An incident the other day caused me to go back and pick up the BB and read a passage in Working With Others. I had no idea that a friend of mine was having a problem with the concept of God and a higher power. They had been sober a long time and seemed to be all right. They had never said anything before.
However, during a meeting the other day they got up and walked over and sat down next to me. At the moment I cannot really recall the subject, but this person leaned over with a look of distress on her face. She said that she was disturbed at the way those in the meeting were talking about God. Then she told me that her problem was that she was an agnostic and tended toward atheism. I just looked at her and pointed to the group and told her there was her higher power and to try not to let what she felt she was hearing bother her. She nodded and went back to her seat.
I don’t know why she picked me or if it was of any help. That’s when I went back to the BB. On page 93 it talks about dealing with someone, who doesn’t have the concept of God. What it says that we’re not here to talk about theology or philosophy or try to convince anyone else to adopt our way of belief. It’s up to the individual to come to their own conclusions as long as it “makes sense to him”. The only proviso being that they believe in a power greater than themselves and live by spiritual principles.
I have known a number of people through my time in this program, who have had the same kind of thinking as my friend. To my knowledge they have been good and sober members. Often more spiritual in my experience than some members, who openly profess a belief in a God. In fact, a number of the latter often arrogant in their expression of such faith. I would have to guess this is what caused my friend to come and speak to me.
I know I have written about this before, but Bill W. himself confessed to such arrogance and the harm that it did. In The Language of the Heart, he told how he would approach new members early on and insist that they adopt his way of believing. He said that he drove many drunks away and regretted it later. He called it his spiritual pride.
None of us, in my opinion, using the BB as reference and those old timers I met along the way, are here to teach or preach to anyone. It’s none of my business. I’m only here to help another alcoholic get sober, if that’s what they want. What they think, do, or believe is none of my business. Their achieving sobriety and staying sober is what is paramount. I know that’s what my primary purpose is.
Anyway, after that incident I had to sit down and think about this. Tolerance and understanding of others, whatever they think or believe, is part and parcel of this program. Principles to be practiced, along with the rest of the spiritual principles, in all of my affairs.