I would like to pose a question to my atheist brethren out there...
I was recently discussing 12 step programs with an atheist friend of mine. He has started in AA (way to go - by the way) but is having a lot of problems with the "higher power" concept.
The folks at AA keep telling Ben that atheists can also be very successful in AA and that you don't have to have a "God", just a "higher power" of your choice.
What he explained to me was that it was the idea that someone or thing had an ultimate power over him and that he could not control that was hard for him.
I suggested that maybe he look to science and evolution as his "higher power", pointing out that evolution is constantly happening to and around us and that we are in fact powerless to control or stop it.
I was thinking that when others were praying to God to make them strong, he could be asking science or his body to make him resistant to this disease.
I am just wondering if any of you have known another atheist who has successfully completed their 12 steps or what you would suggest.
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I suggest he use a celebrity. I used Barbra Feldon when I attended AA meetings.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm no big fan of AA because of the whole "higher power" thing. But hey, if it works for the individual, then it works. Yes, there are plenty of secular alternatives. A quick Google search will tell you in there are any that are anywhere local.
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