Presently in Victoria a number of those elected to represent the people are pushing for the removal of the Lord's Prayer from council meetings and in State Parliament.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/the-lords-prayer-could-be-dumped-from-victorias-parliament-heres-how/smjidwxv1

I have wondered what the Lord's prayer does in real terms. If it provides a benefit though to the people, why would you want to get rid of it?

On the other hand, I don't believe politics and religion should sit side by side and we need separation between church and state.

Also, is the Lord's Prayer out of date in a modern age? It is something we can all embrace, or should society move forward and accept the fact the Lord's Prayer doesn't resonate with a lot of people anymore?

«I have wondered what the Lord's prayer does in real terms.»

It reminds people of God, some people at least, which implies that what they do in council/parliament is for a higher purpose, not for their personal benefit.

Unfortunately it does not work for everyone, some are even angered because they [mistakenly] associate God with other things, which He is not. If only they could connect with God in some other way.

Some people think that it is right; some think that it is wrong; others don't even know that it exists. As our Western culture is based on Christianity, I think it is right.

The Lord's Prayer is NOT "out of date"; the modern world is out of whack with the Lord's Prayer and Christianity itself. The average life span of Westerners is 83 years. Christianity has been around for more than 2,000 years. Christianity is in the world, but not of the world. When it - or at least it's practitioners - start complying with the secular, post-Christian society, all is lost.

Does it do any harm ?

Why not use a Password instead ?

Hi Nathan J
I think that council and parliament are not churches.
Every persons belief in, or relationship with - a higher power or God is for them alone.
- And I think in some ways it's a little bit of an imposition and coercive to assume that everyone believes in a religion or even the same religion.

- But that doesn't mean we should throw away an idea that reminds people to do good and to be good.
The essence of that is something that probably shouldn't be discarded.

Think about the golden rule.
- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

What is the non-religious version of this?
- Treat others the way you'd like to be treated.

Therefore I think that somehow we should keep this essence of aspiring to do good and be good,
- without imposing it in a way that assumes everyone is a believer.