Big book study groups, big book meetings, back to basics groups, and the. And it means, of course, that we are going to talk about god. 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. One can now listen to the alcoholics anonymous big book from front to back, or by choosing a chapter. The most important chapter of the big book for understanding bill wilsons concept of god is we agnostics pp. Words contained within the first 164 pages of the big book. In this part of the alcoholics anonymous big book study, joe and charlie discuss the chapter we agnostics this series of talks came about. So it was comforting to learn that we could commence at a simpler level. Here we learn what the alcoholics great problem is.
A compilation of recordings from a 28 week big book workshop. The big book of quotations for atheists, agnostics, and secular humanists kindle edition by probulos, i. This is now accurately known as a result of the aris studies. Big book workshop we agnostics big book step study. Bernard basset is a jesuit, and the author of many other books such as we neurotics,born for friendship. Please be sure to read appendix ii about the spiritual experience.
Quad a alcoholics anonymous for atheists and agnostics was launched in 1975 in chicago. One argument we hear is that the formation of a group with altered. It was the tuesday night book study, and the men couldnt have been more welcoming. Aa cofounder bill wilson wrote we agnostics in an attempt to address the issue. It is named, of course, after a chapter in alcoholics anonymous often called the big book. Joe and charlie cover the chapter we agnostics from the big book of alcoholics anonymous in such masterly detail. This page is dedicated to the recordings that took place beginning with the 80th anniversary of the big book s publishing. According to the big book, when we speak of god, what do we mean. Many aa agnostics have found these books to be useful and enlightening. Book study 20 we agnostics 12 by the big book study published on. 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. Alcoholism12 step support a perspective on we agnostics chapter 4 of the big book im not going for this god stuff.
The writing of the bible could be referred to as one of the worst cases of the game telephone in existence. Aug 24, 2009 we have a new site come and check us out thursday night big book study. We agnostics chapter of the big book religious forums. Naikan and danshukai for the treatment of japanese alcoholic patients. How could there possibly be a god when there are so many starving people and wars where everybody says god is on their side. The eaa group rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss his alcoholicproblems and explain our fellowship. One more time i have come to believe that there is in fact a great reality. Chapter 4 we agnostics page 41 notice the asterisk at the bottom of the page. Anonymous, the big book, with permission from alcoholics anonymous. We confessed or shared our shortcomings with another person in confidence. I also dont approve of the big book saying i dont know who god is. In the big book we find a radical empiricism, applied to religion, with a set of actions offered as an entrance into direct spiritual experience.
The church of the apathetic agnostic welcomes you to apatheticagnostic. Joe and charlies we agnostics big book step study my. In the book, he eventually experiences a selfawakening and returns to the faith. It would be helpful to you as you read along to substitute the word food for alcohol and compulsive eater for alcoholic. Two agnostic groups we agnostics and beyond belief were kicked off the official list of aa. Welcome to we agnostics a weekly dose of recovery for the nonreligious. You may rely absolutely on anything they say about themselves. What about those sanctimonious church goers who judge me for. Its not a magical book that requires arcane knowledge to decipher and understand. 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. Frankly, the chapter, we agnostics spends over a dozen pages. We had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be a power greater than ourselves. To one who feels he is an atheist or agnostic such an experience seems.
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. Oct 05, 2014 i thought it had to be done precisely as laid out in the big book, and although bill w. Working the 12 steps in this is a easytoread and understand workbook, we discover the core issues of the 12 steps and how to work toward making them a daily part of our lives. And once again, i was amazed how easy it is for people to read and discuss scripture, even when they may not know anything about it, or even believe its true. 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. Pages 44 through 57 chapter 4, we agnostics, is truly a remarkable piece of writing. One of the interesting things about the formation of the group was.
Written and repeatedly rewritten, edited and cherrypicked in fragments over 1500 years by literally hundred of individuals, often mistranslating from one language to another, and finally carefully edited to please kings and powerful clerics, the king james edition would not bear any. The history of the formation of narcotics anonymous. We wish to make the 12 steps of alcoholics anonymous part of our. 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. We may not beleive in the supernatural but we believe in you. Popular agnosticism books meet your next favorite book. I am pleased to see the site still attracts visitors, some of whom take the time to reply with their thoughts. It is fair to say that countless addicts and alcoholics have stayed clear of 12step recovery because of the pervasive nature of the word god in the big book.
Atheist in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. We hope we have made clear the distinction between the alcoholic and the nonalcoholic. Histories of ten agnostic groups in canada aa agnostica. Oct, 2016 it is fair to say that countless addicts and alcoholics have stayed clear of 12step recovery because of the pervasive nature of the word god in the big book. We want to be defined by principles and not what we dont believe. This web site is dedicated to developing a collective dialogue amongst like minded individuals, those that might call themselves the new agnostics. One of many good places to begin is in alcoholics anonymous aka the big book, specifically chapter 4, we agnostics. In the preceding chapters you have learned something of alcoholism. The delegate for southern california area 05, thomas b, is interested in your thoughts on the subject of conference approved literature for agnostics and atheists in aa. 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. She grew up in a home where religion was around, but it wasnt a big deal. Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss his alcoholic problems and explain our fellowship.
M download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. And sadly, it is not only an unfortunate choice, it can be a deadly one. I guess i was a bit of a fundamentalist at the time and feared that it wouldnt work if i didnt follow directions exactly. This 1968 book is the story of harry dawes, a modern catholic layman who has lost his faith, and struggles with the questions of existence and belief. Big book workbook is for those who are willing to grow along spiritual lines 60. The big book would advise you, however, not to be too perturbed by these references. Schematic outline of the first 103 pages of the big book. Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss his alcoho lic problems and explain our fellowship.
Aug, 2017 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. I didnt want them that close to me and i kept them at a really huge distance. Great detective stories, unique insights, and new arguments for the truth of christianity. This is the third time we have been referred to appendix ii spiritual experience. The origins, histories and meeting formats of ten agnostic alcoholics anonymous.
Four short years before writing this chapter, the principal author, bill w. May 21, 2008 in its chapter, we agnostics, the big book outlines its attitude toward spiritual and religious matters. With god to illinois,lets start praying again, etc. The big book offers these actions without predicting the exact spiritual experience that will result for a given individual, nor does it impose any conceptions upon the reader. Aa beyond belief provides a space for agnostics, atheists and freethinkers in alcoholics. 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. I thought it had to be done precisely as laid out in the big book, and although bill w. They are not aa approved, but are aa permitted to use and adapt the aa 12 step program. The number of american adults with agnostic beliefs.
Besides a seeming inability to accept much on faith. If we are to accept our disease and learn to overcome it, we must accept that. We admitted we were licked, that we were powerless over alcohol. Agnostic in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. Jul 16, 2015 joe and charlie cover the chapter we agnostics from the big book of alcoholics anonymous in such masterly detail. Another definition provided is the view that human reason is incapable of providing sufficient rational grounds to justify either the belief that god exists or the belief that god does not exist. We also have copies of the little book, the aa big book, twelve steps and. Suspended we agnostics austin aa hill country intergroup. Several kinds of recovery related activities happen in these online meeting areas.
On may 31, 2011, two agnostic aa groups were booted out of the greater. Reading guide for we agnostics amethyst recovery center. Created especially for high school and college students, this anthology collects letters, essays, diary entries, book excerpts, blogs, and other brief readings by atheists and agnostics from ancient times to the present, from wellknown philosophers to ordinary people. Nov 21, 2014 that means we have written a book which we believe to be spiritual as well as moral. Mar 29, 2018 conference question literature for we agnostics. We await the results of the next steps in this tribunals proceedings. The authors summarize the second letter xxivxxvthe body of the alcoholic is quite as abnormal as his mind. Taken from the book alcoholics anonymous frequently called the big book. Of course the name we agnostics is also a chapter in the big book. As embodied in the fourth tradition, the formation and operation of an a. Agnosticism ontario consultants on religious tolerance.
Nor do they think that what he said is not open to question, since they do not accept any authority as absolute. The chapter we agnostics in the big book at least acknowledged that. Oct 12, 2017 one of many good places to begin is in alcoholics anonymous aka the big book, specifically chapter 4, we agnostics. 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.
Five books for skeptics and seekers reasons for god. The big book of quotations for atheists, agnostics, and. Well, reading and discussing this chapter plus a reading we discussed in the abstinence book in my meeting saturday helped me to find the spiritual aspect of abstinence. A history of agnostic groups in aa william white papers. They summarized what they learned from the oxford group in six simple principles. Schematic outline of the first 103 pages of the big book i. For many of us that seems to be an impossible task. Both the republication of the god word pamphlet, originally published by aa in great britain, and a request to create a new pamphlet for atheists and agnostics in aa are on the agenda at this years aa. Personally, i have really enjoyed this book because it is fresh. A perspective on we agnostics chapter 4 of the big book. Agnostics article about agnostics by the free dictionary. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the big book of quotations for atheists, agnostics, and secular humanists.
We agnostics assignment we have covered the first and second components of the disease of alcoholism. Some would place him on a level with buddha, some with socrates and some with abraham lincoln. To this end, my critique of we agnostics chapter 4 of the big book and lifejs logical fallacies of the big book have been published and others are in progress. Please do inform the court that in the 1939 edition of the big book step twelve says. By the very act of critiquing chapter 4, we agnostics, i admittedly commit aa heresy. Sep 07, 2017 quad a alcoholics anonymous for atheists and agnostics was launched in 1975 in chicago. That means we have written a book which we believe to be spiritual as well as moral. 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. 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. Agnosticism is the view that the existence of god, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable.
We have a new site come and check us out thursday night big book study. The individual sections of this study guide material reflect ideas, emotions and attitudes you might hear from the. What if the fourth chapter of the big book,we agnostics had actually been written by atheists and agnostics. Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss. Although these books are not written specifically for the agnostic, they use nonjudgemental direct language and are higherpower neutral. Book study 19 we agnostics 11 by the big book study published on 20160829t21.
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