Originally Posted by
awuh1 
The people afford no rational ground for disappointment. They are people. Program is program. They are not the same thing. It’s like going to church and seeing a neighbor there who committed a crime. Do you blame the church for his behavior or hold the church responsible for what he did? Do you say “ok that’s it, this religion isn’t any good. Frank was at the service, and we all know what HE did!”
You certainly might if Frank's crime involved another member of the congregation, and the rest of the congregation didn't lift a finger to prevent it from happening again. Or worse, actively discouraged anyone with a conscience and a backbone — there's always one or two in a group — from doing so. You know, the old
"Oh, that's OK that Frank is a degenerate, because some are sicker than others — just pray for him" kind of nonsense.
Generally speaking, though, start putting alcoholics on a pedestal at your peril.
Originally Posted by Dr. Bob Smith
We have found it wise policy, too, to hold to no glorification of the individual... We've all seen the new member who stays sober for a time, largely through sponsor-worship. Then maybe the sponsor gets drunk, and you know what usually happens. Left without a human prop, the new member gets drunk, too.
From
The Fundamentals - In Retrospect (AA Grapevine, 1948)