Alcoholics Anonymous History
Higher Power
By Dick B.
Copyright 2012
Anonymous. All rights resreved
Some of us may ask the question, “What is a Higher Power?” You
can hear a variety of answers from the “wisdom of the rooms.” Sometimes the
answer is, “Something.” Sometimes, the answer is “Somebody.” Sometimes the
answer is “Anything that keeps me from drinking.” Others say “it” is a light bulb,
a radiator, a chair, the Big Dipper, a rock, “Her,” a tree, a rainbow, or
“nothing at all.” But whatever we hear, such answers sound pretty screwy to
some of us. And they are.
However, the more the answers, the more the questions
because those phrases don’t answer questions, they just raise the question,
“But what is it?”
Historically, the quizzical phrase comes from New Thought
writers like Ralph Waldo Trine, William James, the Emanuel Movement people, and
Emmet Fox. See Dick B., God and
Alcoholism (www.dickb.com/titles.shtml).
But what is it?
Let me tell you how three old timers approached the answer:
One old timer – the oldest – was my friend Jim
H. from Maryland. He lived 100 years and
got sober just about the same time that Bill Wilson did. In fact, Jim knew Rev.
Sam Shoemaker and met Bill Wilson at early Oxford Group meetings. In his
nineties, Jim became associated with the phrase “back to basics.” He also came
to know me, and he endorsed a number of my books. Jim’s approach was a
“takeaway” approach. He said to me and wrote: “If you take God out of the program,
you have nothing.”
Another
old timer – the long-time archivist at Dr. Bob’s home – is my friend Ray G. Ray
takes a large collection of A.A. history materials around the U.S., conducts
workshops at conferences, and
tells it like it was. Ray’s approach was “identify” it. Ray wrote me for the umpteenth time and said, “My higher
power isn’t conference approved; but his Father is!”
A third –
an old timer from Oregon whose name is Gene – phoned me to say that he was
involved in both A.A. and N.A. and was speaking at a world convention of N.A.
He said he was interested in our early A.A. history and my research and wanted
to bring his higher power back into the program. He said that Jesus was his
higher power, and he knew that the early A.A. program was a Christian program.
We got to talking about “singleness of purpose,” about the common features of
A.A. and N.A., and about the drift of
both away from God. At the end of our
conversation, we both agreed that today’s crowds in A.A. and N.A. are
really not single anything—not just alcoholics, not just addicts, not much of
either if they just stayed sick and didn’t get into a fellowship and focus on
getting well. They had all kinds of names for higher power idols like door
knobs, light bulbs, and trees. Gene said that he no longer introduced himself
in speeches by saying “I’m Gene, and I am an
alcoholic” or “I’m Gene, and I am an addict.” Today he introduces
himself as follows: “I’m Gene, and I am a responsible member of the program.”
Put together the sage words of the three. The oldest in
years just ignored the so-called “higher power” and believed A.A. amounted to
nothing if you took God out of it. The next oldest—from Oregon—stopped trying
to label things that weren’t meaningful. Thus he just announced himself as a “responsible
member of the program.” The third was able to put the humorous touch on
absurdity. His statement: “My higher power isn’t Conference-approved, but his
Father is.”
In other words, not a one of them tried to put a label on a
nonsense god or on an organization that thought you could rely on one. And
check out Psalm 115 for an ancient affirmation of that view.
So this little article is addressed to those who are or want
to be “a responsible member of the program.” But they don’t go around labeling
their fellowship friends. A Jew is a Jew. A Roman Catholic is a Roman Catholic.
A Christian is a Christian. A drinker may be an alcoholic, or an addict, or
both. Yet these men don’t make much of any of the labels. They busied
themselves for years just focusing on helping the alcoholic who still suffers.
Hence, they are responsible members.
Let’s take a cue from the three old timers I just quoted.
You can conclude that a responsible member is one who does
not seek, or want to, take God out of the program. A responsible member is one
who makes it clear that the Creator, his Father, is “conference
approved”—certainly not “conference dis-approved.” A responsible member
includes anyone who gets well by turning to “the Lord”—as Bill Wilson and Bill
Dotson (A.A. Number Three) said they did (Big Book, p. 191). A responsible
member might well be the member who would rather focus on what God has done for
him once he sought God, rather than sparking a conflict over definitions--who
is sick from what, what a “higher power” is or isn’t, and who satisfied the
requirements for “membership” and who doesn’t.
One of the reasons I enjoyed and still enjoy the Fellowship
of Alcoholics Anonymous is that I never tried to substitute a “higher power”
for Almighty God. Another is that I never got thrown out when I mentioned God.
Another is that I used the same terms for describing God that were used by Dr.
Bob, Bill Wilson, and the other pioneers—Creator, Maker, Father, God, Father of
lights, Spirit. Another is that I soon gave up thinking I must rebuke or others
stop using the phrase “higher power” to describe their “Something,” or
“Somebody,” or “not-god” philosophy.
Probably, therefore, I am, like Gene, “a responsible member
of the program.” At least I think so, and that is what counts for me.
END
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