AA’s Greatest Danger – Rigidity
Bob Pearson (1917-2008) was General Manager of the General Service Office from 1974 to 1984, and then served as Senior Advisor to the G.S.O. from 1985 until his retirement. His story is in the...
Author: Roger
Separation of Church and AA
By Don S. Des Moines We Agnostics I stopped praying in meetings years ago, but held hands while others did. I recently stopped doing that, too. I now remain seated during the prayer. This...
Working The AA Program
By John L. Several years ago, at a meeting of the Boston Crossroads group, a speaker said: “Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship — of people working their individual programs.” This got me thinking. There...
The Silver Tongued Devil and I
By Joe C. “Keep me safe in the company of those who seek the truth and safe from those who profess to have found it.” I don’t know who said that but with this...
Thinking about Christopher Hitchens
By John M. Author, essayist and journalist Christopher Hitchens died on December 15, 2011. Ever the critic of religion and commonly linked with other popular writers like Richard Dawkins, Daniel C. Dennett and Sam Harris...
AA in the 1930s: God As We Understood Him
By bob k The wheels were set in motion for what would eventually become Alcoholics Anonymous at Bill Wilson’s kitchen table in November of 1934. Bill’s old school chum and sometime drinking buddy, Ebby...
The Only Requirement Group
The fifth AA agnostic group in Canada is now holding regular meetings in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (There are three groups in Toronto and one in Montreal.) One of its founding members shares the experience,...
Does AA Need Religion: Agnostics on CBC Radio
By bob k In May of 2011, with the ‘delisting’ of two Toronto AA groups, Beyond Belief and We Agnostics, Toronto Intergroup hoped to quickly and quietly put an end to their problem of...
The Varieties of Recovery Experience
The roads to recovery are many. Bill W, 1944. By Roger C. At about 40 pages in length, The Varieties of Recovery Experience is an intriguing essay. Written in 2005, the title is reminiscent of William...
Our Father Who Art Not in Public Schools
By bob k The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (to its own embarrassment) had a “Caucasians Only” membership policy until 1962. Viewing a recent miniseries about the Kennedys reminded me that it took the...
The “Don’t Tell” Policy in AA
By Roger C. There often seems to be an unofficial policy in Alcoholics Anonymous especially for nonbelievers at AA meetings: “Don’t Tell.” It is a policy imposed by just a few but rarely challenged. If you are an...
Christmas, Christians, Lepers and Alcoholics
By bob k All AA members, both Christians and non-Christians, so easily joined together during the recent holidays in shared sentiments of kindness, selflessness and the love of our fellow man. Above all is...
Is AA Just For Christians?
By Barb C. Copyright © AA Grapevine (October, 2003) At the beginning of every meeting of my home group, we read, “AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization, or institution; does...
Women and Alcohol
By Amelia C. In November, Ann Dowsett Johnston wrote a series of articles for The Toronto Star on alcohol abuse, with a specific focus on the experiences of women. The articles covered a wide...
