Question
1:
“Would
the Fellowship share experience and make recommendations on how to
make AA more visible to the general public, particularly by
increasing awareness and understanding of how the AA programme
works?"
Extract:
“If
effort is to be made at a national level to increase awareness and
understanding of how the programme works then this will also need to
be accompanied by internal efforts within the fellowship,
particularly to increase awareness and understanding of AA’s
historical roots in the medical profession and the history of AA
Traditions, otherwise it will be mainly a waste of time and money.
A so
called A.A. group in the town where I live uses a group 12 step guide
published by an outside organization, which is clearly published with
the intent of it being used in within AA. The text is heavily laden
with quotes from the Bible, the Oxford Group Four Absolutes and Jesus
is clearly implicated as being the higher power. Within the text are
cult-like requirements for newcomers to answer questions that
“qualify” them to take the steps, to sign statements that they
have completed the “admission phase” the “submission phase”
etc. “Write down certain things when instructed.” incitement to
“aggressive activities.” A pdf of the guide can be searched on
the internet using the search terms: “Our A.A. legacy to the faith community”. These are not the A.A. Twelve Steps, nor are they “Our
A.A. legacy”. They are the author’s personal opinion. They are
clearly against the principles of A.A. Tradition:
“Our AA
door stands wide open, and if he passes through it and commences to
do anything at all about his problem, he is considered a member of
Alcoholics Anonymous. He signs nothing, agrees to nothing, promises
nothing. We demand nothing. He joins us on his own say-so. Nowadays
in most groups he doesn’t even have to admit he is an alcoholic”.
(Bill W. “AA Tradition - How it Developed”, page 12)
I have
personally drafted two replies to professionals who had written
complaints expressing concerns about the religiosity and cult-like
behaviour of the group. Professionals working in the alcoholism
field, the press, courts, and the general public will not buy into
official adverts, pamphlets and statements at a national level which
say AA is not religious, when newcomers go away from AA meetings with
handouts and twelve step guides in which the text is laden with
quotes from the Bible and clearly implicates that Jesus is the higher
power.
I
sympathise both with ….....'s comments and the position of the
forum moderator. Paradoxically, both are right. Outside issues and
organizations should be kept separate from A.A., lest AA is drawn
into public controversy. However, now that outside organizations have
infiltrated AA this is not an outside issue. From the press reports,
internet and USA courts, we need not any longer fear the prospect of
Alcoholics Anonymous being drawn into public controversy; that time
has already passed. Alcoholics Anonymous has been in public
controversy for at least 10 or 15 years, most AA members seem to be
blissfully unaware of this. Groups need to take inventory as to how
and why this has happened. This controversial issue has to be
discussed openly within the fellowship. I do not believe this can be
done without naming the individuals and organizations that are
exploiting the fellowship. People have to know what they are talking
about.
Public
information committees at all levels of the service structure need to
inform Professionals working in the alcoholism field and religious
professionals of these business organizations that are infiltrating
A.A, that a minority of groups which call themselves AA groups, might
not be AA groups, but are teaching the cult-like religious doctrines
of outside organizations which are exploiting the fellowship.
Concept
12, warranty five: “And at times the Conference will need to take
certain protective actions especially in the area of Tradition
violations.…….. Individuals, sometimes outside organizations may
try to use the A.A. name for their own private purposes……. Whenever
and however we can, we shall need to inform the general public also;
especially upon misuses of the name Alcoholics Anonymous. This
combination of counter forces can be very discouraging to violators
or would be violators. Under these conditions they soon find their
deviations to be unprofitable or unwise."
This issue
ties in with the topic discussed in committee 3, Question 2,
regarding what constitutes an A.A. group. Groups which have a dual
purpose of incorporating the teachings of sectarian religion within
the Twelve Steps cannot call themselves A.A. groups.
“Some
years ago, numbers of AAs formed themselves into ‘retreat groups’
having a religious purpose. At first they wanted to call themselves
AA groups of various descriptions. But they soon realized this could
not be done because their groups had a dual purpose: both AA and
religion”. (Bill W. ‘Problems other than Alcohol,’ AA Grapevine
February 1958; The Language of the Heart page 222).
“Nothing
however, could be so unfortunate for A.A.’s future as an attempt to
incorporate any of our personal theological views into A.A. teaching,
practice or tradition.” (Bill W. AA Comes of Age page 232)
“Beyond
a Higher Power, as each of us may vision him, A.A. must never, as a
society, enter the field of dogma or theology. We can never become a
religion in that sense, lest we kill our usefulness by being bogged
down in theological contention” (Bill W. Letter 1954, As Bill sees
It page 116)
“If
individual A.A.s wish to gather together for retreats, Communion
breakfasts, or indeed any undertaking at all, we still say ‘Fine.
Only we hope you won’t designate your efforts as an A.A. group or
enterprise.” (Concept 12, warranty five).”
Join
the discussion: Conference 2012 Discussion
Cheers
The
Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
