A comment directed to Step Eleven found on RumRadio.org
A prayer, Love meditation….Why are people insisting I pray on my knees? What’s with the Lords Prayer” at the end of meetings? The God of my understanding does not demand or really want these things. Yet, I am told I must. As a Buddhest I do not tell Catholics how to meditate, why do they control how to pray? The only reference to “knees” in the Big book is ‘and I dropped to my knees”. (A personal experience). I was told Sister Ignatia suggested, “Our Father…”, but she was not even an alcoholic. I love the fact we all find our on journey to a Higher Power [God], but why hold on to OXFORD GROUP value systems? DID NOT WORK for Ebby. Can we please remember this NOT a Christian program, we may all walk many roads. “May you find God, and may you find him [her, it] now. I LOVE EVERYONE, SO I WANT EVERYONE TO FEEL LOVED!!!! Please go in peace.
Hi Lars
I can understand your objection to the Christian format as a very good friend of mine is also a Buddhist. I venerate and embrace the simplicity of the teachings of Shakyamuni Siddhrtha Gautama. (The Buddha) known as “Sid” to his friends
Getting down on one’s knees is a sign of awe and reverence in an agreement of submission, surrender, and letting go of pride, it’s about humility, acknowledging the spirit of the universe as greater than myself, a form of body language in appreciation of the wonders of the infinite good that resides in me, while remaining teachable like a little child.
The originators of the Big Book were called the James club, because some understandings of the Big Book come from the book of James. As I try to explain to my buddy for good or for ill America is a Christian based culture. The ultimate demise of the Oxford group was about exclusivity, and embracing the outside issues, the political hot potato “the temperance movement” I am sure you have noticed we start the meetings with a prayer (an invocation) and then we close with a prayer (a benediction) and all meetings in recovery are gratitude meetings regardless of the topic spin an attitude of gratitude is a prayer unto God. I personally object to prayers recited in wrote. For that matter we can use a prayer wheel with photo copies. I believe that the “Our Father” is a template to a prayer that God would prefer to hear your heart and not just a scripted dialogue.
As Bill W. observed and was confirmed to me in a meeting last evening that A.A. is a spiritual kindergarten. What God is or isn’t is beyond my purview of understanding, as any attempt to describe God would be like asking a fish to describe the water it swims in.
A friend in early recovery related his experience in a meeting once upon a time. David said he was speaking to God as One man talks to another in an animated ongoing conversation, he paused and reflected that he was not really talking to God that he was just talking to himself, and then he said he heard a still small voice that said I am you, but you are not me. Love and service is our goal while love and tolerance of others is our code. I would suggest not embracing the differences for we are one in purpose, to stay sober and help the next sufferer, we now have the extraordinary opportunity to be the hands of God, as you understand hands.
See you on the Radio
RumRadio.org
Namaste
Joseph
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