Rung Three thoughts: Franklin wrote a prayer book
Franklin said regular church attendance was not his jam, but then, y'know, he wrote his own prayer book because, sure, why not?
Reader’s note: Reminder that Rung Three is “There is one God who made all things.” Here, we consider Franklin’s call to worship God. Asking for solace. Expressing gratitude. Marking wonder. Registering humility. All those are things we seek out in ourselves, with other people, and, sometimes, from the universe or our divine ideas.
When last we talked Franklin’s prayer going, it was to note regular public prayer was not his bag. Sundays, he tells us, were his day for study. But that doesn’t mean he thought prayer was useless. Turns out, he wrote his own prayer book titled Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion.1 He marks three main parts, for adoration, petition, and thanks.
1. You’re great!
2. Guide me to be good!
3. Thanks for making things great!
Rogers includes a sizable chunk of this prayer book in his own book on Franklin’s virtues, for obvious reasons. And he also provides an address Franklin made to the folks helping to draft our Constitution: “Hey, guys, we prayed every day during our war with the British, and things turned out OK. We are clearly running up against our own failings in human wisdom. Let’s center!” I paraphrase.
His short address asking them to get local clergy to say some prayers each morning before they started to work wasn’t agreed to, but Franklin’s sentiment, that they had faied to get much done in months of work, may have helped inspire them to think through how necessary the new Constitution was and whether, in hot weather and wool suits, they were really being their best selves to make it happen.2
Anyway, I think Franklin’s example here is the quintessential American one: If you don’t like going to church every Sunday, ma’am or sir, well, make your own church at home with the prayers of your own understanding and heart. As anyone facing a big, fat prayer book, it’s always important to remember the words are only as powerful as your intent, feeling and focus.