We admitted we were licked, that we were powerless over alcohol. One of the many myths that i was taught about the big book is that its the collective workwords of the original 100 members of aa. Schematic outline of the first 103 pages of the big book. In the preceding chapters you have learned something of alcoholism. God in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. I thought it had to be done precisely as laid out in the big book, and although bill w.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the big book of quotations for atheists, agnostics, and secular humanists. Especially, as that word gets used by individuals who embrace traditional religious concepts of. What we know of course is that the big book was bill wilsons baby its a collection of his opinions and beliefs at 34 years sober. There were lots of suggestions good orderly direction, guidance on demand, group of drunks the last being the most popular with agnostics and atheists. We confessed or shared our shortcomings with another person in confidence. The big book of quotations for atheists, agnostics, and secular humanists kindle edition by probulos, i.
Find the ones you want and click listen here to hear them on your computer. There are now secular aa groups in virtually every major city in the nation. The 1996 canadian census only counted 21,975 agnostics. Big book study walking through the big book of alcoholics anonymous with chris s. Chapter 4 of the big book, we agnostics, in which bill w argues that recovery requires belief in god, is an insulting mishmash.
They are not aa approved, but are aa permitted to use and adapt the aa 12 step program. This is the full archive, listed by date of publication in other words, the earliest ones appear first. One can now listen to the alcoholics anonymous big book from front to back, or by choosing a chapter. One of the most comprehensive studies of the basic text of alcoholics anonymous ever. We hope we have made clear the distinction between the alcoholic and the nonalcoholic. It is dedicated to those who want recovery from alcoholism, but have difficulty with the word god. As we continue to study the big book we will learn there is nothing we can do about the. Reading guide for we agnostics amethyst recovery center. Schematic outline of the first 103 pages of the big book i. Big book overview alcoholics anonymous or the big book as it is commonly called was first published in 1939 and was subtitled the story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism. Do we then outline the twelve steps of alcoholics anonymous. The author is a christian trying to save and convert agnostics. Taken from the book alcoholics anonymous frequently called the big book.
The individual sections of this study guide material reflect ideas, emotions and attitudes you might hear from the. Chapter 2 there is a solution, chapter 3 more about alcoholism and chapter 4 we agnostics gives us. If we are to accept our disease and learn to overcome it, we must accept that we. There is an appendix referenced in we agnostics that notes this. Chapter 4 of the big book is titled we agnostics and explores the meaning of a higher power. Atheist in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. The individual sections of this study guide material reflect ideas, emotions and attitudes you might hear from the mouth of that old timer over in the corner. That means we have written a book which we believe to be spiritual as well as moral. Words above brackets are from the prepublication version. Big book alcoholics anonymous chapter 4 we agnostics pages 44 57. Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss his alcoholic problems and explain our fellowship. For god to prove himself on demand, physically, would be a grave disappointment, and the strongest christians should be considerably grateful that he chooses not to do so.
A perspective on we agnostics chapter 4 of the big book how could there possibly be a god when there are so many starving people and wars where everybody says god is on their side. Your rational thinking, but those who are religious can arrive at. To one who feels he is an atheist or agnostic such an experience. May 21, 2008 in its chapter, we agnostics, the big book outlines its attitude toward spiritual and religious matters. They summarized what they learned from the oxford group in six simple principles. The chapter on we agnostics was often suggested by wellmeaning friends, which can, in essence, be summed up as fake it till you make it.
Into action, which describes steps five through 11. Comparing we agnostics to the original manuscript for our basic text comparison format colors appear here only and are not used in the actual comparisons. Alcoholics anonymous and the big book are registered trademarks of a. When i first approached this step, i was concerned with doing it exactly right. The 164 and more book, ebook, and web site are all concordances which display passages from the big book alcoholics anonymous, the twelve steps and twelve traditions, and the a. List of big book step study bbss groups in the united states hyannis format meeting schedule.
It is not meant to be the the final word by any stretch. The purpose of this study guide is to enable the student to better understand the information the authors of the book, alcoholics anonymous, intended to impart to each of us based on their experience and knowledge of alcoholism and. Chapter 4 we agnostics page 40 for either case, atheist or agnostic, we are going to have to find some way to have this spiritual experience, and to use this power greater than human power. The outlines and the promise of the new land had brought lustre to tired eyes and fresh courage to flagging spirits. We have a new site come and check us out thursday night big book study. During any such meeting to study the aa big book, you would expect to encounter a wide variety of viewpoints on the portions under consideration. It sounds like they are trying to convert me to something. And perhaps thats why we see this in the big book at the end of the third step material.
There are references in which some will agree and disagree and obviously there are references we omitted where another person might have highlighted it. Chapter 2 there is a solution, chapter 3 more about alcoholism and chapter 4 we agnostics gives us this information. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. These are posted as an aid to the blind, those who have difficulty reading or who are remote from meetings either in prison or in hard to reach places. This exercise is meant to be an individual study aid of the big book in which the author identifies the references to god. In brackets after each is the specific source for each books summary. We agnostics i n the precedingchapters you have learned something of alcoholism. In doing so, the big book also presents a method by which readers can investigate theological questions for themselves. We agnostics chapter of the big book religious forums. Feb 05, 2017 below you will find all of the recordings made by dr. Although these books are not written specifically for the agnostic, they use nonjudgemental direct language and are higherpower neutral. Or pick from one of many of the favorite parts we have singled out on our website.
Aa cofounder bill wilson wrote we agnostics in an attempt to address the issue that. As we continue to study the big book we will learn there is nothing we can do about the physical allergy of the body. Apr 05, 2016 there were lots of suggestions good orderly direction, guidance on demand, group of drunks the last being the most popular with agnostics and atheists. This is the part of the big book where their blatant proselytizing for god happens. Mar 29, 2018 i know it wont be an overnight thing, or if it will even ever happen, but we have to consider that if aa helps 510%, and there are 15% agnostics in the us population, maybe 2025 among alcoholics, i think we tend to be more of an ungodly bunch, this leaves, give or take, around 70% who are not helped by aa and who are not necessarily not.
Agnostics chapter of the big book just got back from a meeting closed discussion where we read this entire chapter and shared on it holy crap what an arrogant, insulting, and condescending way of looking at atheists and agnostics. An agnostic is defined as a person who accepts the concept of god but. The chapter on we agnostics was often suggested by wellmeaning friends, which can, in. I also dont approve of the big book saying i dont know who god is. The big book of quotations for atheists, agnostics, and.
Below you will find all of the recordings made by dr. Audio big book ideal for those who find difficulty reading, an audio version of the big book in mp3 format. Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss his alcoholicproblems and. I find it to be very insulting and incompatible with any secular thinking. Jul 16, 2015 joe and charlie cover the chapter we agnostics from the big book of alcoholics anonymous in such masterly detail. The purpose of this study guide is to enable the student to better understand the information the authors of the book, alcoholics anonymous, intended to impart to each of us based on their experience and knowledge of alcoholism and their program of recovery. There is a solution contains numerous important revelations, illustrating one of them with a story pertaining to one of aas early members. The outlines and the promise of the new land had brought lustre sic to tired eyes and.
Is this the christian god, or can we really take this to mean a god of our own understanding. The big book would advise you, however, not to be too perturbed by these references. According to the big book, when we speak of god, what do we mean. The outlines and the promise of the new land had brought lustre to tired eyes and. This is how i imagine it could have been in the preceding chapters you have learned something of alcoholism. This is the heart of the big book, the chapter that introduces the twelve steps of alcoholics anonymous, and is so revered that it is read to open. We, of alcoholics anonymous, are more than one hundred men and woman who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. Now, we turn our eyes toward there is a solution, the story in which the big book begins to truly shine in its depiction of alcoholism and its many, many dangers. We agnostics assignment we have covered the first and second components of the disease of alcoholism.
Aug 24, 2009 we have a new site come and check us out thursday night big book study. The chapter, we agnostics appears in the book, alcoholics anonymous aka the big book on. For the agnostic, atheist and humanist, it can feel like a distraction from the. Aa speaker turn our will and our lives over to the care of god new 20 duration. Pp 5354 we agnostics the faith of reason the eaa group. Agnosticism is really the second largest religious belief system in the u. Nov 21, 2014 that means we have written a book which we believe to be spiritual as well as moral. We can learn the universal, generic pattern of lifes. Chapter 4, we agnostics, is truly a remarkable piece of writing.
We need a spiritual experience to conquer the illness. Four short years before writing this chapter, the principal author, bill w. We wish to make the 12 steps of alcoholics anonymous part of our. The big book step study bbss format, based upon an aa meeting format originated in hyannis, mass. The eaa group rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Joe and charlie cover the chapter we agnostics from the big book of alcoholics anonymous in such masterly detail. Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss his alcoholicproblems and explain our fellowship. When this was brought up in our carc2 meeting, the reply was that they were afraid the next step would be to change the big book.
Throughout the big book atheists and agnostics are portrayed as people who need to be convinced to open their minds to the idea of having a personal relationship with god. I mean i understood it intellectually, but what i wasnt getting is it god. What if the fourth chapter of the big book, we agnostics had actually been written by atheists and agnostics. We agnostics by soberrecovery, staff writer nov 21 2014. It is the sharing of our collective experience, strength, hope and wisdom inspired by our reading of this big book together that will make a difference in our recovery. What about those sanctimonious church goers who judge me for my sins and then commit their own. The we agnostics chapter of the big book just got back from a meeting closed discussion where we read this entire chapter and shared on it holy crap what an arrogant, insulting, and condescending way of looking at atheists and agnostics. For many of us that seems to be an impossible task. So it was comforting to learn that we could commence at.
How it works, which outlines the 12 steps and how to follow them. M download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. It would be helpful to you as you read along to substitute the word food for alcohol and compulsive eater for alcoholic. He genuinely believed that he had a spiritual experience granted by god, and it was his sincere view that this. This is because we agnostics includes terms such as creative intelligence, which would appear not to gel with the notion that we are allowed to accept the greater scientific universe as the higher power of our choosing. By using we in the title, it is insinuated that the authors are agnostic. Joe and charlies we agnostics big book step study my. I mean i understood it intellectually, but what i wasnt getting is it god means anything that is outside the self that has the power to healhelpetc. The outlines and the promise of the new land had brought lustre to tired eyes and fresh courage to flagging. In its chapter, we agnostics, the big book outlines its attitude toward spiritual and religious matters. We agnostically inclined would not feel satisfied with a proposal which does not. Sorting and rendering passages in the proprietary format of the 164 and more concordance does not in any way imply affiliation with or endorsement by either alcoholics. Coined by professor huxley at a party in london to found the metaphysical society in 1869, huxley combined the a prefix for without and gnostic meaning knowledge. We agnostics aa big book chapter 4 aa big book big book of aa alcoholics anonymous doctors opinion how it works aa preamble alcoholism recovery 4th edition 3rd edition 2nd edition alcohol allergy rehabilitation of alcoholics dr.
The list was an attempt to outline what had worked in the program for others. This is a study guide to the book alcoholics anonymous. You may rely absolutely on anything they say about themselves. Big book workbook is for those who are willing to grow along spiritual lines 60. It is the first text written about the experiences of the founders of the a.
Especially, as that word gets used by individuals who embrace traditional religious concepts of what it means to them. Our goal is to study the steps as a friendly, focused group, and work them as the authors of the big book described. Oct 05, 2014 when i first approached this step, i was concerned with doing it exactly right. And it means, of course, that we are going to talk about god. Then why does the chaptor we agnostics insinuate were all agnostic till we find out who god is in our lives and we have to have a spiritual awakening. Many aa agnostics have found these books to be useful and enlightening. In the last analysis it is only there that he may be found. The 2001 census data showed that the percentage of atheists, agnostics, humanists, adherents of no religion, etc rose from 12. A perspective on we agnostics chapter 4 of the big book. In this text book for permanent sobriety, we find the twelve steps of. So far weve listed earlier secular books for we agnostics in aa. The big book study movement is outside of the structure of alcoholics anonymous in ireland.
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