Aug

3

Prayers for Humanity

August 3, 2007 |

bono.jpgHere are a couple of prayers that I feel are quite timely for humanity.

The first one was apparently recited by a pastor in Kansas state, at the opening session of their senate:

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good’, but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!”


The second one was shared by Bono, before singing Miss Sarajevo at a concert in Milan:

“We would like to turn our song into a prayer. The prayer is that we don’t become a monster in order to defeat a monster. That is our prayer tonight.”

These prayers remind me of Mahatma Gandhi’s Seven Social Sins:

Politics without principles
Pleasure without conscience
Wealth without work
Knowledge without character
Commerce without morality
Science without humanity
Worship without sacrifice

With all the “lessons” that we have witnessed over the last three millenniums, isn’t it time for us to apply what we have learned? At least, if for nothing else, teach our children the lessons that we want them to learn…


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