![]() ![]() ![]() "Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, give us Serenity to accept what cannot be changed, Courage to change what should be changed, and Wisdom to know the one from the other through Jesus Christ, our Lord." staff member, Anita R., browsing in a New York bookstore, came upon a beautifully bordered card, on which was printed: The professor's pseudonym Friedrich Oetinger, the 18th century pietist had apparently been selected out of admiration of his south German forebears.īack in 1957, another G.S.O. He had written a book in which he had included the prayer, without attribution, but which resulted in the prayer's appearance in many different places, such as army officer's halls, schools & other institutions. Theodor Wilhelm, who had started a revival of spiritual life in West Germany, had acquired the "little prayer" from Canadian soldiers. Moreover, Beth continued, after the war, a north German University professor, Dr. & through them, the West Germans after the Second World War." then the Pietists from southwest Germany. The prayer's thoughts were used from then on by "religious-like people who had to suffer first by the English, later the Prussian puritans. "The first form of the prayer," Beth wrote back, originated with Boethius, the Roman philosopher (480-524 A.D.) & author of the book, Consolations of Philosophy. ![]() But it also added more tantalizing facts about the plaque's origin. Peter's research threw the authenticity of 18th century authorship out the window. Then in 1979 came material, shared with G.S.O.'s Beth K., by Peter T., of Berlin. That conviction went unchallenged for fifteen years. researchers, was concrete evidence - quote, author, date - of the Serenity Prayer's original source. behavior of the soldier citizen in a democratic state." The plaque was affixed to a wall in a hall where modern day troops & company commanders of the new German army were trained "in the principles of management and. " In the rather dreary hall of a converted hotel, overlooking the Rhine at Koblenz, framed by the flags of famous Prussian regiments rescued from the Tannenberg memorial, is a tablet inscribed with the following words: 'God give me the detachment to accept those things I cannot alter the courage to alter those things which I can alter and the wisdom to distinguish the ones from the others.' These words by Friedrich Otinger, an evangelical pietist of the eighteenth century-" reports having received a clipping from the Paris Herald Tribune of an article written by the papers special Koblenz (West Germany) correspondent, which reads: Interestingly enough, in November of 1964, A.A. This theory suggests that in 1947, Niebuhr read the prayer in an obituary notice in the New York Tribune & was so taken by it that he shared it with Bill Wilson. Thus the simple little prayer became an integral part of the AA movement.Īnother popular theory states that Reinhold Niebuhr actually accredited Friedrich Oetinger (1702-1782), an 18th century theologian, for writing the Serenity Prayer. Bill W., the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous & the staff read the prayer & felt that it particularly suited the needs of AA. Goodbye." He liked it so much, he brought it to the old Vesey Street office. member, who had read it in the New York Times obituary columns, which read " Mother-God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, courage to change things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. In 1939, it came to the attention of Jack, an early A.A. Niebur's wife, Ursula, claims that the prayer was written by her husband in the early 1940's, which could refute the AA records which will continue below." AA states that it was 1934, the Library of Congress states that it was 1933. So, already the year of publication of the book has been contradicted. I honestly do believe that I wrote it myself." Research from the Library of Congress shows: Niebuhr says, " Of course, it may have been spooking around for years, even centuries, but I don't think so. John the Divine, requested permission to use that portion of the longer prayer in a compilation he was building at the time. Robbins, the doctor’s friend, neighbor & ex Dean of the Cathedral of St. Give me courage to change things which must be changed Īnd the wisdom to distinguish one from the other. God give me the serenity to accept things which cannot be changed Reinhold Niebuhr, of the Union Theological Seminary, NYC, composed it in 1932 as the ending to a longer prayer. Records from Alcoholics Anonymous, in January of 1950, show that Dr. For every bit of research that we've uncovered, there has been more research to refute it. ![]() There are unending twists & turns in the quest to uncover the original author. There is no shortage of theories as to who wrote the Serenity Prayer. ![]()
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