A Prayer With Holes

By Shyamon Jayasinghe –December 26, 2015

Shyamon Jayasinghe

We have reflected often on the vital need for an ongoing self-examination of the ideas and beliefs that we hold from time to time.The thought was inspired by Socrates’ exhortation to humanity to keep our ideas constantly under scrutiny and not buy them without taking a good look. “An unexamined life is not worth living,” said Socrates.

An illustration for this admonition is apt and I found a good one among my recent emails. This email was sent to me by a Christian friend but it could as well have been shared by any God-believing religionist. I thought we may take this up as a general illustrative case. I produce the piece sent by email with the advice that I should circulate the wisdom to all. Here it is:

“THE PRAYER THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD



When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

“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 anti-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 response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest.
In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively.

The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea.

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program,

“The Rest of the Story,” and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.

With the Lord’s help may this prayer sweep over our nation and whole-heartedly become our desire so that we again can be called: “one nation under God”

If possible, please pass this prayer on to your friends. “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for everything.”                                                                 Read More