Dr. Bob’s Farewell Talk
August 4, 2025
Dear Central Office
August 28, 2025
Friday night’s opening Flag Ceremony and Big Meeting were moving and awe-inspiring pageants with fife & drums, a parade of country flags, and three keynote mini-Leads. The fact that the Convention chose not to end with the Our Father was lamented by some AAs.
I realized that out of the 80+ countries attending many different religions were represented. I asked myself if the Our Father was prayed in India or Japan. Then I got to further thinking, “Haven’t AAs been having this discussion for a long, long time? (too long?)”
Jim B., who got sober in January of 1938, was an agnostic who insisted it was possible to stay sober and not believe in God. Unfortunately, for the most part, his insights as a non-religious AA fell by the wayside. It would take 80 more years for AA to publish Grapevine’s “One Big Tent” in 2018 (42 years after it was first proposed). The issue addressed the experiences of atheists, agnostics, nonbelievers, and secular alcoholics who found recovery in AA despite groups not considering (dismissing?) their spiritual beliefs. Our own Preamble states “AA is not allied with any sect, denomination…”
Several federal appeals courts have ruled that the government cannot force people to attend AA if they object on religious grounds because the program is religious in nature. In “Warner v. Orange County Department of Probation,” the court specifically ruled “A.A. meetings often close with the Lord’s Prayer.”
In a 1959 letter Bill justified the use. “Nevertheless, this Prayer (Our Father) is of such widespread use and recognition…” However, Bill could not have foreseen AA’s 2025 global reach.
So, I have a modest proposal. I suggest that Cleveland area group consciences consider ending their meetings with AA’s responsibility statement, “I am responsible. When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA always to be there. And for that: I am responsible.” It brings meeting closure, directly reminds us of our primary purpose, and puts up a few more tent poles. (The author quotes from AA’s Preamble, Grapevine’s “One Big Tent,” “Pass It On,” and “AA Agnostica.”)
By Paul R.
Staff
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the AA Cleveland District Office.
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8 Comments
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Anne GJ says: I very much appreciate you sending me the newsletter! Thank you! I keep learning more about AA that often times does not even cross my mind. God bless AA.
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Mac M. says: I agree completely. I hold hands with everyone, but say my own prayer silently. Some meetings I attend online already close with Responsibilty Statement. Thank you for this article.
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Mary H. says: Here we go again. Every 10 years or so somebody thinks eliminating the Our Father is what is going to make newcomers come back. I didn’t believe in God when I first arrived at the doors. But no prayer would have changed my mind. HP is why I kept coming back even though I didn’t know it then but slowly grew to love the prayer. Let God take care of the newcomer please.
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d says: I came into AA in 1991. I was born Christian, but I can not agree with their concept. I like the concept of a God of my understanding. I’ve been told by some AA members that I’m going to hell because of my concept of a higher power. I believe in a God of Nature. I have always wondered why many AA groups have christian prayers and rituals when we say AA is open to anyone. It was so wonderful to read Paul R’s comments.
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Lori A. says: I have never read that article that you guys had in the post. It makes sense to me. But why do courts make a rule on probation that they must attend AA meetings and AA meetings have the lords prayer so what do we do now?
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Diane B. says: The Our Father is a Christian prayer but we are so ingrained into saying it to close a meeting that it feels ‘wrong’ not to. Maybe our General Service could make some kind of statement about this. We did change our opening to saying that AA is a fellowship of ‘people,’ no longer men and women a couple of years ago. So, we are capable of change. I’ve been sober since June 24, 1982.
Joe V. 
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