They also add a line to the Apostle’s Creed about the “Holy Catholic Church”, which being a Presbyterian church struck me as kind of odd, having been raised Methodist.
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That same line appears in the Creed of the different protestant church I was trapped in, er, attended as a child/early teen.
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One of the best theological expositions of the roles of God and Satan I have ever come across was the original 1967 film Bedazzled, the Cook/Moore/Welch/Humphries version. The script and plot are of a very high order. I couldn’t bear to watch the remake because I knew it wouldn’t be up to it.
At the end God echoes T S Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral, telling Satan that he has done the right thing for the wrong reason.
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Lighten up, Francis.
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well, i suppose if ANYBODY on the physical earth in their hierarchy had the authority to do it, it would be the pope. i say go for it.
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So… Lead us not into temptation, oh Lucifer, creation of God; who created everything. (it is good to have a former employee to blame)
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Don’t be tempted by this desire to make the Lord’s Prayer a better translation, because that’s still temptation.
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Malachy McCourt’s memoir is titled after his misunderstood line from the Hail Mary “Blessed art thou a monk swimming.”
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They do this every once in a while to catch whoever hasn’t been to church in a while.
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Yep–that’s the version I learned, too. I recall going to a friend’s church where they replaced ‘trespass’ with ‘debt’ and all I could think was ‘if that’s the least of your sins such that it’s worth being mentioned in the canonical Christian prayer to the Almighty, you are doing all right.’
Of course, today my reaction would be ‘what sort of transactional bullshit is this?’
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The Lord would never lead one to temptation. He would only create a proxy monster to do his dirty work for him!
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On topic: I feel that ‘Let us not fall into temptation’ would fulfill the Pope’s aim of absolving his Almighty (and he has a point about that) while preserving the sounds and cadence of the original.
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I’ve heard of kids who think God’s name is Andy, because of the chorus from “In the Garden”
And He walks with me
And He talks with me…
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How about just “lead us away from temptation” which is probably the intent of the original clumsy phrase anyway.
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That, and it also runs parallel to the sentiment ‘Deliver us from evil.’
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Ah yes, the ol’ big-C Catholic versus little-c catholic. The most confusing way possible to refer to a universal community of Christian believers.
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The NRSV already translates it as “do not bring us to the time of trial,” but that’s not an approved translation for use in public Catholic worship (though it’s okay for private study and devotion).
Like so many problems, this can all be traced back to the King James Bible. /shakes fist
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Perhaps. But it’s heartening to know that somewhere words still matter.
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The Lord’s Prayer should be kept as is. If you believe in Dualism, Free Will, and the Omnipotent Creator, then yes, God does indeed lead you into temptation. A good lawyer would call it entrapment, but that’s why all lawyers end up in hell.
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For the curious: the Lord’s Prayer is Matthew 6:9-13. This being the New Testament, there are dozens of translations and interpretations. Here are just some of them:
Book of Common Prayer ,1559
Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
—
King James Version (Matthew), 1611
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in 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.
—
New Jerusalem Bible, 1985
Our Father in heaven. May your name be held holy.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test, but save us from the Evil One.
[This one is especially relevant given that the New Jerusalem translation has a large Catholic following.]
—
The Message, Eugene Peterson, 1993
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best – as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
[The Message is a paraphrase rather than a translation (if that wasn’t already obvious). I affectionately refer to it as ‘The Unofficial Acid-Tested Companion to The Bible’.]
—
New Living Translation, 1996
Our Father in heaven may your name be honored.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven.
Give us our food for today,
and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
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