The hypocrisy of choice in AA
Let me begin by pointing out the obvious: (a) the Lord’s Prayer is nowhere to be found in conference-approved literature and is not recited at the General Service Conference for very good reason (b) we do not live in Akron, Ohio in the 1930’s, (c) we are not a small group of recovering alcoholics in a small town, we are part of a global network of spiritually awakening beings, (d) most of us are not Christian, (e) Canada welcomes a quarter-million newcomers to Canada every year, the USA even more, and most of these newcomers are not Christian either. But some of them are alcoholics, and eventually some of those alcoholics will be looking for help.
The Lord’s Prayer at AA meetings is not a new topic. It has been ongoing for sometime but rears its head these days with greater and greater frequency, illustrating that it is not an issue that is going to go away, but begs some sort of resolution. It is telling that business meetings focused on dropping the Lord's Prayer often swell in numbers of well-meaning Christians who want to ensure that "group conscience" keeps the status quo.
Sure, the first members might have used the Bible and the Oxford Group literature before the writing of our basic text, but things changed - so did the make-up of AA. The Lord’s Prayer was a tradition of the Oxford Group. Theirs was a different tradition with a different purpose from ours, and for a different membership.
The purpose of any meeting is to carry the message - the message of AA, that is. Not the message of any particular Judeo-Christian deity. Incorporating the Lord’s Prayer as a standard part of an AA meeting alienates all potential newcomers who do not identify with this particular deity; not only might they not identify, but many members of AA have a shame-based experience of their Christian background. Some have even been violently abused by clergy or practitioners of that faith. I have met a few of them and heard their stories. Why, then, would some groups want to risk alienating the newcomer - the person we insist is the most important one in the room? Is this just lip service?
Surely the insistence that we all join hands and say the Lord’s prayer (the adage “for those who wish” is merely the window-dressing of freedom of belief, and practically insulting for alcoholics at a stage in recovery where they can reason and identify healthy boundaries). Held hostage by the “true believers”, members of AA have often no choice but to stand silently to listen to a prayer that may be beautiful and inspiring for some, but which in effect violates a few of the most important traditions we have - traditions one, two, three, and five.
Those who wish to say the Lord’s prayer can do so any time they wish, at any moment of the day. To expect others to listen to it at an AA meeting after trumpeting that anyone can come to understand a “higher power” in any way that works for them smacks of hypocrisy and at these meetings I smell the old brew of missionaries, obsessed even subconsciously with conversion and/or the illusion of a moral high ground. I happen to think that the Lord’s Prayer is a rich and inviting string of words that can unlock spiritual truths for those able to come to them with an open heart and recognize them as they are presented in the prayer. I also think that the
chanting of the Heart Sutra is a lovely way for Buddhists to open their fourth chakra. Repeated chanting of the universal sound “Om” can bring profound awareness and union with universal consciousness, which vibrates
at the same frequency as this sound. The mantra of Hare Krishna or Govinda Jaya Jaya can give birth to clarity and destroy ignorance and obstacles on the spiritual path. I believe that “Let It Be” by the Beatles can melt the heart and release old emotional charges, bringing spiritual meaning and awakening into one’s life. But making any of these things a set part of an AA meeting is putting personalities before principles - not everybody is going to agree with me on what I believe is the best representation for prayer, right? For the same reasons, Christians
shouldn’t expect everybody else to agree with them and continue reciting their prayer, which is not codified in AA traditions or literature. The Lord's Prayer is not part of the 12 step program. To act otherwise brings on an Orwellian twist of “all faiths are created equal, but some faiths are more equal than others”. That’s why Step 11 is a very personal endeavour.
How can we agree with this and have it written plainly in our literature, and then mock it’s vitality and strength by closing every meeting with a Christian prayer?
Saying that it is not a Christian prayer, but a “prayer for Everybody” is something one generally hears only from Christians not-so-solid in their own faith who are dedicated to preserving the status quo for their own sense of security. It’s not a prayer for Everybody if everybody doesn’t agree that it is.
Bill W. had it wrong when he said “the worst that happens to objectors is that they have to listen to [the Lord’s Prayer]. This is doubtless a salutary exercise in tolerance at their stage of progress.” It is not the role of AA to test the patience and tolerance of newcomers, but to share experience, strength and hope to help others recover from alcoholism. Rather, the removal of the Lord’s Prayer would represent a shift in enlightenment and tolerance and acceptance of the realities of our fellowship by “the old guard.”
Dear Christian: Keep your traditions, embrace them. May your faith flourish and bring you real peace, real harmony and real happiness. But remember also: while you claim your spiritual freedom and space, you must not deny others theirs. Keep the Lord's prayer for your personal prayers and for Church. Imposing this prayer on other alcoholics doesn't make your faith stronger, does it? I wish that you may become so solid in your own beliefs
that your fear dissolves and you become an advocate for removing the Lord’s prayer from all meetings you attend to help others to achieve the freedom that is such a crucial part of the spiritual revolution that is AA.
