One of the things I learned in here, from my sponsor and the old timers I knew, was that we don’t teach or talk about our concept of a higher power. Often I was referred to Working With Others in the BB. There it tells us that we’re not here to teach the newcomer about our concept of the higher power or the God of our understanding. We leave it up to them to garner their own concept…as long as it makes sense to them.
That concept may end up being nothing. They just might be an atheist or an agnostic. It might be something religious. Any religion. Or, it might be the group they belong to or the AA program itself. It doesn’t matter. AA is not a religion and it’s open to anyones belief or non belief. No arguments or debates. As long as they stay on our singleness of purpose, as spelled out in our Traditions, and our primary purpose to stay sober and to help another alcoholic.
The reason I was made to think about this is that in our meeting today, where we had a new person and were supposed to talk and share about the 1st Step, a couple of people got caught up in describing the effect of their version of their higher power or God of their understanding. I think it’s easy to forget what it is we’re supposed to do, or maybe they never learned what I did back then.
If anyone knew the consequences of going overboard with this, it was Bill W. himself. I’ve often mentioned this. In his book The Language Of The Heart, he himself describes the agony he went through early on, when he tried to describe his concept of God to newcomers and to teach them what he believed so they would. The result was that he drove many a new man away from the newly formed AA program. He said it was his spiritual pride, which drove him to do this and he was now sorry and regretted what he had done.
When we go back in the history of AA and read about the arguments, which took place, when they were writing these Steps, they often became heated. Some wanted no mention of God and others wanted a lot of God in these. In the end an agreement was reached where in the 2nd Step the words “higher power” came to be. And in the 3rd Step they wrote in, what have been termed the five words which saved AA, “the God of our understanding”. They even went so far as to remove the word “kneeling” from the 7th Step.
These early members already knew what would happen, if we were
hardliners in the area of what we believed. They wanted the doors to be open to any alcoholic no matter what they did or didn’t believe. I think many of us know members, who are agnostics and even atheists. Christians, Jews, Hindu, whatever, are all welcomed. Like I said, there are no arguments. But our beliefs are private. We’re not here to discuss them where they might affect others, particularly in meetings. Especially around newcomers, who might be struggling with finding their own way. It’s their business not mine.
Anyway, after the meeting I stopped and thought about all of this. I know what I think and believe and even what others think and do. It’s okay. I just have to remember what I was told. I’m not to talk down to another alcoholic, whether they’re new or old. I’m not here to teach. I can share my experience strength and hope and make suggestions. Not give directions. Hard to do for self centered controllers like myself, but something I must be reminded of often. I need to watch the example of others, just like I did, when I came in. It’s what helps me to stay sober.