Dick B. discusses modern recovery's higher power fixation - Jul 12,2013

Its time to turn the recovery spotlight on the subject I call "the nonsense gods" of the recovery movement. I say recovery rather than A.A. or other 12-Step Fellowship because it seems more and more apparent that the nonsense comes mostly from those who dont know A.A.s history, or its origins, or its original Akron Number One Groups Christian recovery program, or how the first three AAs got sober without ever mentioning a higher power, a power greater than themselves or some god of their supposed understanding. After 27 years of continuous sobriety and 24 years of research, I find its the academic, the scientist, the so-called historian, and the ivory tower observer who tthinks A.A. is monolithic, 2 million of a kind, and in univeral belief that there is no God. But the facts show oherwise. These dream analysts are often ex-AAs who have left the A.A. Fellowship, sometimes Christians who use irrelevant Bible verses to condemn A.A., sometimes professionals selling something besides God, the Big Book, the Twelve Steps, or the Bible. But the vast majority of AAs I have met have no dog in this fight. Theyre far too sick, too self-centered at first, too afraid, too guilty, too ashamed, and too filled with troubles that theyre not looking under a log for some potential idol they want to pray to. We will review some of this. We will give you the quotes about a supposed "any god" A.A., about the supposed hell-bound AAs, and about the theological straight jacket, with which they try to hold down belief in, facts about, and the redemptive power of God.

Alcoholics Anonymous | AA history | Higher Power | Power greater than yourself | God as we understood Him