Secular AA

[Andy F]

Dear friends,

 

More and more atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers are coming into AA to get sober. However, this can prove to be a challenge given that the 12 Steps of the program strongly encourage a belief in God. In the past, too many alcoholics have walked away from AA because of the “God” word. I suspect that even more have avoided the program because they see it as some quasi-religion. Their reasons are understandable............

 

https://aaforagnostics.com/blog/secular-aa/

 

 

 

Disclaimer

 

The content of this blog is an AA member's personal experience. It does not necessarily represent the ideas, beliefs, or practices of Alcoholics Anonymous

[StandardIssue]

There is no other type of AA other than AA. In my opinion these so called secular or agnostic AA's have adopted the AA name and portions of it's program in an effort to promote their misunderstanding and prejudice toward AA's fundamental principle of relying on the individual alcoholics own experience and understanding of a Higher Power, God, Power Greater or Spirit of the Universe or whatever they choose to call it. Secular AA and Agnostic AA IMHO has been and is a wasted effort formed out of simple laziness to study and understand the true AA program as outlined in AA approved literature. Kind of tragic really as it causes disunity within the fellowship of AA. On Page 17 of the AA book they all agree they found a common solution. All this secular AA or agnostic AA is divisive.

[Andy F]

"This was the great contribution of our atheists and agnostics. They had widened our gateway so that all who suffer might pass through, regardless of belief or lack of belief."

 

Bill W.

[Andy F]

According to the General Service Office of AA in New York, the Big Book and entire AA program is open to personal interpretation. If you have taken the Big Book literally, it speaks to your absolute terror of being more open-minded. Open-mindedness, is what gives AA it's all-inclusive quality. All-inclusiveness is a spiritual quality, rigid religious fundamentalism is not!

[StandardIssue]

For anyone who has read through this thread please understand this about the AA 12 step program.

 

The AA 12 step program for recovery from alcoholism is outlined and described in the Book "Alcoholics Anonymous" and it's companion text "The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions". These books were painstakingly written to be as accurate as possible in communicating the simple and practical AA 12 step program of action.

 

They were written to save the lives of alcoholics willing enough to do the 12 step program described in them. Alcoholism is a serious illness and most alcoholics left untreated die early deaths. The original authors understood this and wrote a historic text which is the first 164 pages of the AA book. They wrote it as thoroughly and as accurately as possible to describe the program they had found which gave them recovery from alcoholism. This portion of the AA book has not been changed since it's first publication in 1939. It is a piece of history and is considered as such.

 

Therefore, it is recommended in most good AA meetings that anyone looking for a solution to their alcoholism thoroughly study this literature. Anyone with alcoholism who studies the program contained in the AA book can recover from alcoholism using the simple program contained inside.

[Andy F]

...........For anyone reading this thread, please be assured that atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers, from its very inception, have always been welcome in AA. It is by no means a requirement to believe in God to recover from alcoholism. All you need is a power greater than you. That could be AA itself, or any other positive power that will help you to stay sober and recreate your life. That's what AA is and has always been.

 

Let Bill Wilson, the co-founder of AA, and author of The Big Book, tell you himself.

 

Responsibility Is Our Theme

 

Newcomers are approaching AA at the rate of tens of thousands yearly. They represent almost every belief and attitude imaginable. We have atheists and agnostics. We have people of nearly every race, culture, and religion. In AA we are supposed to be bound together in the kinship of a common suffering. Consequently, the full individual liberty to practice any creed or principle or therapy whatever should be a first consideration for us all. Let us not, therefore, pressure anyone with our individual or even our collective views. Let us instead accord each other the respect and love that is due to every human being as he tries to make his way toward the light. Let us always try to be inclusive rather than exclusive; let us remember that each alcoholic among us is a member of AA, so long as he or she so declares.

 

Bill W.

 

Copyright © AA Grapevine, Inc. (July 1965)

[CharlieH]

Bickering exchanges removed. If you wish to have that much of a difference of opinion do it in PM not expect others to tolerate it.

[Will B Good]

Just reading the above is enough to make me give up alcohol.