God and Alcoholism: Our Growing Opportunity in the 21st Century Review

Dick B. dealt with this proliferating "goofy gods" recovery problem straight on. More and more therapists, counselors, rehabs, and even AAs are substituting absurd names for "god" in place on the one, true, living God who was the source of power relied on for recovery in A.A. Reverend Sam Shoemaker--dubbed a co-founder of A.A. by Bill W.--rejected such practices when he spoke to AAs at their International Convention. In this book, the author deals with the originating expressions--higher power, power greater than ourselves, and God as we understood Him--and shows how they were weak and compromising expressions that replaced the Heavenly Father, Creator, Maker, Father, God of our fathers, Father of Lights, and Spirit with plainly Biblical origins and meanings. In keeping with a belated deal made by three AAs--Bill W., Hank P., and Fitz M., the stage was set after the Big Book manuscript was readied for publication. Fitz protested that the change would obliterate the Christian and Biblical expressions which were part of the original program. Fitz lost. The Step language was changed. The original materials were simply tossed out and lost. And if all that merely involved a search for original meanings, the problem would be a tiny one. However, AAs, counselors, and those associated with recovery began calling their "higher power" a radiator, a light bulb, a tree, a table, a chair, Santa Claus, Ralph, Gertrude, a door knob, a rock, the goddess, and many many more idolatrous words and phrases. Such usage offends me because it deceives and misleads. It also clearly violates the Ten Commandments, which were revered in early A.A. And it is best answered, perhaps, by the explanation of such nonsense in Psalm 115. I am delighted that Dick looked at the Big Book titles, the Bible names and titles, and then documented all the places where the goofy god names replaced the Creator. I rejoice too in the careful studies by Stewart C., Dick B., and George T. over the years which showed that the word "God" and Biblical synonyms such as Creator, Maker, Father, as well as descriptive pronouns numbered over 400 in the Third Edition of the Big Book. By contrast, "higher power" is used twice--both times in the context of the word "God." I doubt that atheists and rim-runners will find much comfort in reading the facts as to how far the "God business" has gotten out of line; but I am sure that devout believers--Christians, Jews, Protestants, and Roman Catholics alike will welcome a book that tells it like it was instead of encouraging sick alcoholics to "find" and put other gods before Yahweh, the Creator. There's more to be read also in Dick's titles, Cured; When Early AAs Were Cured and Why; The Good Book and The Big Book; and The Good Book-Big Book Guidebook.

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