Michael Bresciani
America unplugged - - the new Lord's Prayer
By Michael Bresciani
Those who can hardly stand the syntax and rhythmic schemes of the English usage in our Constitution will not find any magnificence or beauty in the Elizabethan phrases of the Bible's King James Version. Not to worry — other versions are readily available to elucidate and amplify; there is hope for those whose cognizance has been slighted.
King James says "O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?" (Ps 4: 2) The hurried generation doesn't employ, nor is familiar with terms like 'leasing.' Visions of new car leases or Fifth Avenue apartments that rent for five million dollars or more, per year, are not the subject spoken to in the King's most regal version of writ.
Let's use a simpler version, broken down for the hurried minds and the erudite of the day. Here is a chance for those fully endowed with acquired knowledge, but who remain unable to engage the ancient, revered yet fully preserved mechanism by which to use knowledge correctly; commonly referred to as wisdom.
The easier version, quoted from the Message Bible removes the clouds thus rendering it accessible even to the minds of children. "You rabble — how long do I put up with your scorn?
How long will you lust after lies? How long will you live crazed by illusion?" (Opere citato)
The 'everything came from nothing' crowd, (Big bang,) insists that God could not have actually spoken these words. That's OK, because the same crowd is still wrestling with the question of whether the tree falling in the forest makes any noise in the absence of anyone being present to hear it. Passing by their own fully accepted, empirically derived, definition of sound, we should not be surprised that they haven't arrived at a fully supportable definition for the beginning of the universe.
To review: whether a falling tree in the forest makes a big bang cannot be answered — but a big bang in outer space can make a universe. No witnesses for either event but an entire society that believes one big bang equals one big universe. This raises the specter of two more great questions. First, if a mind asks a question when no one is there to witness it, does it create a great intellect? Second, do you actually want to leave the explanation of the universe in the hands of people who think like this?
As they wrestle with the question of trees in the forest, we at least already know, that not one human being was present to hear the big bang, subsequently, explanations for the origin of the universe are still, knocking, flailing and floundering at wisdoms door.
If wisdom arose, he would no doubt rebuke those who pounded on his door. He would ask the question of why he should have to speak to them a second and third time on the subject he has addressed so often and so concisely. Why should he have to repeat it again to the dull of hearing when there are those who haven't heard it for the first time? Have you heard it yet?
"Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." (Ro 1: 19-22)
After such a scathing rebuke, would they not only cease to seek father wisdom, but they may be inclined to warn others that he doesn't have a clue. If that didn't work, they might cut off his lines of communication, or as we say here in century twenty one — pull the plug.
The unplugged version of society is busy running around pulling the plugs of scripture, constitution and academic curiosity in so many ways that it would require a full non-fictional omnibus to cover its brief (about one generation) but frenzied history.
Prayer yanked out of schools, placards removed from courtrooms, words forbidden in classrooms, political correctness choking the media and a fear, fully formed and carefully outlined by PC engineers, then cast upon an entire generation that would bring pride to the likes of Hitler, Mao and Mussolini.
This generation has figuratively re-written the most well-known prayer in the world. Unspoken but, clearly heard, it is the very supplication and petition of the unregenerate.
Our Father which art in heaven, please erase your name from our classrooms, courtrooms, places of public discourse and most everywhere else — if you please. And by all means don't let your kingdom come, especially not now, because we are very busy in our all new enlightened world. And lest we forget, please dump that daily bread thing, we want more millionaires so we can tax them and use the dough to support the entitled and less fortunate. Would you mind easing back on that temptation thing because political hooligans, pop-culture heroes, Hollywood's hacks, Playboy's Heff and the internet's Huff have assured us that; 'lust is for life' and we really can't seem to get enough of that good stuff these days. And by the way would you stop emphasizing that sin thing. We have pretty much dealt with that and now, we allow most everything, except murder and child abuse — but at times we're not too sure about that either, as our ground breaking new HBO series, "Angry Boys" should fully indicate to you. Finally God, about that kingdom, power and glory thing; we already have a narcissist in chief (Barack Obama) so lighten up a bit for now.
If, as we like to say, 'one lie only leads to another' what shape is the last day's generation in, since they choose to accept the ultimate and biggest lie of all the previous generations, namely, that we are no longer or, perhaps, were never accountable to God at all? Are we already running headlong into the scripture that declares "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie?" (2Th 2: 11)
It is clearly safe to say that the day has arrived when lies, not love is what makes our world go round here in America. We have as the best example, the re-election bid of Barack Obama. Here is a man with stacks of 2008 campaign promises fully undelivered and rotting on their pallets down at the White House docks. With almost four years to make good on any promise, policy or proposal, he can now only say the exact opposite to the campaign crowds he addresses today and hope they won't notice that he is quite full of the proverbial baloney sausage.
Gas prices climbing to the moon do not supplant the all but deleted space program, but it is clear that prices at the pump will reach the moon long before we make our second attempt to get there. Obamacare is under the scrutiny of the Supremes and it doesn't have a good prognosis in that august body. Social tinkering to promote the gay agenda has become a runaway train belching out whistle, smoke and terror as it approaches our children's security and their very childhood innocence, at breakneck speed.
Joblessness, bank failures, failed bailouts and green policy that is stifling energy production, bring up the rear, but the campaign rhetoric goes on, replete with hedging, prevarications, evasiveness, equivocation and fibbing. That's an awful lot of words to use for civilities sake; when we all know that the real word to use is simply — lies.
Besides lies, there are the old trustworthy political devices like, blame gimmicks and the old stand-by — unmitigated gall.
We thought there was nothing left to blame George Bush for, until now. Then we saw the start of the gimmicks, like 'the Buffett Rule' and the 'War against women, working moms, the church, the unborn, marriage, the rich and America itself. The only thing left is the gall with which Barack Obama expects us to believe that re-electing him would be anything other than the beginning of a national disaster.
Let's get plugged back in to some higher wisdom America and bring this great streamlined locomotive into the station in one piece, with some dignity and some national pride to go along with it!
I can think of plenty of names like Washington, Lincoln, Reagan and others whose words would serve to remind us of the wisdom and nobility that was once used to form this nation. But I would rather remind my readers of the real words of the Lord's Prayer which may serve to direct our attention to the one whose words are far more than quotable — they are the words of life.
"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." (Matthew 6: 9)
© Michael Bresciani
April 19, 2012
Those who can hardly stand the syntax and rhythmic schemes of the English usage in our Constitution will not find any magnificence or beauty in the Elizabethan phrases of the Bible's King James Version. Not to worry — other versions are readily available to elucidate and amplify; there is hope for those whose cognizance has been slighted.
King James says "O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?" (Ps 4: 2) The hurried generation doesn't employ, nor is familiar with terms like 'leasing.' Visions of new car leases or Fifth Avenue apartments that rent for five million dollars or more, per year, are not the subject spoken to in the King's most regal version of writ.
Let's use a simpler version, broken down for the hurried minds and the erudite of the day. Here is a chance for those fully endowed with acquired knowledge, but who remain unable to engage the ancient, revered yet fully preserved mechanism by which to use knowledge correctly; commonly referred to as wisdom.
The easier version, quoted from the Message Bible removes the clouds thus rendering it accessible even to the minds of children. "You rabble — how long do I put up with your scorn?
How long will you lust after lies? How long will you live crazed by illusion?" (Opere citato)
The 'everything came from nothing' crowd, (Big bang,) insists that God could not have actually spoken these words. That's OK, because the same crowd is still wrestling with the question of whether the tree falling in the forest makes any noise in the absence of anyone being present to hear it. Passing by their own fully accepted, empirically derived, definition of sound, we should not be surprised that they haven't arrived at a fully supportable definition for the beginning of the universe.
To review: whether a falling tree in the forest makes a big bang cannot be answered — but a big bang in outer space can make a universe. No witnesses for either event but an entire society that believes one big bang equals one big universe. This raises the specter of two more great questions. First, if a mind asks a question when no one is there to witness it, does it create a great intellect? Second, do you actually want to leave the explanation of the universe in the hands of people who think like this?
As they wrestle with the question of trees in the forest, we at least already know, that not one human being was present to hear the big bang, subsequently, explanations for the origin of the universe are still, knocking, flailing and floundering at wisdoms door.
If wisdom arose, he would no doubt rebuke those who pounded on his door. He would ask the question of why he should have to speak to them a second and third time on the subject he has addressed so often and so concisely. Why should he have to repeat it again to the dull of hearing when there are those who haven't heard it for the first time? Have you heard it yet?
"Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." (Ro 1: 19-22)
After such a scathing rebuke, would they not only cease to seek father wisdom, but they may be inclined to warn others that he doesn't have a clue. If that didn't work, they might cut off his lines of communication, or as we say here in century twenty one — pull the plug.
The unplugged version of society is busy running around pulling the plugs of scripture, constitution and academic curiosity in so many ways that it would require a full non-fictional omnibus to cover its brief (about one generation) but frenzied history.
Prayer yanked out of schools, placards removed from courtrooms, words forbidden in classrooms, political correctness choking the media and a fear, fully formed and carefully outlined by PC engineers, then cast upon an entire generation that would bring pride to the likes of Hitler, Mao and Mussolini.
This generation has figuratively re-written the most well-known prayer in the world. Unspoken but, clearly heard, it is the very supplication and petition of the unregenerate.
Our Father which art in heaven, please erase your name from our classrooms, courtrooms, places of public discourse and most everywhere else — if you please. And by all means don't let your kingdom come, especially not now, because we are very busy in our all new enlightened world. And lest we forget, please dump that daily bread thing, we want more millionaires so we can tax them and use the dough to support the entitled and less fortunate. Would you mind easing back on that temptation thing because political hooligans, pop-culture heroes, Hollywood's hacks, Playboy's Heff and the internet's Huff have assured us that; 'lust is for life' and we really can't seem to get enough of that good stuff these days. And by the way would you stop emphasizing that sin thing. We have pretty much dealt with that and now, we allow most everything, except murder and child abuse — but at times we're not too sure about that either, as our ground breaking new HBO series, "Angry Boys" should fully indicate to you. Finally God, about that kingdom, power and glory thing; we already have a narcissist in chief (Barack Obama) so lighten up a bit for now.
If, as we like to say, 'one lie only leads to another' what shape is the last day's generation in, since they choose to accept the ultimate and biggest lie of all the previous generations, namely, that we are no longer or, perhaps, were never accountable to God at all? Are we already running headlong into the scripture that declares "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie?" (2Th 2: 11)
It is clearly safe to say that the day has arrived when lies, not love is what makes our world go round here in America. We have as the best example, the re-election bid of Barack Obama. Here is a man with stacks of 2008 campaign promises fully undelivered and rotting on their pallets down at the White House docks. With almost four years to make good on any promise, policy or proposal, he can now only say the exact opposite to the campaign crowds he addresses today and hope they won't notice that he is quite full of the proverbial baloney sausage.
Gas prices climbing to the moon do not supplant the all but deleted space program, but it is clear that prices at the pump will reach the moon long before we make our second attempt to get there. Obamacare is under the scrutiny of the Supremes and it doesn't have a good prognosis in that august body. Social tinkering to promote the gay agenda has become a runaway train belching out whistle, smoke and terror as it approaches our children's security and their very childhood innocence, at breakneck speed.
Joblessness, bank failures, failed bailouts and green policy that is stifling energy production, bring up the rear, but the campaign rhetoric goes on, replete with hedging, prevarications, evasiveness, equivocation and fibbing. That's an awful lot of words to use for civilities sake; when we all know that the real word to use is simply — lies.
Besides lies, there are the old trustworthy political devices like, blame gimmicks and the old stand-by — unmitigated gall.
We thought there was nothing left to blame George Bush for, until now. Then we saw the start of the gimmicks, like 'the Buffett Rule' and the 'War against women, working moms, the church, the unborn, marriage, the rich and America itself. The only thing left is the gall with which Barack Obama expects us to believe that re-electing him would be anything other than the beginning of a national disaster.
Let's get plugged back in to some higher wisdom America and bring this great streamlined locomotive into the station in one piece, with some dignity and some national pride to go along with it!
I can think of plenty of names like Washington, Lincoln, Reagan and others whose words would serve to remind us of the wisdom and nobility that was once used to form this nation. But I would rather remind my readers of the real words of the Lord's Prayer which may serve to direct our attention to the one whose words are far more than quotable — they are the words of life.
"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." (Matthew 6: 9)
© Michael Bresciani
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
