1433: IT’S SIMPLE! HE NEVER INTENDED FOR IT TO BE COMPLICATED OR DESTRUCTIVE!

Well.  Wait let me say something here.  I may have said it before, but today I’m too damn lazy to look it up to see for sure.  Did y’all notice how I start a whole bunch of my “stories” with the word “well”?  Well, there is a reason for it.  You see, all through elementary, junior high, high school and college, teachers taught (no demanded) that I never, I mean never ever, start a sentence, an article or a book with the word “well”.  So, being the “fall in line”, “follow the crowd” kinda fella I am (NOT) I just had to start this one with “well”.  So where was I?

Well bein’ the hard headed, rattle the cage kinda cat I am I am gonna wade into never, never land once again.  Yep, I’m gonna talk about the Bible and religion.  Heaven forbid right?  Hey, and I’m gonna step on some toes.  A bunch of toes!  But me, bein’ me, I cannot resist and with the way things are right now it might do some good.  So here goes.

Folks, you do not need your Bible!  No you don’t!  At least, not in the sense that a whole bunch of you think you do.

Having lost my wife, after a multi-year battle with sickness and cancer, has made me reflect on life in a whole new way.  It has caused me to make my life simpler.  More peaceful.  More calm and yes, even less important.  Sure I’m gonna live my life, but it is my next life which is way more important to me now.

Over the last five years I have watched as folks have tried to out quote each other on Bible verses.  I observed as countless thousands have argued about which religion is right and which one is wrong.  I have actually seen people come to blows.  I have soon good friends become enemies.  I have seen families break apart and for what?  All in the name of the Bible and/or religion.  That ain’t right!  That is not what God intended and of this I am sure!  So here is my take on religion, the Bible and what God Almighty intended.  And no, this does not include the Muslim’s “Allah”!  That is just evil.

Take your Bible, whether King James, Catholic, International, New International, or even most Jewish books and look up the Ten Commandments.  Okay, you got that?  Now, look up The Lord’s Prayer (Our Father).  These two things are in all of these books and in many others.  Now completely memorize and take to heart these two writings.  Now, you can put your books down because if you live and pray by these two things you will never have need for a Bible or religion for anything other than history lessons.  Why do you think these two things were written?  For history lessons?  No sir!  They were written because these two things will be a way of life forever.  They will follow any time period.  They will follow ALL world changes.  There is no argument in what they say or mean.  It is these two things which can UNITE us all instead of break us apart like the multitude of religions and Bible verses taken out of context have.

Think I’m mistaken?  See for yourself amongst many Bibles:

New International Version

"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

New Living Translation

Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

English Standard Version

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

New American Standard Bible

"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

King James Bible

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Holman Christian Standard Bible

"Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy.

International Standard Version

Therefore, this is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

NET Bible

So pray this way: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored,

Aramaic Bible in Plain English

Therefore pray in this way: 'Our Father who are in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

GOD'S WORD®BIBLE Translation

"This is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, let your name be kept holy.

Jubilee Bible 2000

Ye, therefore, are to pray like this: Our Father who art in the heavens, Hallowed be thy name.

King James 2000 Bible

After this manner therefore pray: Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name.

American King James Version

After this manner therefore pray you: Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be your name.

American Standard Version

After this manner therefore pray ye. Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Douay-Rheims Bible

Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Darby Bible Translation

Thus therefore pray *ye*: Our Father who art in the heavens, let thy name be sanctified,

English Revised Version

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Webster's Bible Translation

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Weymouth New Testament

"In this manner therefore pray: 'Our Father who art in Heaven, may Thy name be kept holy;

World English Bible

Pray like this: 'Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

Young's Literal Translation

thus therefore pray ye: 'Our Father who art in the heavens! Hallowed be Thy name.

The Bible is the “good” book!  No, it is the “best” book!  It was never meant to be a competition, or a memory contest or an object of division.  It was meant to be the ultimate life guide book!  It was meant to be inspirational!  It was meant to be about the life of Jesus and more important, his teachings!  Study it as often as you can, but when it comes to your “life”, do as Moses commanded and pray as Jesus told you too.  Do this and everything else WILL take care of itself.

So tonight, when you pray, remember what Jesus instructed us to do and what Moses brought down from the mount.  Seriously, right now, in order to make the world a better place and get UNITED behind God Almighty, do we really need anything else?

Okay, now y’all can pick what I just wrote to pieces and go back to the way you were and start beaten me up for taking a chance to try to make things better.

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