Our Father's Hand

Whenever someone of religious bent is "stuck for a prayer" when asked to open a meeting or some sort of special occasion in a Christian institution, he or she often reverts to the time-honoured words: "Let's say the Our Father together."

The relationship between a son and his father is obvious. The father is actually present and the son really is holding his hand. There is no faith required.

I have long wondered what it is about this series of words that attracts  'people of faith'. The prayer is commonly attributed to Jesus who, according to the writer of Luke's Gospel, when asked by his disciples to teach them to pray, replied: "When you pray, say..." (Luke, 11:2-4) or following Matthew's account of that occasion, Jesus said: "This, then, is how you should pray..." (Matthew, 6:9)
The writer of Luke follows this up with injunctions to "ask", "seek", and "knock" and you will get what you want. On the other hand, the writer of Matthews gospel insists that prayer is a private, even "secret" activity - "But when you pray, go into your room and close the door" because "your Father ... who is unseen ... will reward you." (Matthew, 6:6).

[What each of these writers had in mind when including this section in their Gospels depended largely on the audiences for whom they were writing - Luke for the Greeks of non-Jewish background and Matthew for Jews who had converted to Christianity. Both were written around 70 CE, some nearly 40 years after the death of Jesus.]

This is the one form of words that many billions of people will recognise as the quintessential Christian prayer. But, what's it actually based on? I've often wondered about this. Even Pope Francis  has tinkered with it and even written a book about it. Perhaps it's not based on anything except 'faith', 'belief' (or wishful thinking). This is not to say that is serves many people well and that these people live productive and positive lives as a result. And, of course, it is their absolute prerogative to follow this path.

Let's have a look at each of the lines and I'll attempt to provide an alternative perspective. I'm using an older, more traditional form of words.

Our Father, who art in Heaven ...
Greetings to the Being whom I believe actually exists (even though I have never seen you) and whom I assume to be like a father-figure having control over the whole of creation and who exists in a place (well, not a place, actually, but more like a sort of existence out of my reach and understanding because I can only get there after I die and that's not a given either) called Heaven (did You coin that word?). It's so good to know that Jesus' father is also my father ...

Hallowed be thy name ...
I assert that your name is very holy and very special (or so I have been told) ...

Thy kingdom come ...
I believe that you sit at the head of a kingdom (so you must be a king as well) and I ask that you bring that kingdom to me and anyone else who believes in you. However, I'm not really sure if this kingdom is in that mystical Heaven or somewhere on earth (given that all the earthly domains don't seem to have a leader called 'Father') so I don't know what it looks like. Nevertheless, I want it to appear ...

Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven ...
I desire that what happens in your Heaven also happens here on our earth. I can say this because I believe that there is a Heaven (even though I haven't seen it and therefore I can't describe it and I believe that what happens there is pure and without complications or problems because you're in charge). And by the way, I also believe that there is only one earth. There aren't really any other ones because that would make this line a little weird ...

Give us, this day, our daily bread ...
Provide us with the food we need today (I'm assuming this actually means all sorts of food and not just 'bread'). I'm thankful that I do have food to eat because it's clear that many other people around the world go days without any food at all - but I believe that you are still looking after them ...

And forgive us our trespasses ...
This is an especially nice thought, Father, because it makes me feel that I'm not such a bad Being after all, and also because I believe that you are merciful. It's a relief that there's always a way out for me without having to take actual responsibility for my own actions ...

As we forgive those who trespass against us ...
Yes, I will do the same for others who have done the wrong thing by me because, really, if I believe in you, it's a rule I have to follow (even though I don't actually hear you telling me you forgive me because you're in your Heaven somewhere) ...

And lead us not into temptation ...
This is a hard one, because I know that you would never do that. You are my Father, after all, and what father would lead a child into temptation? I suppose I'm just asking you to keep me safe, even though I have no idea how you might do that if I've never seen you and you are often not there when I need you the most. So I don't really know why I'm asking this of you. Maybe it's something I need forgiveness for ...

But deliver us from evil.
This must be hard to do because there is evil everywhere, it seems. So, please bring me to a place where there is no evil so it can't touch me (I can't think of a place like that but because you are my Father, I believe that this is possible). I have faith that you can do this despite the fact that the evidence in front of me suggests otherwise.

Faith, of its very nature, springs from a belief in something or someone that cannot be seen or tested and millions of people base their whole lives on this untested belief. They think that the experiences of their lives prove that their faith is based on something real and effective.  However, the fact that one might feel better after confessing a few "trespasses" may have nothing whatsoever to do with a priest dispensing God's forgiveness and more to do with a sense of relief at taking responsibility for hurting someone.

Perhaps the "Our Father" is just another way to boost dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin levels in the brain so we feel happy about our lives. And, in Christian circles, happiness is not to be trusted (Read Harari, Yuval, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, pp. 421-444) because we were born with Original Sin and so must suffer for it the rest of our lives (unless, of course, we are luckily baptised in the "One True Faith") ...

Is happiness a particular emotional state? Is it the result of something we ask for or is it the result of something we are?