Tony, I like the AA book vs the NA..But remember that the NA is somewhat from AA. I love my people at AA/NA and we ALL know we can not do this alone. We have to give it to something other then ourselves. It does not matter what type of religion you are. I fine that my AA is way more free and full of the Spirit then the NA. BUT that does not mean we do not have it in NA. It just seems like AA is more matured and caring. A lot of people think they have to do the 12 steps like it is a test and has to be done in a week. These steps have worked over and over for centuries. We will use them over and over as we grow into different stages of our lives. We can not walk this Journey into our Recovery Alone..lol
Love is my God and Service is my religion. All spiritual paths are the same. We try to use the least inaccurate description of "God" as we can. The goal of the stories and rituals are the same, Love, peace, tranquility, empathy, compassion, etc... We all know what they are, they are those things that make us feel love and loved. Religion is for those afraid of Hell, while spirituality if for those who have been there. I used all my willpower to try and get clean, I really tried 110%, but could not do it on my own. I concluded that I am not the Highest Power in the Universe. As I pulled together with others, Love increased and gained power. After going to ashrams in India, being a fire keeper in the Native American Church, teaching adult Sunday School, and praying at the same temples as Buddha, I decided to explain my faith through Christianity, that is my heritage.The Bible doesn't describe God as a Hairy Man on a cloud. That was Michaelangelo's art we invision. Most Christians would not say that I am a Christian, but I try to love my neighbor as myself. Ghandi said he would gladly proclaim Christianity, if he only had to live by the sermon on the mount and not the dogma of any church. Mother Theresa prayed with Hindu's and Muslims, asking that they only that they give what they believe their whole heart. George Fox, Quacker founder, spoke of the light of Christ in all men, from all walks and religions. All have a part, none have it all. It even requires faith to be an atheist, there are many questions science can't answer and many scientific answers are being proven wrong all the time. Agnostics are the most honest about it, they say, "I don't know." Socrates started with the foundation that he knew nothing. We keep trying to describe the indescribable. Moses was told he couldn't see the face of God, and God's name is I AM. Pretty vague, faith is required. There must be a power greater than me, I would feel arrogant to think otherwise. There is no power greater than Love. Love makes martyrs who die for the needy, servants who give their lives for the underprivileged, and warriors who fight for justice without seeking a reward. That is powerful, I have a piece of that power, but combined with many others, Love can conquer anything, even addiction. Who can describe Love or see it's face, it is the face of all people and lives inside all of us. It has the power to do anything, even get a drug addict like me off drugs.
Agreed - I don't per say believe in a higher power.. God, Jahve, Buddha... I believe there is more to life than meets the eye but not one omnipotent excistense...
Vil try to look up the AA book so I can read the Agnostic section...
I'm Christian and that is just as scary to some people
Yeah I agree on the whole high power thing im Pagan myself so It can easily scare people off
I also like the chapter 'we agnostics,' a Higher Power is a difficult idea. The NA book doesn't have that chapter. Half of the founders of AA were atheists and agnostics, so that is very important, don't know why NA didn't put it in the book. I personally encourage people to pick up an AA book and read the missing chapters. The stories and 12 steps are fine in NA, but a lot of the good stuff is missing, IMO.
Powerful my friend thank you very much for that and I agree 100 percent.