When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God.
—Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., pg. 47
I attend a group on the History of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) on Saturdays. It is amazing how AA has grown and flourished over the years due to some simple concepts that were inclusive and not rigid that alienated anyone. The principle of having our own conception or perception of God was genius. It reminds me a bit of a Mike Scott song, “I Just Found God, right where He always was!” Which is clear that the early founders and members of AA wanted to lead you to God, The God, their point was to steer you away from the fear of religion, but make no bones about it The God was their intention.
So does that mean you must believe in God, The God, in order to recover? The simple answer is NO, you can recover utilizing the recovery principles in your life. Will recovery in AA Mutual Support groups be uncomfortable at times? Will you feel a bit out of sorts or confused at times? Yes, Yes, and Yes… But, that is just part of life. The thing we must remember is that the intention of something or someone does not necessarily make it so! The New York members of early AA encouraged this language and yes the two main forces were Agnostic, but this language opened the doors of AA and now the other “A’s” like NA, CA, etc. to everyone.
The concept was to keep religion out but keep God in, but in reality it kept religion out and opened the doors for god as you understand…
Life is Goooood!
Go, Go, Go…
Dan 🙂