Atheism and the 12 Steps
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Atheism and the 12 Steps
Hello all,
I'm still very new in my sobriety, but I have been reading an incredible book, "Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction" by David Sheff. One part of the book really struck me yesterday, and I wanted to share it. Personally, I have been struggling with the God and Higher Power part of AA. Part of me feels that I don't even know what to believe, that I'm still too young. Yet another part of me knows that I have been stuffing down any feelings at all, for so many years....Anyways, in the book, David's son is going to rehab for drug and alcohol addiction, and is struggling with similar feelings...
"Without being solicitous or disingenuous, I try to offer a way that he can conceive of a higher power. Though I raised him without religion, his upbringing was not devoid of a set of moral values. I tried to instill the idea that morality is right for its own sake. The Dalai Lama, writing in the New York Times, recently explained this in a way that reflects my thinking: "key ethical principles we all share as human beings, such as compassion, tolerance, a sense of caring, consideration of others, and the responsible use of knowledge and power- principles that transcend the barriers between religious believers and non-believers, and followers of this religion or that religion." To me, those principles are a higher power, one accessible to each of us. My father once explained his concept of God: the "still small voice" inside us- our consciences. When we listen to that voice, we do the right thing. When we don't, we fail to. In my life I haven't paid close enough attention to it--I don't know how--but I try to now. When I listen to it and act on it, I am more compassionate, less self-obsessed, and more loving. That, I tell Nic, is my higher power....
One's higher power can be anything one imagines it to be--a source of guidance that comes from outside of oneself when it's dangerous to rely on the warped, drug-influenced guidance that comes from one's own brain, the addict brain. "For some, it takes a leap of faith," a counselor told Nic. "You have to trust that there is somehting bigger than us out there--Something that can show us the path that will save our lives. The first step is honesty: my life is out of control. So what are your choices? Continue or submit to a higher power. You have to risk it--to be courageous enoug to take a leap of faith and trust that there is something bigger than us that can help."
I'm still very new in my sobriety, but I have been reading an incredible book, "Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction" by David Sheff. One part of the book really struck me yesterday, and I wanted to share it. Personally, I have been struggling with the God and Higher Power part of AA. Part of me feels that I don't even know what to believe, that I'm still too young. Yet another part of me knows that I have been stuffing down any feelings at all, for so many years....Anyways, in the book, David's son is going to rehab for drug and alcohol addiction, and is struggling with similar feelings...
"Without being solicitous or disingenuous, I try to offer a way that he can conceive of a higher power. Though I raised him without religion, his upbringing was not devoid of a set of moral values. I tried to instill the idea that morality is right for its own sake. The Dalai Lama, writing in the New York Times, recently explained this in a way that reflects my thinking: "key ethical principles we all share as human beings, such as compassion, tolerance, a sense of caring, consideration of others, and the responsible use of knowledge and power- principles that transcend the barriers between religious believers and non-believers, and followers of this religion or that religion." To me, those principles are a higher power, one accessible to each of us. My father once explained his concept of God: the "still small voice" inside us- our consciences. When we listen to that voice, we do the right thing. When we don't, we fail to. In my life I haven't paid close enough attention to it--I don't know how--but I try to now. When I listen to it and act on it, I am more compassionate, less self-obsessed, and more loving. That, I tell Nic, is my higher power....
One's higher power can be anything one imagines it to be--a source of guidance that comes from outside of oneself when it's dangerous to rely on the warped, drug-influenced guidance that comes from one's own brain, the addict brain. "For some, it takes a leap of faith," a counselor told Nic. "You have to trust that there is somehting bigger than us out there--Something that can show us the path that will save our lives. The first step is honesty: my life is out of control. So what are your choices? Continue or submit to a higher power. You have to risk it--to be courageous enoug to take a leap of faith and trust that there is something bigger than us that can help."
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Great post. As an atheist in AA, I guess I'm lucky that I've never had to struggle with the HP issue. The key was to keep an open mind to everything. My prior views, preconceived notions and judgments were just aspects of my alcoholism that had no place in the rooms of AA.
At first, I used the rooms the connection of the group as my HP. But as time went by, and I got further into the steps, my concept began to change. I prayed every night because it was suggested to me. At first, it was more like going through the motions, but now when I pray, I feel something. Like something is watching over me and helping me do the next right thing. Call it my conscience. Or even a spirit guide lol. I don't know it it is. I don't care. But I know it's there. And it hasn't led me astray since I've been sober.
At first, I used the rooms the connection of the group as my HP. But as time went by, and I got further into the steps, my concept began to change. I prayed every night because it was suggested to me. At first, it was more like going through the motions, but now when I pray, I feel something. Like something is watching over me and helping me do the next right thing. Call it my conscience. Or even a spirit guide lol. I don't know it it is. I don't care. But I know it's there. And it hasn't led me astray since I've been sober.
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Originally Posted by Renarde 
Any agnostic, atheist, or Buddhist should check out "Waiting: A Non-believer's Higher Power." It is a fabulous book that has been helping me so much.
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That was a pretty awesome paragraph . Thanks for sharing it.
"The still, small voice," is close to what I believe my higher power to be. And I believe the steps help me quiet all the other voices, so that that one can be heard, listened to, and acted upon.
I often hear people say it's just semantics, and I'm starting to realize just how powerful that statement is. Some people imagine god as a bearded old white haired man sitting in the clouds somewhere calling all the shots. Some have very complicated descriptions. Some believe god is nature, or the sun, or earth, wind, fire and water. Some see is as an undefiniable source of energy in the universe, or as positive energy. I've known people who simply define god as good. I'll go as far as to say that some people worship a part of themselves, which they probably won't/don't call god, but serves the same purpose. A higher, less tapped into source of their own being and energy. So, what's my point here....?
In relationship to the steps and AA, I believe any of the above work perfectly. Yet many people slam shut and lock the door on the usefulness of the steps, simply because of some preconcieved notion of the word god.
I've spoken of god, miracles, turning my life over, 3rd and 6th, 7th and 11th steps, spirtuality, etc. for years now and it's only recently that I'm starting to realize that when I get down to my core beliefs, some might label me athiest. I used to consider myself agnostic, but I fall somewhere between the cracks of that, and athiest. I just never had any problem with the word god. I rejected the old man image a long time ago and just sort of wrapped up all I believed into a simple package I labeled "god", because it makes things neat and simple. Might seem odd to some to do that, but bottom line for me is that it's worked. And it's worked countless "miracles" that I could share in great detail.
. Thanks for sharing it."The still, small voice," is close to what I believe my higher power to be. And I believe the steps help me quiet all the other voices, so that that one can be heard, listened to, and acted upon.
I often hear people say it's just semantics, and I'm starting to realize just how powerful that statement is. Some people imagine god as a bearded old white haired man sitting in the clouds somewhere calling all the shots. Some have very complicated descriptions. Some believe god is nature, or the sun, or earth, wind, fire and water. Some see is as an undefiniable source of energy in the universe, or as positive energy. I've known people who simply define god as good. I'll go as far as to say that some people worship a part of themselves, which they probably won't/don't call god, but serves the same purpose. A higher, less tapped into source of their own being and energy. So, what's my point here....
?In relationship to the steps and AA, I believe any of the above work perfectly. Yet many people slam shut and lock the door on the usefulness of the steps, simply because of some preconcieved notion of the word god.
I've spoken of god, miracles, turning my life over, 3rd and 6th, 7th and 11th steps, spirtuality, etc. for years now and it's only recently that I'm starting to realize that when I get down to my core beliefs, some might label me athiest. I used to consider myself agnostic, but I fall somewhere between the cracks of that, and athiest. I just never had any problem with the word god. I rejected the old man image a long time ago and just sort of wrapped up all I believed into a simple package I labeled "god", because it makes things neat and simple. Might seem odd to some to do that, but bottom line for me is that it's worked. And it's worked countless "miracles" that I could share in great detail.
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