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Tuesday, 24 June 2014

The use of the Lord's Prayer in AA meetings


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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1 comment:

  1. 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.
    Perhaps, some day they may change.

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