A Modern Version of the Lord's Prayer

Prayer is one of the most ancient spiritual practices still popular today. It's not restricted to any particular religion, and the most amazing thing is that it's not restricted to religion at all. It can be used by the most atheist person. It can be used in everyday speech, albeit a little poetic sounding: "May this contract go through well and benefit both of us", is an example of a totally secular prayer. Another example would be the common toast, e.g., "Here's to a healthy marriage!"

With that in mind, I've taken what may well be the most famous Christian prayer, and "translated" it into a more modern form. I'm speaking of the so-called "Lord's prayer", or "Pater noster", from the letters of the apostle Matthew. The prayer is attributed to Jesus of Nazareth.

What I've done is remove the appeals to the Abrahamic God, thus making it a secular prayer; as well as make the verses declarative instead of supplicative. That is, in the Glowing Face Man version, the verses are declared as being true, whereas in the original version they're (mostly) in the form of requests. Declarative prayer is generally more powerful, and certainly more self-empowering. You can read the original prayer in several different translations here.

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Those things which are good and right and true:
I acknowledge them with honor and love;
These things are come,
These things are done,
This Earth is a living Heaven.

I am provided for with abundance,
I am wealthy and free,
Generous and forgiving.

My thoughts are wholesome and uplifting,
As are my deeds and the world around me:
For that way lies happiness,
And power, and glory,
For ever and ever.

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The main source of power in a prayer like this is not the words themselves, but the belief that they're true. Belief shapes thoughts, and thoughts shape actions, and actions shape reality. True Christians have an advantage: they feel that when they speak the prayer, an all-powerful deity makes it so. This strengthens their belief in the words of the prayer, thus strengthening its power. Whether or not there's any actual divine intervention is something we can never possibly know or prove or disprove, and it's not really relevant anyway. The important thing is to have faith that the prayer is true.

Let me use an example to illustrate this. A man once went to a famous magician and asked for a love spell. The magician told the man: "Take this enchanted pen, and on your right hand, write the magic code, 4H105LDX. Then whatever woman you touch with that hand, she will fall in love with you." The man took the pen, and wrote 4H105LDX on his hand. Then he touched the girl he loved, and they fell in love and married and lived happily ever after. Was it because of magical power? No, it was because the man was filled with courage, the courage to go after the girl he wanted. The pen was just a common pen, and the magic code was just something the wizard made up. The power was in the man's belief.

In the same way, by believing the words of the Lord's prayer, we eventually make them true. Believing ourselves wealthy, we attract greater wealth. Believing in abundance, we find abundance. Believing in freedom, we find freedom. And so on. There's nothing magical or mystical or holy about it; our eyes are simply opened to opportunities that already exist, and which we may have overlooked before, because of how the human psyche strives to see only those things that are consistent with belief.

Here are some other articles I've written. I pray you'll enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Meeting the Geisha
The Relationship Between Happiness And Material Success
Connections Between Japanese and Buddhism
The Mirror Model of Social Interaction