Lots of misunderstanding about the words “higher power” could be cleared up for believers if they do a quick study on a good Concordance like the Poe Concordance and check out the following usages in the Big Book: “Creator,” “Maker,” “Father,” “Spirit,” “God” [over 400 times counting the capitalized pronouns and the foregoing descriptions taken from the Good Book], “Heavenly Father,” and the statement that it means, of course, that we are going to talk about “God.” Today, though the strange phrase “higher power” is used only twice in the basic text, unbelievers and others have converted it into “light bulb,” “radiator,” “something,” “somebody,” “it,” “his,” “her,” “radiator,” “Santa Claus,” and on and on. Yet when Bill Wilson and Bill Dotson both said on page 191 that the “Lord” had cured them of their terrible disease, and when Dr. Bob said on page 181 that “Your Heavenly Father will never let you down,” they were simply referring to Yahweh, the Creator, who was available to cure them. And when later, Bill wrote to Father John C. Ford, S.J., and said that he didn’t much care what the Buddhists did with the Twelve Steps, he was expressing in the 1950’s the openness which he had declared when he said that even the A.A. “group” could be your higher power. In the Big Book, both uses of the phrase “higher power” were in the context of “God” and no other. Stay tuned for “as you understand Him” which came from Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr. For me, being “rocketed” requires the jet propulsion and power of Almighty God and not some idolatrous and lesser “god” which matter is discussed in Psalm 115. That doesn’t make A.A. “Christian.” It simply covers what the founders meant when they were stating “Who” had cured them, and “Who” produced the documented 75% to 93% success rates in Akron and Cleveland among the seemingly hopeless “medically incurable” real alcoholics who numbered 40 and who had gone to any lengths to abstain and rely on the Creator for the power, guidance, and healing. May this help those who believe to understand exactly what our founders believed when they made their statements.
God Bless, Dick B. dickb@dickb.com
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Does this mean that Hindus, Muslims, and others have to convert?
From solid Sponsorship where we read the Big Book together, I understand that the Steps speak of being willing to believe in a power greater than me and of my own understanding. The words used in BB, such as God, are merely shorthand for including any form our HP may take for each of us.
I hope that is helpful.
They would have in the Akron & Cleveland Ohio groups in the early years and decades of AA. Dr. Bob Smith co-founder of AA took 5000 drunks through the steps and all had to get on their knees after day 3 to 5 in the hospital detox and pray to God. A day or two later they would be taken to an AA/Oxford group meeting and have a real surrender to Jesus Christ and begin the steps. That is if they had not already done steps 1-3 in the hospital on there last day or two of detox. They would start on step 4 at their first AA meeting less than a week sober. Now New York AA was a different story. They had much, much less success in getting keeping drunks sober but that is where the AA central office was and where all the money was. So, NY AA had more influence on the literature and what made it into the Big book. meanwhile Dr. Bob and all his sponsees continued to practice first century Christianity in Ohio and many groups sprang up in nearby states from the guys recovered in Ohio. Each AA group or meeting is autonomous you know.
They would have had to convert in the Akron & Cleveland Ohio groups in the early years and decades of AA. Dr. Bob Smith co-founder of AA took 5000 drunks through the steps in Akron, Oh. Almost all prospects had to go to Akron City hospital upstairs where they had a few beds for 5 to 7 days to detox. And all had to get on their knees a day or two before being released from detox/hospital and pray to God. A day or two later they would be taken to an AA/Oxford group meeting and have a real surrender to Jesus Christ and begin the steps. That is if they had not already done steps 1-3 in the hospital on there last day or two of detox. They would start on step 4 at their first AA meeting less than a week sober. Now New York AA was a different story. They had much, much less success in getting keeping drunks sober but that is where the AA central office was and where all the money was. So, NY AA had more influence on the literature and what made it into the Big book. Meanwhile Dr. Bob and all his sponsees continued to practice first century Christianity in Ohio and many groups sprang up in nearby states from the guys that recovered in Ohio. Each AA group or meeting is autonomous you know. It’s alm ost as if there were two types of AA for the first 15 years until Dr. Bob died in November 1950. Then the NY AA really took over at warp speed and original real Christian AA is but a distant memory today.