Holy Fire and Hidden Horror

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Ron reads Mark Twain's powerful anti-war short story "The War Prayer," which exposes the hidden, devastating consequences behind prayers for military victory. The story forces us to confront the reality that when we pray for our side's triumph in war, we are inadvertently praying for the destruction and suffering of other human beings.

• A town celebrates as young men prepare to march off to war amid patriotic fervor
• A church service includes passionate prayers for victory and divine protection for soldiers
• A mysterious stranger interrupts, claiming to be a messenger from God
• The messenger reveals the unspoken part of the prayer – the horrific consequences for the enemy
• The congregation dismisses the stranger as a lunatic rather than confronting the uncomfortable truth
• Twain's satire highlights the contradiction between Christian values and support for warfare

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello, are you tired?
You will be.
This is Ron Reads Ron ReadsBoring Book Series, and today
we're reading the War Prayer byMark Twain.

(00:24):
The War Prayer by Mark Twain.
It was a time of great andexulting excitement.
The country was up in arms.
The war was on.
In every breast burned the holyfire of patriotism.
The drums were beating, thebands playing, the toy pistols

(00:49):
were popping, the bunchedfirecrackers hissing and
spluttering On every hand andfar down the receding and fading
spread of roofs and balconies,a fluttering wilderness of flags
flashed in the sun.
Daily, the young volunteersmarched down the wide avenue,

(01:10):
gay and fine in their newuniforms, the proud fathers and
mothers, and sisters andsweethearts cheering them with
voices choked with happy emotionas they swung by Nightly, the
packed mass meetings listened,swung by Nightly.

(01:31):
The packed mass meetingslistened panting to patriot
oratory which stirred thedeepest depths of their hearts,
in which they interrupted atbriefest intervals with cyclones
of applause, the tears runningdown their cheeks, the while the
.
In the churches, the pastorspreached devotion to flag and
country and invoked the God ofbattles, beseeching his aid in

(01:53):
our good cause.
And outpourings of fervideloquence which moved every
listener and the half dozen rashspirits that ventured to
disapprove of the war and cast adoubt upon its righteousness
straightway got such a stern andangry warning that, for their

(02:15):
personal safety sake, theyquickly shrank out of sight and
offended no more in that way.
Early morning came Next day.
The battalions would leave forthe front.
The church was filled, thevolunteers were there, their
young faces alight with martialdreams, visions of a stern

(02:38):
advance, the gathering momentum,the rushing charge, the
flashing sabers, the fight ofthe foe, the tumult, the
enveloping smoke, the fiercepursuit, the surrender.
Then home from the war, bronzedheroes, welcomed, adorned,
submerged in golden seas ofglory.
With the volunteers sat theirdear ones, proud, happy and

(03:01):
envied by the neighbors andfriends who had no sons and
brothers to send forth to thefield of honor.
There to win for the flag or,failing, die the noblest of
noble deaths.
The service proceeded.
A war chapter from the OldTestament was read.
The first prayer was said.
It was followed by an organburst that shook the building

(03:23):
and with one impulse the houserose with glowing eyes and
beating hearts and poured outthat tremendous invocation.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
God, all-terrible thou who ordainest, thunder thy
clarion and lightning thy sword.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Then came the long prayer None could remember the
like of it for passionatepleading and moving and
beautiful language.
The burden of its supplicationwas an ever merciful and
benignant father of us all wouldwatch over our noble young

(04:02):
soldiers and aid, comfort andencourage them in their
patriotic work.
Bless them, shield them in theday of battle and in the hour of
peril.
Encourage them in theirpatriotic work.
Bless them, shield them in theday of battle and in the hour of
peril.
Bear them in his mighty handand make them strong and
confident, invincible in thebloody onset.
Help them to crush the foe.
Grant them, and to their flagand country, imperishable honor

(04:24):
and glory.
An aged stranger entered andmoved with slow and noiseless
step up the main aisle.
His eyes fixed upon theminister, his long body clothed
in a robe that reached to hisfeet, his head bare, his white
hair descending in a frothycataract to his shoulders, his
seamy face unnaturally pale,pale even to the ghastliness.

(04:48):
With all eyes following him andwondering, he made his silent
way Without pausing.
He ascended to the preacher'sside and stood there waiting,
which shut lids.
The preacher, unconscious ofhis presence, continued with his
moving prayer and at lastfinished it with the words
uttered in fervent appeal"'Bless our arms, grant us the

(05:13):
victory, o Lord, our God, fatherand Protector of our land and
flag'.
The stranger touched his arm,motioned him to step aside,
which startled the minister did,which the startled minister did
and took his place.

(05:35):
During some moments he surveyedthe spellbound audience with
solemn eyes in which burned anuncanny light, and then, in a
deep voice, he said I came fromthe throne bearing a message
from Almighty God.
The word smote the house with ashock.
If the stranger perceived it,he gave no attention.

Speaker 2 (05:59):
He has heard the prayer of his servant, your
shepherd, and will grant it ifsuch shall be your desire, after
I, his messenger, shall haveexplained to you its import,
have explained to you its import, that is to say its full import
, for it is like unto many ofthe prayers of men in that it

(06:20):
asks for more than he who uttersit is aware of, except he.
Pause and think.
God's servant and yours hasprayed this prayer.
He has paused and taken thought.
Is it one prayer?
No, it is two, one uttered, theother not.

(06:43):
Both have reached the ear ofhim who heareth all
supplications, the spoken andthe unspoken.
Ponder this.
Keep it in mind.
If you would beseech a blessingupon yourself, beware lest,
without intent, you invoke acurse upon your neighbor.
At the same time, if you prayfor the blessing of rain upon

(07:06):
your crop which needs it, bythat act you are possibly
praying for a curse upon someneighbor's crop which which may
not need rain and can be injuredby it.
You have heard your servant'sprayer and the uttered part of
it.
I am commissioned of God to putinto words the other part of it
, that part which the pastor andalso you and your hearts

(07:30):
fervently prayed, silently andignorantly and unthinkingly.
God, grant that it was so.
You heard these words.
Grant us the victory, o Lordour God.
That is sufficient.
The whole of the uttered prayeris compacted into those
pregnant words.
Elaborations were not necessary.

(07:50):
When you have prayed forvictory, you must have prayed
for many unmentioned resultswhich follow victory, must
follow it, but cannot help butfollow it.
Upon the listening, spirit ofGod fell so unspoken part of the
prayer.
He commandeth me to put it intowords.
Listen, o Lord our Father.

(08:13):
Our young patriots, idols ofour hearts, go forth to battle.
Be thou near them.
With them in spirit, we also goforth from the sweet place of
our beloved firesides to smokethe foe.
O Lord our God, help us to teartheir soldiers to bloody shreds
with our shells.
Help us to cover their smilingfields with the pale forms of

(08:37):
their patriot dead.
Help us to drown the thunder ofguns and the shrieks of their
wounded Writhing in pain.
Help us to lay waste to theirhumble homes with a hurricane of
fire.
Help us to wring the hearts oftheir unoffending widows with
unfailing grief.
Help us to turn them out,roofless, with little children

(08:58):
to wander unfriended, the wasteof their desolated land and rags
and hunger and thirst, sportsof the sun flames of summer and
the icy winds of winter, brokenin spirit, worn with travail,
imploring thee for the refuge ofthe grave and denied it.
For our sakes, who adore thee,lord, blast their hopes, blight

(09:21):
their lives, protract theirbitter pilgrimage, make heavy
their steps, water their waywith tears, stain the white snow
with blood of their woundedfeet.
We ask it in the spirit of loveof him who is the source of
love and who is the everfaithful refuge and friend of
all that are sore beset and seekhis aid with humble and

(09:41):
contrite hearts.
Amen.

Speaker 1 (09:47):
After a pause.

Speaker 2 (09:50):
You have prayed it.
If you still desire it, speakthe messenger of the Most High
awaits.

Speaker 1 (10:00):
It was believed afterwards that the man was a
lunatic because there was nosense in what he said.
You've been listening to RonReed's the War Prayer by Mark
Twain.
If you've enjoyed thisrendition, please leave a good

(10:28):
comment, a five star rating andsubscribe and share this with
someone who desperately needs tobe tired.