Symbols and Emojis.

[Ross Au]

I have noticed that it has become popular in some areas to use the 🙏 emoji when saying thank you or similar. I did some research and it seems to be associated with false religion.

Does anyone have any specific information that can help with reasoning on the use of certain symbols and emojis?

 

[New World Explorer]

This is what I found:

Meaning

Depicting two hands pressed together and fingers pointed up, 🙏 Folded Hands is variously used as a gesture of prayer (religious or secular), thanks, request, and greeting as well to express such sentiments as hope, praise, gratitude, reverence, and respect. It is only occasionally applied as a high five, often in reference to the "high five" myth.

https://blog.emojipedia.org/emojiology-folded-hands/

 

Would you be able to share your research with us? 

[Ross Au]

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/🙏

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/namaste

 

Hi bro Greg,

 

Couple of references above. What bothers me is the link to Yoga and Asian religion (namaste). I have always tried to steer well clear of anything that is even close to false worship, yet several in the congregation are frequent users of the emoji. I suspect they use it because of it's popularity in the world today but, is it offensive to Jehovah?

[Bro_BT]

It reminds me of the attached image.

[Junichi NAKANISHI]

 

 LESSON 35 How to Make Good Decisions in Enjoy Life Forever might be helpful to decide how to use this 🙏 emoji.

 Especially Romans 15:1 and 1 Corinthians 10:23, 24 might be helpful.

 

This is my experience; I am a Japanese and exchange LINE with about 150 Japanese brothers and sisters in Japan. Among us about 150, I remember that only one sister used this 🙏 emoji to express sincere desire just one time. This is my personal comment that the way to use this emoji varies depending on the country and area. 

Edited January 26, 2023 by Junichi NAKANISHI
misspelled the word "helpful" in the 2nd line.

[carlos]

This is just my opinion: Emojis don't mean anything in themselves. They just mean whatever the users understand them to mean. If in your area it's common to use the gesture 🙏 to say thanks, then it's just normal to use that emoji. (Probably for someone from India that emoji means "hello" instead of "thanks".)

 

There are a lot more emojis that are interpreted differently depending on your culture.

 

Of course if you don't feel comfortable using some emojis it's better to avoid them.

 

 

[carlos]

This is just my opinion: Emojis don't mean anything in themselves. They just mean whatever the users understand them to mean. If in your area it's common to use the gesture 🙏 to say thanks, then it's just normal to use that emoji. (Probably for someone from India that emoji means "hello" instead of "thanks".)

 

There are a lot more emojis that are interpreted differently depending on your culture.

 

Of course if you don't feel comfortable using some emojis it's better to avoid them.

 

 

[hatcheckgirl]

According to Emojipedia:

🙏 Folded Hands

“Folded Hands was approved as part of Unicode 6.0in 2010 under the name “Person with Folded Hands” and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015.”

 

The significance is culturally specific. Here in Australia we would use it as prayer. Asia has more the meaning of thanks and please. Some think it is a high-five symbol. 
 

More info: “Depicting two hands pressed together and fingers pointed up, 🙏 Folded Hands is variously used as a gesture of prayer (religious or secular), thanks, request, and greeting as well to express such sentiments as hope, praise, gratitude, reverence, and respect. It is only occasionally applied as a high five, often in reference to the "high five" myth….

 

People also fold their hands together when making requests, whether asking for a simple favor or dramatically pleading for forgiveness. “

https://blog.emojipedia.org/emojiology-folded-hands/

 

[Amygdala]

Generally in the western world when people see it, there is no spiritual connection to the emoji. But again as mentioned it all depends on how it is viewed in the cultural surrounding, whether or not it imbues some form of false worship.

 

For example, wedding rings in the western world are just considered symbols of being married. Although the roots are not exactly clear, this is interesting about the connection to the pagan God Vena, whereby the fourth finger connects to her heart. But in the western world, no religious connection, other than symbolizing marriage is meant by the ring. I suppose you could stop wearing the ring or use it as a necklace to symbolize marriage, but in most cases anywhere else doesn't really give that same meaning.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vena_amoris

 

Quote

The use of a wedding ring has long been part of religious weddings in Europe and America, but the origin of the tradition is unclear. One possibility is the Roman belief in the Vena amoris, which was believed to be a blood vessel that ran from the fourth finger (ring finger) directly to the heart. Thus, when a couple wore rings on this finger, their hearts were connected. Historian Vicki Howard points out that the belief in the "ancient" quality of the practice is most likely a modern invention.^[3] In the United States of America, a groom's wedding band has not appeared until the early 20th century,^[4] while in Europe it has been part of the tradition since the ancient Romans, as witnessed by the jurist Gaius.