My Spiritual Atheism excludes me from Alcoholics Anonymous.
A.A. runs the risk of being viewed as a religious cult. Sadly, this is how I see it, as well as being a hypocritical organization steeped in antiquated and dogmatic tradition. I just walked out of an A.A. meeting after a reading from Chapter 4 of the Big Book (the official A.A. text) and offended by the notion that I had to believe in a higher power. I may be walking out of A.A. itself, due to the ingrained (and unsubstantiated) assumption that:
a) There is a higher power.
b) That morality and sobriety can only be achieved by believing in “Him.”
Note the capital “H”. That’s not my doing. That is how it is printed in the Big Book. It perpetuates the baseless assumption that sobriety hinges on a belief in an intangible and ethereal, unproven deity. The assumption that a person is immoral without a belief in God is offensive. I was offended which is why I walked out. I’ve been sober for almost eight years which I did by myself, entirely without believing in God. And, to say that I don’t believe in “God” means that I believe I am God (which I have heard several times in meetings) is belittling, baseless and insulting. The attitude of A.A. in this regard is juvenile and naïve, and an unwelcome dogma.
After expressing this opinion what words were ringing in my ears as I left?
“Don’t come back.”
Someone actually said that to me as I left. Don’t come back. You’re not welcome if you don’t believe in God. I came very close to walking out of my first A.A. meeting and never coming back because of the prevalence of God, believing that conversion was necessary, but I was too determined to achieve sobriety that I continued and tried to ignore this affront. No longer. Chapter 4 of the Big Book, entitled “We agnostics” merely pays lip service and is a thinly veiled attempt at the goal of conversion. Chapter 5 (How it works) contradicts all claims of secularism by stating:
Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power—that One is God. May you find Him now!
This is clearly a call to action to become religious. And the implication? You cannot get sober without God. Note the capital “G” for “God” and the capital “H” for “Him”. This implies one God; no doubt the Judeo-Christian god, and therein lies the hypocrisy. Every meeting I have attended starts with:
A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
I beg to differ. This is clear-cut case of misrepresentation. It is obvious that there is an insistence that sobriety is not achievable without a belief in “God”. A very mistaken belief. The assumption of steps 5, 6 and 7, as originally written, is that morality is not achievable without religion. This is also a very mistaken belief. Areligious does not necessarily equate to amoral. In addition, if A.A. does not wish to engage in any controversy, then why does it endorse one of the most controversial topics known to man: religion? Clearly this isn’t the case, and such contradictions are, I’m sure, a turn-off for many would-be recovering alcoholics. I have no doubt that there are many alcoholics out there suffering who are afraid to go to A.A. because they feel that they are not welcome as atheists (spiritual or otherwise) or that they must “convert” to some religion.
A.A. needs to come into the 21st Century and to recognize that the tenets written three quarters of a century ago are out of touch with the beliefs of the modern populace. Religion is on the decline in America (https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx) and A.A.’s dogmatic insistence on belief in a “higher power” is simply offensive – it completely disregards the beliefs of the non-religious. The website Q&A addresses the question by saying:
Is AA a religious organization?
No. Nor is it affiliated with any religious sect or other religous [sic] organization.
There’s a lot of talk about God, though, isn’t there?
The majority of AA members believe that we have found the solution to our drinking problem not through individual willpower, but through a power greater than ourselves. However, everyone defines this power as he or she wishes. Many people call it God, others think it is the A.A. group, still others don’t believe in it at all. There is room in AA for people of all types and degrees of belief and nonbelief.
No there isn’t. This is an obvious and demonstrable lie. The word “God” is everywhere, and meetings end with the Lord’s Prayer, or the Serenity Prayer or the 3rd Step Prayer, all of which are a plea to “God.” When I was told “don’t come back,” I was told, in no uncertain terms, “you don’t believe in God so you’re not welcome.” Furthermore, if the organization truly believed what it claims then it would be sensitive enough to realize this hypocrisy and would update the wording of the literature. However, when I suggest this, I am usually met with the attitude that to change the wording would be tantamount to heresy.
I will not be dissuaded. Here are the new Twelve Steps, updated for those of us who feel that this organization is an exclusive club for the religious:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that we have the means and power to restore ourselves to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to sobriety and sanity.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to ourselves, to another human and to those we have wronged the exact nature of our transgressions.
6. Were entirely ready to have these defects of character removed.
7. Resolved to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought, through self-reflection or other means, to improve our moral constitution and the power to carry that out.
12. Having been awakened as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
An explanation of each of the changes
Step 1:
Original: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.
This step is the most important one. It is impossible to address a problem if one does not recognize that it exists. This step does not mention God and remains unchanged.
Step 2:
Original: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Rewrite: Came to believe that we have the means and power to restore ourselves to sanity.
The insistence on a “power greater than ourselves” has been removed. It is incongruous with the statement in the Q&A that others don’t believe in [God] at all.
We do have the means and power, and, for some people, this may include a belief in God – that is their means and power, and that is up to them. For others it may be the A.A. organization in general. For others still, it may be their own desire and willpower. I gravitate toward the latter believing that faith in oneself is far more important and productive and that instilling self-confidence is far more valuable than faith in a nebulous “God”; history has shown that such blind faith can result in horrible consequences such as the Crusades, the Inquisitions and the 9/11 attacks.
Step 3:
Original: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Rewrite: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to sobriety and sanity.
The words “the care of God as we understood Him” have been removed and replaced with “sobriety and sanity.” Historically, the addition of the words “as we understood him” were added to placate the agnostic but it does nothing for the atheist. Even for the agnostic it is meaningless as agnosticism is based on the belief that to understand “God” is impossible.
However, I believe that we can all agree that we do turn ourselves over to sobriety and sanity, so let’s just say that and leave “God” (whomever that may be, if “He” exists at all) out of the equation.
Step 4:
Original: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
This remains unchanged. We do seek to make a “searching and fearless moral inventory.” This is possible for everyone. I repeat, areligious does not equate to amoral.
Step 5:
Original: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Rewrite: Admitted to ourselves, to another human and to those we have wronged the exact nature of our transgressions.
The reference to “God” has been removed and those we have wronged have been added, in keeping with the 8th and 9th steps. The most important people to whom we should admit the exact nature of our wrongs are ourselves, another person and those we have wronged. Some may chose to admit it to their “God,” – in a confessional, for example – however, that is their choice and should not be a requirement.
Step 6:
Original: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Rewrite: Were entirely ready to remove all these defects of character.
Again, the reference to “God” has been removed. We can remove our defects of character without “God.” It is not a requirement to have “God” do it for us. It should be of our own belief and choosing as to how our defects of character are removed. Perhaps that is through a belief in God, but not necessarily.
Step 7:
Original: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Rewrite: Resolved to remove our shortcomings.
We may be humble but that doesn’t necessitate grovelling to a particular God (again, emphasized and implied by the capital “H”; that there is one single God).
Steps 8, 9 and 10:
Original:
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
These remain unchanged. They do not reference God, do not necessitate God, and are worthwhile activities as they stand.
Step 11:
Original: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Rewrite: Sought, through self-reflection or other means, to improve our moral constitution and the power to carry that out.
This has been completely rewritten, only preserving the phrase “the power to carry that out.” Prayer and meditation (religious concepts) have been replaced with the idea of self-reflection or other means (which may include prayer or meditation). The goal of improving one’s “conscious contact with God” (looking at that phrase, I cannot see how one could view A.A. as a secular organization with a straight face) has been replaced with the more valuable goal of improving one’s moral constitution; a concept far more personal and rewarding.
Step 12:
Unchanged as this goal is secular and remains valid.
As you can see, there is a logical argument for these changes and, if A.A. wishes to continue to be taken seriously then it does need to be more sensitive to those who do not share William G. Wilson’s beliefs; a growing majority. I’m probably not the first person to attempt to update the Twelve Steps and, no doubt, won’t be the last. However, the continued lack of change just demonstrates how staid and unprogressive this organization truly is. Please do not turn away from the atheist alcoholic. They suffer, too.
