By Prof. Protus Nathan Uzorma
According to Aristophanes “Wise men, though all laws were abolished, would lead to the same lives.” One who is wiser today was as at yesterday ignorant. This is further authenticated by Alexander Pope thus, “A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.” Yes, wisdom don’t consist in knowing more that is new, but in knowing less that is false.
By knowing less that is false, one comes to the knowledge of the “absolute.” My preferential process of learning does not follow a systematic or stereotype tradition hence I learn anywhere I find myself. In the process of learning everywhere and through any means, I came to the full recognition that many people say things anyhow without considering the proper meaning of same. When things are said without recourse to their hermeneutic implications, it creates a major problem in proper understanding of same. I am saying this in view of my experience on Sunday at Showers of Blessing Christian Center, where I briefly visited to appreciate my friend Mr. Joe who presented his newly born baby in the Church.
The man of God upon sighting me consequently recognized my presence and announced same to the mammoth crowd and without much ado, demanded for a hand shake with the Lord’s Reformer, which I did oblige him. As we were holding our hands, I did again oblige him access to my psychic higher self, on his way I decided to disconnect him. This made him to apply the principles of Prosopomancy (the art of reading the signs of human face) in releasing his (thus says the Lord) prophecy which did go thus: “Professor Nathan God said I should tell you that there is an unfinished work that you must return to do…” As he was yet speaking, there was an interjection from the lord that consequently stopped him, and the Lord through the Reformer replied, “Man of God, there will always be an unfinished work in the history of every man which informs the common slogan at the point of exit ‘o he or she left us at the point when his works and mission are most needed.’ Man of God, I have not left any work undone and unfinished… I’m still alive…” He looked at me with profound interest and consequently smiled. I make bold to say that my God will not allow me to die now that I am on a mission to depopulate hell and populate heaven through the great light of God, the light of salvation-the Noah’s Ark which is the ark of enlightenment. That was that!
Now the major thing that was said by the same Pastor which got my attention was when he said, “Few days ago, the lord began to minister to me about the mystery in Our Lord’s Prayer. Many of us in the Pentecostal Church are yet to understand this prayer…” Though, I forgot to ask the Pastor if he has truly understood the mystical cum spiritual meaning of the prayer. To say we have not understood it is easy but to properly understand same, is the challenge of the day. This has been the major problem with the preachers of today; they make statements that if properly digested, will create a major problem to the entire world. Such statement has continued to fan the flam of controversy throughout history and can be understood if basic philosophical principles are applied.
The saying that “there is nothing new under the sun” appears not to have made any sense to many people. It appears that Pastor Donamis was right when he said that we are yet to understand the mystery in Our Lord’s Prayer. I am very much aware of a text known as Maxims of Ani which is a twenty-second dynasty text that appears to have been based on earlier eighteen dynasty work, which places it in the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries B.C. This text discusses the concept of God and his worship. The Maxims of Ani and Our Lord’s Prayer are very similar, to the extent that scholars are of the view that Jesus Christ copied from Maxims of Ani in teaching of Our Lord’s Prayer as is shown below.
OUR LORD’S PRAYER MAXIMS OF ANI Our father which art in heaven … . The God of this earth is the ruler of the horizon Hallowed be thy name The God is for making great his name. Devote yourself a to the adoration of his name
Thy kingdom come………………………………………………Give your God existence Thy will be done……………………………………………………He will do thy business In earth as it is in heaven ……………………………….His likenesses are upon the earth Give us this day our daily bread…………………….(God) is given incense and food offerings daily. And forgive us our debts as we…………………….The God will judge the true and honest forgive our debtors And lead us not into temptations…………………Guard again the things that god abominates But deliver us from evil………………………………. Preserve me from decay For thine is the kingdom…………………………………(God) is the king of the horizon The power and the glory……………………………..He magnifies whoever magnifies him Forever and ever……………………………………………. Let tomorrow be as today Amen…………………………………………………………………..Amen
Something must be wrong somewhere in the course of human history. The ancient truly saw spirituality from a different perspective today we are seeing same from materialistic point of view no wonder Katharine Whiteborn says, “Never believe anything until it’s been denied.”