News - Psalm you win, psalm you lose
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Some of the best-known prayers and psalms have been rewritten by the Church of England to reflect the growing problems of fair trade and debt in the developing world.
In the 23rd psalm, The Lord is My Shepherd, for example, the line “yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” becomes “even if a full-scale violent confrontation breaks out I will not be afraid, Lord”.
And “give us this day our daily bread” in the Lord’s Prayer has been adapted to “you are giving us our daily bread when we manage to get back our lands or get a fairer wage”.
But why stop there? With so many other worries in the world, from yob culture to environmental disaster, there’s plenty of potential for updated litany.
Your Friday Challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to rewrite part of a traditional prayer or psalm for the 21st Century. Selected entries will be published throughout Friday.
Entries have now closed.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of signal shadow, I shall fear no loss of signal, for thine is the urban digital signal, with four bars of power, in its crystal clarity glory.
Dave Howe, US
Jesus Wept - which just goes to show that, although he may be the Son of God, he is a thoroughly modern man, not afraid to show his emotions in public. Right on, Jesus.
Dave Godfrey, Swindon
Lord, give me bandwidth to download the things that I want, a firewall to prevent the things that I don’t, and a decent user guide to know the difference.
Philip W, UK
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth… (only applies to those with private health insurance, and after a lengthy legal wrangle).
Kirsten, UK
Blessed art though amongst women, and blessed is the fruit that is not genetically modified
Jane, UK
Forgive me my road-rage, as I forgive those who cut me up on the motorway
Tom Marshall, Wales
dad@hvn.
ur spshl.
we wnt wot u wnt & urth 2b lyk hvn.
giv us food n 4giv r sins lyk we 4giv uvas.
dnt test us.
cos we no ur boss.
ur tuf & ur kl 4eva.
ok?
Matthew Campbell’s winning entry in Ship of Fools’ text prayer competition, sent in by Vicky Mendham, UK
If thine eye offends thy, pluck it out, but don’t expect to been seen at the local A&E Dept, as it was self inflicted.
John Rogers, London, England
Our Father, who art in Heaven, though in the interests of equality that makes no difference as to the status of your asylum application, hallowed be thy name, except obviously when it is ‘Yaweh’ since that sounds a bit like ‘Zarkowi’ and that means that any flight you attempted to catch would almost certainly be grounded for several of our earth days under the terrorist law enacted by your prophet, St David of Blunket…For thine is the kingdom, although we are pressing for democracy and reform, in which case the kingdom will belong to a democratically elected government of patriot disciples or George Bush, the power, and the glory, as stated under the amended UN resolution, until the next election or until an interim Lord takes over full sovereignty, a-people.
Evan, UK/Dubai
And some information of fidelity national title insurance.