.
The beads of a rosary are little more than page upon page of indifferent
sing-song lyrics. So then rosaries are in essence mantras repeated over and
over and over again, which is a clear violation of not only Heb 4:16, but also
Christ's God-given instructions.
● Matt 6:7-9 . . In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that
they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your
Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
OBJECTION: Jesus prayed a third time in the garden of Gethsemane, saying
the exact same words again.
REPLY: Christ's prayer with his Father was an honest conversation; and
yours should be too.
● Heb 4:16 . . Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we
may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The Greek word for "boldly" is parrhesia which means all out-spokenness,
i.e. frankness, bluntness, and/or confidence.
Rote prose is not what I call forthright, nor blunt, nor out-spoken, nor
confident. It's actually not much different than mindlessly chanting Hindu
mantras over and over and over again and/or reading the lines of a script
like a Hollywood actor. It's just as ridiculous as bobbing back and forth while
reading from a siddur like a Jew at the Wailing Wall.
NOTE: If we take Matt 26:44 and 2Cor 12:8 as a guide; then the maximum
number of repetitions should be limited to three; but even those cannot be
rote; they have to be honest, forthright, and candid.
If people calling themselves Christians don't have enough command of their
native tongue to speak up and tell God exactly what's on their minds—
clearly, coherently, candidly, intelligently, succinctly, and to the point —then
maybe they ought to go back to school.
I appeal not only to your reason, but also to your sensibilities. Suppose the
door bell rang one day and when you opened up— yikes! —it was God
himself in person! Would you welcome Him into your home by reading from
a missal and/or chanting rote prose; or would you greet Him as you do real
visitors? Well, the Bible's God is real; so treat Him with the courtesy and
respect that His intelligence deserves if you expect Him to reciprocate and
treat you with courtesy and respect in return.
Does anybody speak to their friends, their associates, their spouse, their
domestic partner, their significant other, their doctor, their dentist,
supermarket cashiers, or the cops by repeating the same thing over and
over again? Of course not. They would write their off as one in desperate
need of therapy if their did. Then why would anyone think it makes sense to
speak to God by saying the same thing over and over again every time they
address Him: every day, every week, every month, and every year?
Don't you think He looks upon rote chanters as mental cases when they do
that? Of course He does; who wouldn't? How would you like it if everybody
spoke to you like that? Well, He doesn't like it either. God is far more
intelligent than anybody you could possibly name and rote chanters are
treating Him like a totem pole. The Bible's God is a king who deserves far
more respect than a US President yet people are speaking to Him as if
rewinding and replaying a tape recorder rather than the ultimate Sovereign
that He is.
Don't ever treat Christ's father like some sort of sounding board. Not even
Forrest Gump would appreciate being spoken to in rote, and God's IQ is way
higher than Forrest's; so how do you suppose He feels about being
addressed in rote. The Bible's God is a sentient, sensible person; and we all
need to show some respect for His intelligence. I guarantee He will be most
grateful for your regard.
_