Reasons to Believe

[nandm]

We can ask ourselves, "How is it working for us? Are we going to hold on to our old ideas until they kill us? Can't we set aside our arguments long enough to give a spiritual based way of life an honest appraisal?"

People, rather than God, have caused the problems with religions. There is a sufficient amount of food on this planet. There are only human reasons why some people starve. People judge others. People cause the wars and fighting. People like us. While blaming others we ignore our own responsibility for the troubles of the world. Decisions and actions based on selfishness and self-centeredness have caused many of the problems we face both as members of the human race and as individuals.

Our conception of what life is about may be based on the flawed ides that the satisfaction of our desires is the route to happiness. Having never examined the basis for our lives until now we have in the past blamed our unhappiness on others for interfering with our pursuit of happiness.

Reasons to Believe

PAGE: LINE REASON

44: 4 You may be suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer,

47: 11 It has been repeatedly proven among us that upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spirutal structure can be built.

48: 16 Reasonable assumption as a starting point.

49: 11 People of faith have a logical idea of what life is all about.

49: 12 We used to have no reasonable conception whatever.

49: 13 Spiritually minded persons demonstrate a degree of stability, happiness, and usefulness which we should have sought ourselves.

50: 9-12 These men and women have gained access to and believe in a Power Greater than themselves.

50: 13-51:3 One hundred people saying that the consciousness of the Presence of God is the most important fact of their lives, presents a powerful reason why one should have faith.

52: 8-10 Our ideas did not work. But the God idea did.

52: 13 Others show us that God-sufficiency worked for them.

53: 7 The authors think it is reasonable, and more sane and logical to believe than not to believe.

53: 8-10 We have to face the proposition that either God is or God isn't

54: 4 Faith had been involved all along.

54: 15 In one form or another we had been living by faith and little else.

55: 4 We had seen spiritual release.

55: 7 For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives are facts as old as man himself.

55: 8 We finallly saw that faith in some kind of God was a part of our makeup.

55: 11 We found the Great Reality deep down within us.

55: 20 His change of heart was dramatic, convincing and moving.

56: 8 Is it possible that all the religious people I have know are wrong?

56: 11 Who are you to say there is no God?

56: 21 His alcoholic problem was taken away.

57: 3 God had restored his sanity

57: 4-5 What is this but a miracle of healing? Yet it's elements are simple.

57: 6 Circumstances made him willing to believe.

57: 8 Even so has God restored us all to our right minds

57: 11 But he has come to all who have honestly sought him.

57: 12 When we drew near to Him He disclosed HImself to us.

The Annotated A.A. Handbook.
A Companion to the Big Book
By Frank D.

[RufusACanal]

Forgive me nandm, but what is a annotated AA Handbook? I easily confuse so I am not following this post.

Thanks

[nandm]

Originally Posted by RufusACanal

Forgive me nandm, but what is a annotated AA Handbook? I easily confuse so I am not following this post.

Thanks

Good question. I did not know myself until someone explained it to me.

It is a tool (book) that includes the entire text and personal stories from the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous, along with hundreds of explanatory paragraphs and thousands of cross references.

It's purpose is to enable anyone from the beginner to the serious student of the 12 Steps to better understand and practive the principles of A.A.

The volume points out passages that amplify and clarify each other's meaning and links them together through cross-references. This helps to broaden and deepen the readers' understanding of the simple yet profound spiritual concepts described in the original text.

The annotations demonstrate the implication and application of a spiritual program of action.

Here is a link that might explain it better. www.aahandbook.com

I have found it to be an invaluable tool for me. As there are many times I just don't get things until I can relate them to something else, like two passages saying essentially the same thing but in different chapters and in slightly different words. But when I can see them side by side they finally make sense. I hope this helps explain. Take care

[nandm]

I realized that an explanation of page number and line reference is probably needed. The page number refers to the page of the Big Book and the line number refers to what line the reference is referring to. Sorry, I myself can be a little slow... that is why I need all the help I can get...lol

[RufusACanal]

Good stuff nandm, I will go there now and check it out!

[nandm]

Scratch that web site. It is a dead end now. I got the book several years ago and I guess the site no longer exists. But here is a link to it on amazon you can get an idea of what it is from there. http://www.amazon.com/Annotated-AA-H.../dp/1569800758

By the way I am a little shocked at the price of them now. I think I paid about $10 for mine now they want $50 and up...not sure what is up with that.

Sorry about the dead link