Extracts
from the aacultwatch forum (old):
“To
my knowledge there are no meetings here in England that use the
Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s prayer is a specifically Christian
prayer and is found in the Bible in the Gospel according to St
Matthew. The words are from Christ where, during the sermon on the
mount, he instructs his followers what words to use when praying.
There can really be no argument about the Christian religious nature
of the Lord’s Prayer, coming from Christ himself!
I
have visited the USA on a number of occasions and I did encounter
this prayer used to conclude meetings I attended in the American deep
south...... I don’t really have a problem personally with the
Lord’s Prayer. The sentiments expressed in the prayer itself seem
fairly admirable, expressing transcendence, requesting our daily
needs (“daily bread”), and the desire to not be a hypocrite
(forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us).
Deliverance from evil seems a sensible notion. However the fact
remains that this prayer belongs to a specific religion and is
therefore sectarian. It is my understanding that Muslims are
forbidden to call God “Father”, and many pagan “wiccans”
….... believe in a Goddess (earth mother) not a male God, so the
use of this prayer at AA meetings is sectarian, exclusive and goes
against Tradition 3.
I
would also like to say that there are other prayers used in AA that
really stretch this Tradition, perhaps to breaking point. For example
there is a meeting in Twickenham on Monday that uses the St Francis
Prayer. “Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace” - the
so-called “Step 11 prayer”. Again the sentiments expressed in the
prayer are admirable. However the “Lord” referred to at the very
beginning of the prayer is Jesus Christ, and is a reflection of
Christ’s words – “peace I leave you, my peace I give you”.
Also the prayer itself was most certainly NOT composed by St. Francis
of Assisi (a 13th
century catholic saint). The prayer does not date further back than
the 20th
century and was promoted in catholic mass books having
been approved by Pope Benedict XV, Pope
from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922.
For more information about this prayer use the following link,
In
my opinion, considering the catholic Christian origins of this prayer
, it should not be imposed on any AA member by a group or a sponsor,
although individual AA members are free to use the prayer or not,
each according to his or her own conscience. The fact that it
is contained in the 12x12 does not mean that it is mandatory for all
AA members working Step 11, as the prayer is used in the essay on
Step 11 as an EXAMPLE of reflective meditation. It is not exclusive
or mandatory. Other prayers could be used . Again, as the AA
literature says – each one of us has our own individual journey
in spiritual matters. Let each AA member deicide for his/her
self what prayers to use, or not to use, and not have
groups/meetings/sponsors imposing denominational prayers upon us.”
(edited
to preserve anonymity)
The
Fellas (Friends
of Alcoholics Anonymous)
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Have your say!
The "deep South" in the USofA is a whole different world. They still refuse to admit that they lost the US Civil War. They want to bring back slavery and racial segregation. An they are, what I refer to as Shi-iteChristians. Disagree with them and they may have to kill yuo. And they prominently display their version of the Bible at all meetings. And you risk life and limb to question that.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, some day they may change.