THE public usually tend to recognise “Give us this present day our every day bread” as being from the Lord’s Prayer than “To be, or to not be” as being from Hamlet, a recent poll suggests.
The online survey of 2035 UK adults, conducted by Savanta between 23 and 26 May, was commissioned by the Church of England to mark the Pentecost prayer initiative Thy Kingdom Come, which has been running for ten years (News, 30 May).
Respondents were asked to match seven famous lines with their source, from a listing of correct answers.
From literature, the lines were “To be or to not be” from Shakespeare’s play, and the opening of Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the most effective of times, it was the worst of times.” From British history, “Never in the sphere of human conflict, was a lot owed by so many to so few” was chosen from one in every of Churchill’s Commons speeches in 1940 throughout the Battle of Britain.
From music, the questions concerned the Gerry and the Pacemakers lyrics “You’ll never walk alone”— also the anthem of Liverpool FC — and “Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us” from the National Anthem; and from film, “May the force be with you” from Star Wars.
Last was “Give us this present day our every day bread” from the Lord’s Prayer, which overall was recognised appropriately by the biggest number of individuals (80.3 per cent), marginally greater than the quotation from Star Wars (79.9 per cent).
This was followed by Hamlet’s soliloquy (73 per cent); Churchill’s speech (61 per cent); and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (58 per cent). A minority (38 per cent) appropriately identified the Dickens quotation.
Of all surveyed, 89 per cent said that that they had previously heard of the Lord’s Prayer, and the identical percentage had said the words sooner or later. This was highest amongst those that described themselves as Christian (95 per cent) and people who identified as having no religion (88 per cent).
The Archbishop of York is leading a “Lord’s Prayer Tour” of events at churches and cathedrals across the north of England as a part of his Faith within the North initiative. He said: “In a world of shifting cultures and changing circumstances, the Lord’s Prayer stays a gradual guide — perhaps never more so than now. Though ancient, its words proceed to resonate with people of all faiths and none.”
