Yes! AA Conference-approved books Now
Mention God, Christ, the Bible
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A.A. “Conference-approved” Literature That Frequently Mentions the
Bible and God
Yep! You heard or read that correctly
A Two-Part Discussion
of the Long Overlooked Big Book Personal Stories
Dick B.
Copyright 2013 Anonymous. All rights reserved
Part Two: Alcoholics Anonymous: The Original 1939 Edition,
Segment 2A
(Dover Publications, Inc., 2011)
About Part One
In Part One, we discussed the A.A. General Service
Conference-approved book published in 2003, which restored to
“Conference-approved” status so many of the Big Book personal stories that were
removed—piece by piece—over the years by printing new editions that simply
eliminated them and replaced them with stories deemed more suitable to the
powers that be.
We pointed to the lame excuses that the replacement took
place because First Edition stories were written by the “uneducated;” merely to
show “what we were like’ (emphasis added), and that they were written in an
alleged “flying blind period,” “trial and error” by nature, and with plenty of
“mistakes.”
About Part Two: How
The First Edition, Personal Stories, and Dick B. Introduction in the Dover
Publications Book Can Really Help Drunks Seek and Be Helped by God
In Part Two, we propose that those in 12-Step Fellowships
freely use today two major tools:
(1) Point to, and boldly state that all the Big Book
personal stories are now “Conference-approved” and thereby overcome the
“bleeding deacon” test which consigned them to oblivion as relics of by-gone
days. This can be done by citing the new “Conference-approved” publication by
A.A. itself Experience, Strength and Hope
(2) Use for general reading, authoritative facts, and
application of old school A.A. principles today, the 2011 publication
Alcoholics Anonymous “The Big Book” The
Original 1939 Edition Bill W.: With a New Introduction by Dick B. (Mineola,
NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 2011). http://mcaf.ee/j4hq5
In so doing, you can treat the personal
stories and the testimonies that were intended to show how and why the
original, old school program—summarized by Frank Amos in DR.BOB and the Good Oldtimers, at page 131—had produced the
successes (75% claimed in Akron, and 93% documented in Cleveland) attained by
reliance on God, accepting Christ, obeying God’s will, using the Bible and
prayer, and helping others. Bearing in mind and taking special note that the
stories did not and could not mention the Big Book or the Twelve Steps because
neither existed prior to the date of publication in 1939.
What You Will Learn
From the Dover Publications Edition
Dick B. and Ken B.
have recently published two new books that supplement the Dick B. Introduction
to the Dover Publications reprint of the Original 1939 of the Big Book
The First is Stick with the Winners! This book shows
you how today’s Conference-approved literature and many many quotes in it fully
support the mention, discussion, and study of the numerous books about old
school Akron AA Group No. One. See http://mcaf.ee/s50mq
The Second is Pioneer Stories in Alcoholics Anonymous. This
book shows you the difference between the personal stories in the Big Book
First Edition. It quotes extensively from them. It proves the frequency with which
Akron AA Oldtimers mentioned, quoted, discussed, and studied about God, His Son
Jesus Christ, the Bible and the devotionals and religious literature early AAs
read so freely. http://mcaf.ee/gj7iw
The simple fact is
that the personal stories in the Original 1939 Edition of the Big Book are
about how the early program’s Christian principles and practices were used in
the lives of the pioneers to establish a relationship with God and achieve the
astonishing success rates of those days.
The surprising fact
is that those personal stories are NOT testimonials about how anyone “worked”
Bill’s Twelve Step program—which Bill called a “new version” of the program.
Why? Because the Big Book had not yet been written. The Big Book “new version”
was, by Bill’s own later writings taken basically from three sources: 1) Dr.
Silkworth’s advice to Bill prior to the Big Book. 2) Professor William James’s
emphasis on the effectiveness of a variety of “vital religious experiences”—the
experiences that James covered in his famous book, the Dr. Carl Jung explained
to Rowland Hazard about conversion, and 3) the Oxford Group ideas that Bill had
heard so often on the East Coast and which were conveyed to Bill by the
teachings of Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr.
• Despite shopworn and disarming statements that are
frequently made with the claim that the Big Book language has never been
changed, you will see the error of that claim. And you will see that the entire
Bill Wilson conversion experience program was completely altered by eliminating
the A.A. Solution—A “Spiritual Experience,” which had previously been called a “vital
religious experience” by William James, Dr. Carl Jung, Rev. Samuel M.
Shoemaker, and Bill Wilson himself.
• You will see from the original First Edition personal
stories just how many times Christ and Christianity were mentioned, how many
times the Bible was mentioned, and how very frequently reliance on God (not
some nonsense god or illusory higher power) was stressed.
• You will see from the extensive introduction by Dick B.
the importance of the First Edition stories; precise places where God,
Christianity, and the Bible were mentioned; and how these stories fit so neatly
with the real Akron A.A. Christian Fellowship program founded in 1935 that has
been the subject of so many Dick B. books and articles. See for example The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide,
3rd ed., 2010
Probative Direct Quotes from Personal Stories, Segment
2A--Using Dover’s Pages as References
1. The first story is Dr. Bob’s. And the last page—193—will
suffice:
If you think you are an atheist, an agnostic, a skeptic, or
have any other form of intellectual pride which keeps you from accepting what
is in this book, I feel sorry for you. . . . Your Heavenly Father will never
let you down!
2. The Unbeliever, pp. 194-205:
I asked him desperately what it was. And he said, “God.”
. . . if I will humble myself, if I will give in and bow in
submission to that SOMETHING and then try to lead a life as fully in accord
with my idea of good as possible, I will be in tune. And later the word good
contracted in his mind to God.
God, have mercy on my soul!
3. The European Drinker, pp. 206-216:
You can’t win unless you try God’s way.
. . . he made God seem personal to me, explained Him as a
being who was interested in me, the alcoholic, and that all I needed to do was
to follow His way; that as long as I followed it I would be able to overcome my
desire for liquor.
And he further said that God would not accept me as a
sincere follower of His Divine Law unless I was ready to be thoroughly honest
about it.
That day I gave my will to God and asked to be directed. . .
. So I began to pray; to place my problems in God’s hands.
I have proven to myself and to many others who know me that
God can keep a man sober if he will let him.
4. A Feminine Victory, pp. 217-225:
The ability to accept them as my own has been derived from
trying with the un-ending help of God. . .
He asked me if I believed in God. . . Well, I did believe in
God. . .
“Our Father which art in Heaven.”
I had been taught to realize there is a God and to “love”
him.
“Here it is God, all mixed up. I don’t know how to un-mix
it, I’ll leave it to you”
Finally I . . . briefly asked God to show me how to do what
He wanted me today.
Well, I got the Bible and “Victorious Living” [“Victorious
Living” is a book read widely by early AAs and written by E. Stanley
Jones—whose books Dr. Bob’s wife recommended as “all good.”] and sitting down
in full view of the bottle of whiskey, I commenced to read. I also prayed
I must keep myself worthy of Divine help.
5. Our Southern Friend, pp. 226-241:
Suddenly a thought comes. Can all the worthwhile people I
have known be wrong about God?
“Who are you to say there is no God?” It rings in my head, I
can’t get rid of it.
I tumble out of bed onto my knees. I know not what I say,
But slowly a great peace comes to me. I feel lifted up. I believe in God. I
crawl back into bed and sleep like a child.
Today as I become more harmonized within, I become more in
tune with all of God’s wonderful creation. . . and a host of other things tell
me of the glory of God.
And with it, direction by the Spirit of God.
And above all else comes a greater thankfulness to, and a
greater love for Our Father in heaven.
6. A Business Man’s Recovery, pp. 242-251:
The thing that Bill told me was his own story. . . I had
always believed in God even though I was not a devout church goer.
Crazy as the idea seemed when broached to me by these men
who had found it worked, God did come right into my work, when permitted, as He
had come into the other activities connected with my life.
7. Traveler, Editor, Scholar, pp. 254-264: [A.A. itself
wrote: “Originally published under the title “Traveler, Editor, Scholar” in the
first edition. The title was changed to “The News Hawk” and the story was
edited for the second edition.” (underlining added)
I found my friend was there for alcoholism and now he was
insisting that he had found the only cure. I listened to him, rather
tolerantly. I noticed a Bible on his table and it amazed me. I had never known
him to be anything but a good healthy pagan with a propensity for getting into
liquor jams and scrapes.
I had never, since the believing days of childhood, been
able to conceive an authority directly the universe. But I had never been a
flippant, wise-cracking sneerer at the few persons I had met who had impressed
me as Christian men and women. . . No conviction was necessary to establish my
status as a miserable failure at managing my own life. I began to read the
Bible daily. . .
I can remember the urge of the Prodigal Son to return to his
Father. . .
. . . in those days I had no one to whom I might take my
troubles. Toda y I have. Today I have Someone who will always hear me. . .
Dickb@dickb.com
Gloria Deo
dickb@dickb.com
Gloria Deo
No comments:
Post a Comment