I've never been particularly religious, and maybe the circumstance of my not having any background in religious practices has led to some of my problems (or, all of them). But I've always had an 'I'll figure it out for myself' attitude that didn't lend itself to blind faith or doing it 'because other say so' or 'because it's right' or even 'because it is proven to work'. I had to work it all out for myself. Now, however, especially because I am one of the million Americans who is in active recovery from some addiction or other, I have adopted a spiritual way of life that works for me. A big part of why it works is that I figured out that I don't have to swallow or participate in parts of ceremony or ritual that I feel are outdated or ineffective.
A lot of times, with a structured way of showing my willingness to participate, I just see the flaws, and they make it hard to swallow the rest of the good stuff. It's like trying to eat a big ol' steak that just has a little turd on top. I can't eat around it. I just can't. I'll tell you, I've got a lot of problems with Christianity, and I can just about sum them up when I take a good look at one of the most popular prayers that these old curmudgeons use. It's one that even the AAers have adopted and use on the daily. Unlike the 3rd step prayer (which is cobbled together from other religious rhetoric) and even the St. Francis Prayer (which I love, all except that last bit), I have a problem with almost every word in the The Lord's Prayer. So I don't use it. And I'll tell you why.
First, the title. It uses the word Lord, which was introduced into the Biblical translation by power-hungry Englishmen in the 1500s in order to slip in a little servitude and obedience to the practices. They'll tell you it's because there was a practice of not writing out or pronouncing the name of the Hebrew God, but that isn't the case anymore. It took God from a benevolent guide to a master with a whip. Also, this title smacks with singularity and all that 'It's me or nobody' attitude that always rubs me the wrong way about the Christians. It's like, "We're inclusive. You can believe anything you want, as long as it's this." Bullshit.
"Our Father, who art in Heaven"
This starts off with a bang, throwing down the patriarchal power structure that men in power just LOVE. It keeps them on top and everyone else in their place. And this father is up in Heaven, a magical place that is separate from the crappy basement we live in.
"Hallowed be Thy name"
Just reinforcement of the previous statement. And it's kind of gibberish. Also, referencing back to the name that is so revered that we do not utter it here. Man, we are really afraid of our Lord.
"Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done"
Again, promoting the man-made power structure that involves 'kingdoms'. Like there's one dude who rules other dudes. And this implies a power to his 'servants', the higher ups in the church. Better listen up, or they'll tell the boss on you. It also implies that there are things that happen outside of 'God's Will'. I think that makes for a pretty weak deity, personally.
"On Earth as it is in Heaven."
Implying that these are two separate places? Again, trudging through the crap to get to the reward? I'm not into it.
"Give us this day, our daily bread"
Kinda grabby, don't you think?
"And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us"
Are we trespassing? We are doing things that are fundamentally wrong? That doesn't lend itself very freely to any kind of growth. More promotes a value system based on regret and shame. Again, another wonderful method of control. And then our own state of seeing others as 'those who trespass'. Yikes. Pretty judgy. It's like, 'let me off the hook, and I'll give a pass to all these douche bags.'
"Lead us not into temptation."
Why would you want that? By all means, temp away. Isn't dealing with challenges part of life, the part we need God's help with? This is like saying, 'please relieve me of the very reason I need you in the first place.' What a crock.
"But deliver us from Evil"
Whether we're talking about the evil in our hearts or the evil of the world, we're again setting up an 'us and them' scenario that promotes intolerance and separation. As if there are 'evil' elements in the world that need to be fought. This assumption has led to every conflict ever. I have a problem with the entire concept of Good and Evil, especially how they are termed in today's society.
"For thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory."
Yeah, okay. End on a positive note. There's kingdom again, but oh well. And 'Glory'? I can do without that too. It's just getting back to the whole idea of an eternal reward that makes me feel bad about the present and fearful that I might not be included in the party on Judgment Day. Control, control, control. Not into it.
"Amen"
Of course, this is just my interpretation based on how the word combinations and what I know about the source of the translation. I may be wrong. I may be just a negative nelly, looking at a perfectly harmless prayer with my skeptical eyes. That's all fine. If you like TLP, by all means, use it. I'm just saying I'm glad I live in a time and place where I can choose not to. And I do.
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