Children don't know The Lord's Prayer

So, it has been revealed by a survey, about half the children in UK don't know the words of a prayer that Jesus used to illustrate how to pray without 'babbling like heathens'; in other words, how to pray without repeating the same old thing as if it is a magic chant. Well I say, Hurray! Why would we want to teach children words that they don't understand and don't mean. The mere parrot-fashion repetition of the prayer in school assemblies does not achieve anything other than teach children that they will be allowed to stop saying it when they are grown up. 

To cap it all, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, thinks it is a bad thing on the grounds that, 'This is something that's really, really important to lots and lots of people and can change their lives.' No it doesn't! Jesus can change their lives, but not a bunch of words that Jesus never suggested should be repeated verbatim. Rowan Williams also suggests that if children memorise the prayer then later on they can, '...make up their minds whether to use it.' Surely it would be better for children to make up their minds later on as to whether they are going to accept Jesus or not. They won't do that by relying on a memorised chant,  but by escaping the religious, legalistic frame of mind that insists on children (and adults) learning things about Jesus by heart instead of accepting him in their hearts.

The idea that anyone can ever truly understand these words without an innner, personal knowledge of Jesus is twaddle. For Rowan Williams to say that the prayer 'isn't a very big or complicated thing' is strange in the extreme. It baffles many Christians, including apparently, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who seems to accept the words as having some form of intrinsic power and value.  Jesus taught simply, and his teaching was that neither words nor material sacrifice are  enough. Only by sacrificing our inner selves to him can we come into a good relationship with the great god above all gods, Yahweh. 

The words Jesus used in his teaching have been taken out of context and turned into a meaningless mantra. It is taught to people as if it is important in its own right; as if it holds power; as if it is an object of worship. The so-called 'Lord's Prayer' or 'The Our Father' has become for some people an idol. 

And we know what Yahweh thinks of idols!

Homosexual castration

So now we hear that in the 1950s a number of homosexuals were castrated in the Netherlands in Catholic psychiatric care. As if this isn't disturbing enough, we are told that for some of them it was also a punishment for daring to speak out about sexual abuse during their childhood in Catholic care homes. 

Now, I realise that the Catholic hierarchy has spoken out against child abuse and the physical mistreatment of gay people, albeit rather belatedly and under extreme pressure, but I have seen no sign of true repentance. The main response of the hierarchy, which is transmitted on to the millions of Catholic laity, is self protection. It's no good harping on about the past. We have changed. Let's look to the future. 

On the other hand, the Catholic hierarchy is happy to shout stridently on subjects such as the sanctity of marriage and the abortion industry. Can they not see their hypocrisy? Why should any sane person believe that they have any moral or spiritual authority? 

It sickens me that people who claim to be proclaiming Jesus behave in this manner. But then, perhaps that is what one should expect when commerce, politics and power are the main driving forces behind an unscriptural denominational institution. 

Paul had a tongue-in-cheek answer for those who were misleading the Galatians into legalism - the same sort of salvation-by-rules  seen in the Catholic and many other sects. In a side swipe at their insistence on circumcision, he said he wished they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves. But no doubt the Catholic hierarchy will take every care to ensure that the castraters of the 1950s are kept safe and in one piece.     

Bibolatry

There is a genuine word 'bibliolatry', which refers to worship of the bible. But I don't like it. It's awkward to say and places the emphasis on the first part. So here's a new word: 'bibolatry'. I reckon this is a much better word for combining 'bible' and 'idolatry' and should join the new lexicon alongside such terms as 'churchianity'.

I have just published a new book, which contains a chapter about bibolatry, although the overall content is much wider. Fibs, Lies and Scripture looks at some of the many ways that scripture is misused and abused. Give it a go!