First Diatribe: The Corruption of Prayer

In the beginning was one prayer, now there is prayer for the day on radio 4.

And He said unto them, “When ye pray, say: Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in Heaven, so on earth.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Or in Matthew

In this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory for ever. Amen.

One of the kid's disciples badgered him into it because John had done it before. So the kid gave him a prayer, the prayer. He did not say - go forth and multiply. He did not say, now go away and create a million banal prayers of your own. The kid said if you need a prayer, ok, here's a nice simple one, covers all the bases. Don't fuck around with it.

All subsequent prayers are therefore blasphemy perpetuated by harlot priests. That, as you know, opens the gateway to hell.