In physics, the “observer effect” occurs when there are changes made on the phenomenon being observed by the act of observation itself.

In psychology there is a term, “experimenter bias,” which refers to the results of a study being affected by the pre-expectations of the experimenter.

In education, teachers see this at work. In elementary school, for instance, when one of your colleagues in a lower grade tells you, “You better watch out for Billy, he is a real trouble maker,” you know you have to pay close attention to your own filter, so you do not consciously or subconsciously help carry that expectation to the next grade level. You try your hardest to start with a clean slate with Billy.

 When I hear Christians praying, especially at election time, there are many interesting petitions. Some of these are based around a common theme. The theme comes out of an “America-used-to-be-a-great-and-godly-place-and-can-we-just-return-to-the-‘Golden Years’” filter. Here are a few samples:

o   “Almighty God, bring our country back to your values again“

o   “Almighty Father, we honestly repent before you and look forward to America’s return to greatness where we will again be a shining light”

o   “Father, help us to get back to the time when we were one nation under God”

 If you are actually a student of American History these petitions come with a disclaimer-

 Caution: The “Observer Effect” is in effect

 For instance, try these prayers on for size:

 Lord if we could just get back to the days of old, like the Second Great Awakening…

(around 1790-1840, when the cheap cost of whiskey helped the rate of alcohol consumption climb to five times what it is today, with alcoholism estimates as high as 40-50% of the population)

 Lord, if we could just get back to the “Golden Era” of our nation, like the 1860′s, perhaps…

(where we had the Civil War and we killed each other to the tune of 2% of the population [6,000,000 people in today’s terms])

 Are you getting the picture?

This is interesting…how about a couple more?

A Black American pastor praying, “Almighty God may it be for your people like it was in the days of the Founding Fathers…”

(where “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” wasn’t for all people, unless you “enjoyed” being a slave, of course)

or more recently, “…like in the South in the 1950’s”.

(“Colored Only” drinking fountains, and all the rest)

 A Japanese American pastor praying, “Gracious God, let us get back to times of justice and unity just like the Golden Years of the “Greatest Generation” in the 1940’s– especially in California!”

(110,000 people- 75% U.S. citizens- with as little as 1/16 Japanese ancestry, were sent to internment camps in 1942, authorized by President Roosevelt and upheld by the Supreme Court)

How about a moratorium on looking to the past for greatness? Try something like this…

“Lord Jesus, as we follow you, fill us with your Spirit that we may be beacons of hope, reflecting your light as we love our neighbor and work with you in blessing our nation and beyond. We look forward to our best days ahead because you are ahead of us preparing the way.”

What do you think?