Online agnostics meeting?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 15
Online agnostics meeting?
Well, I've googled until it's all a blur, then realized maybe I should ask you all here...does anybody know of an online AA Agnostics meeting?
I can find lots of f2f meetings listed (of course, none of those are within 100 miles of The Boonies where I reside) but not a one online.
I guess my other option is to try to start one, but obviously I'd rather hook up someplace where somebody has done all the work already.
I can find lots of f2f meetings listed (of course, none of those are within 100 miles of The Boonies where I reside) but not a one online.
I guess my other option is to try to start one, but obviously I'd rather hook up someplace where somebody has done all the work already.
Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxnard (The Nard), CA, USA.
Posts: 13,947
I found an weekly email AA freethinkers meeting: Join AA Freethinkers
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 67
Hi !!
Hi Everyone!!
I am new to this! I just got out of a rehab in Florida and I am back home in CT. I just got my 30 day coin!! (yay me!
) I am looking for an Agnostic AA meeting. On-line would be awesome!! Idon't know of anyone around me who is Agnostic and I'm not sure of how this will be accepted....and I reallly don't care because this is who I am. I am so relieved to find that there are others out there!! I thought I would have to go it alone. I couldn't sit through one more AA meeting or read one more page in the Blue Book telling me to surrender to God. Uuuuugh!! I know that this isn't the topic of this particular thread, but I was hoping someone could help me out. I am new to all of this and I am so lost!!
Thanx!!
Britta
I am new to this! I just got out of a rehab in Florida and I am back home in CT. I just got my 30 day coin!! (yay me!
) I am looking for an Agnostic AA meeting. On-line would be awesome!! Idon't know of anyone around me who is Agnostic and I'm not sure of how this will be accepted....and I reallly don't care because this is who I am. I am so relieved to find that there are others out there!! I thought I would have to go it alone. I couldn't sit through one more AA meeting or read one more page in the Blue Book telling me to surrender to God. Uuuuugh!! I know that this isn't the topic of this particular thread, but I was hoping someone could help me out. I am new to all of this and I am so lost!!Thanx!!
Britta
Human
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 101
Hi Britta,
Most people that I know in AA today don't take the Steps or the Big Book literally. It was written in 1939.
"Surrender to god" can mean for you to accept the reality of life and move forward.
I am an atheist that goes to a lot of AA meetings, where I don't care what other people may believe, and I listen to the stories and issues.
Most people that I know in AA today don't take the Steps or the Big Book literally. It was written in 1939.
"Surrender to god" can mean for you to accept the reality of life and move forward.
I am an atheist that goes to a lot of AA meetings, where I don't care what other people may believe, and I listen to the stories and issues.
Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxnard (The Nard), CA, USA.
Posts: 13,947
Hi Britta, welcome over to the secular side of SoberRecovery. 
Congrats on your 30 days!Freethinkers is kinda agnostic if not the same from what I know. No God or supernatural HP beliefs...that sort of thing.
I Have recently done the 12 steps of AA as a non-theist (its something like being a non-believer). I have a few understandings of a HP that allowed me to move through the steps without conflicting with my world view. Yet these HP's have a secular spiritual significance to me. Like the AA group (GOD: Group Of Drunks) is one HP to me. Collectively they instill the wisdom of what and what not to do in recovery.
make A.A. itself your higher power. Heres a very large group of people who have solved their alcohol problem
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 27-28
Another HP is my Higher Potential. I relate that to the concept known in Buddhisms as my original mind. And one more HP is Good. That would be making a conscious contact with the highest good I am capable of striving for.TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 27-28
We took A.A.'s Twelve Steps over to the largest Buddhist monastery in this province. We showed them to the *priest at the head of it. After he had finished looking over the Twelve Steps, the monk said, "Why, these are fine! Since we as Buddhists don't understand God just as you do, it might be slightly more acceptable if you inserted the word 'good' in your Steps instead of 'God.' Nevertheless, you say in these Steps that it is God as you understand Him. That clears up the point for us. Yes, A.A.'s Twelve Steps will certainly be accepted by the Buddhists around here."
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age, William G. Wilson, page 81.
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age, William G. Wilson, page 81.
(LOL a Buddhist *priest, make that a Buddhist Monk or Noble One )
As a secular person I can relate to much in the BB of AA. However being a non-theist means that there somethings in the BB that escape the realm of meaning for me. That's because the BB authors understanding of God and their path to that connection is different than mine. And that is okay. I do not have the same HP as anybody else in AA...I can have my own understanding.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 67
Hi Zencat
I don't see my reply here, so I'm gonna try to recall what I wrote. If it is here, my bad. First of all, I love your GOD acronym!!!
When I was in rehab, a speaker referred to GOD as Good Orderly Direction. I like that one too, but yours makes me laugh!!! Thanx. I really appreciate all of your kindness and feedback! It means so much to me. I know that some people (who are non believers) can attend AA meetings and get something from it. I am not one of those people. I had a horrible religion (if that's what you call it) shoved down my throat (litterally) growing up. I went to AA meetings to learn about sobriety not to be preached to. I cannot simply just get life stories and lessons from them. That is why I am glad I found this site. Everyone is so accepting of eachother. I am NOT used to that. My story usually scares people away.
Britta H
I don't see my reply here, so I'm gonna try to recall what I wrote. If it is here, my bad. First of all, I love your GOD acronym!!!
When I was in rehab, a speaker referred to GOD as Good Orderly Direction. I like that one too, but yours makes me laugh!!! Thanx. I really appreciate all of your kindness and feedback! It means so much to me. I know that some people (who are non believers) can attend AA meetings and get something from it. I am not one of those people. I had a horrible religion (if that's what you call it) shoved down my throat (litterally) growing up. I went to AA meetings to learn about sobriety not to be preached to. I cannot simply just get life stories and lessons from them. That is why I am glad I found this site. Everyone is so accepting of eachother. I am NOT used to that. My story usually scares people away.Britta H
MIND OF DESTRUCTIVE TASTE
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 744
Hi I have had no luck finding online secular meetings but have been pleasantly surprised to find agnostic/atheist AA/NA groups in my city...perhaps b/c I live in a huge city? I'm not sure but I'm pleased
-Jess
I have had no luck finding online secular meetings but have been pleasantly surprised to find agnostic/atheist AA/NA groups in my city...perhaps b/c I live in a huge city? I'm not sure but I'm pleased -Jess
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: LA - Lower Alabama
Posts: 5,068
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 3,550
Zencat:
I agree with what you have said about how AA, broadly interpreted and not necessarily confined to a dogmatic adherence to the literal language of the original Big Book, may be reconciled and quite consistent with the teachings of Buddhism as well as other quasi religious or secular sources of wisdom from many different traditions. This makes the insights of AA available to a wide variety of recovering alcoholics, some of whom may have been discouraged by interpretations which seek to confine recovery to the worship of a Christian God. Alcoholism in its onslaughts is indifferent to Christians or non Christians. Why should recovery from its effects be similarly restricted? Why should wisdom be exclusive to those having a Christian faith?
W.
I agree with what you have said about how AA, broadly interpreted and not necessarily confined to a dogmatic adherence to the literal language of the original Big Book, may be reconciled and quite consistent with the teachings of Buddhism as well as other quasi religious or secular sources of wisdom from many different traditions. This makes the insights of AA available to a wide variety of recovering alcoholics, some of whom may have been discouraged by interpretations which seek to confine recovery to the worship of a Christian God. Alcoholism in its onslaughts is indifferent to Christians or non Christians. Why should recovery from its effects be similarly restricted? Why should wisdom be exclusive to those having a Christian faith?
W.
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 1
Well, since there is no online free thinking aa meeting, maybe this thread will be helpful to someone. I just joined this site. I think I'll look around on the forums to find more info on this subject. Thank you everyone for posting.
Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxnard (The Nard), CA, USA.
Posts: 13,947
Welcome to SR MarthaLThe secular sections of SR has plenty of information on addiction, recovery and beyond. And the rest of SR ain't to bad either.
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Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Naples
Posts: 1
Keep coming back Britta 
Originally Posted by Britta 
Hi Everyone!!
I am new to this! I just got out of a rehab in Florida and I am back home in CT. I just got my 30 day coin!! (yay me!) I am looking for an Agnostic AA meeting. On-line would be awesome!! Idon't know of anyone around me who is Agnostic and I'm not sure of how this will be accepted....and I reallly don't care because this is who I am. I am so relieved to find that there are others out there!! I thought I would have to go it alone. I couldn't sit through one more AA meeting or read one more page in the Blue Book telling me to surrender to God. Uuuuugh!! I know that this isn't the topic of this particular thread, but I was hoping someone could help me out. I am new to all of this and I am so lost!!
Thanx!!
Britta
I am new to this! I just got out of a rehab in Florida and I am back home in CT. I just got my 30 day coin!! (yay me!
) I am looking for an Agnostic AA meeting. On-line would be awesome!! Idon't know of anyone around me who is Agnostic and I'm not sure of how this will be accepted....and I reallly don't care because this is who I am. I am so relieved to find that there are others out there!! I thought I would have to go it alone. I couldn't sit through one more AA meeting or read one more page in the Blue Book telling me to surrender to God. Uuuuugh!! I know that this isn't the topic of this particular thread, but I was hoping someone could help me out. I am new to all of this and I am so lost!!Thanx!!
Britta
B in Florida
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Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 1
Agnostic AA meeting online
Yes, there's an agnostic AA video meeting on Tuesday nights at 9PM EST at www intherooms.com. It's called Our Mostly Agnostic Group of Drunks. Search the video meetings for Agnostic AA or go to www omagod.org for info.
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Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 133
Originally Posted by Zencat
Hi Britta, welcome over to the secular side of SoberRecovery. Congrats on your 30 days!Freethinkers is kinda agnostic if not the same from what I know. No God or supernatural HP beliefs...that sort of thing.
I Have recently done the 12 steps of AA as a non-theist (its something like being a non-believer). I have a few understandings of a HP that allowed me to move through the steps without conflicting with my world view. Yet these HP's have a secular spiritual significance to me. Like the AA group (GOD: Group Of Drunks) is one HP to me. Collectively they instill the wisdom of what and what not to do in recovery.
make A.A. itself your higher power. Heres a very large group of people who have solved their alcohol problem
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 27-28
Another HP is my Higher Potential. I relate that to the concept known in Buddhisms as my original mind. And one more HP is Good. That would be making a conscious contact with the highest good I am capable of striving for.TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 27-28
We took A.A.'s Twelve Steps over to the largest Buddhist monastery in this province. We showed them to the *priest at the head of it. After he had finished looking over the Twelve Steps, the monk said, "Why, these are fine! Since we as Buddhists don't understand God just as you do, it might be slightly more acceptable if you inserted the word 'good' in your Steps instead of 'God.' Nevertheless, you say in these Steps that it is God as you understand Him. That clears up the point for us. Yes, A.A.'s Twelve Steps will certainly be accepted by the Buddhists around here."
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age, William G. Wilson, page 81.
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age, William G. Wilson, page 81.
(LOL a Buddhist *priest, make that a Buddhist Monk or Noble One )
As a secular person I can relate to much in the BB of AA. However being a non-theist means that there somethings in the BB that escape the realm of meaning for me. That's because the BB authors understanding of God and their path to that connection is different than mine. And that is okay. I do not have the same HP as anybody else in AA...I can have my own understanding.
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