tenderly, I'll Fly Away, and Rock of Ages. It's not a hymn, my favorite of all gospel songs is Why Me Lord. The folks at the nursing home sing along without missing a word every time it's played. That's saying something when you consider some of them don't even know their own family members.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Praise to the Man is one of those hymns that seems normal to lifelong Mormons — then if you bring a non-LDS person to church and they analyze those lyrics you know they have to think “Ok this is actually a violent cult that worships Joseph Smith.”

Wonder if they could figure out a way to save it but get rid of the creepiest lyrics.

It is all creepy lyrics and that is the logical conclusion of the lyrics of the song. I'm not saying the LDS church is a violent cult that worships Joseph Smith, just that it is the logical conclusion of that song.

[Brian]

In our lovely Deseret we will smoke a cigarette.

Good times as a deacon. Trying to sing just loud enough from the front row deacon box so sister Schwantees could hear us and give us a piece of stink eye.

[Soccermom]

The survey also asks about primary songs. In my survey I said Follow the Prophet should be taken out of the primary songbook. I hope they keep He Sent His Son. That is my favorite.

[Moliere]

Praise to the Man is one of those hymns that seems normal to lifelong Mormons — then if you bring a non-LDS person to church and they analyze those lyrics you know they have to think “Ok this is actually a violent cult that worships Joseph Smith.”

Wonder if they could figure out a way to save it but get rid of the creepiest lyrics.

We sang that in sacrament once and the chorister had us stand up. The topic was Jospeh smith and the talks all focused on him. There was an entire family there investigating the church. They never came back, but to be honest, most investigators never come back. But it felt like a really weird sacrament meeting.