Thomas McGuiness – Page 2 – Thomas McGuiness

The lead in a recent meeting I attended was on the Twelfth Step:

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

That day my mind zeroed in on the two words “spiritual awakening.” I flipped them and thought about my “awakening to the spiritual.”

We live in a physical world of space and time, but as one member commented after the lead, we are spiritual beings living for a finite time in this world. Your beliefs about spirituality and a Higher Power can be way different than mine. That’s one of the beautiful reasons why the program works for so many people.

In a Big Book meeting this morning, I read page 93 that encourages us to stress the spiritual aspect of the program freely with a newcomer. If the newcomer is agnostic or atheist, I can assure them that they don’t have to agree with my conception of a Higher Power (which I choose to call God). The newcomer can use whatever concept of a Higher Power makes sense to them as long as they are willing to believe that the Higher Power is greater than themselves and that they can live by spiritual principles.

Over time in my early sobriety, my understanding and acceptance of the spiritual side of the program grew. I saw changes in me and others around me as we worked the steps and each other. So much of what I experienced and witnessed seemed to come from something beyond what I or others could do on our own. I believed I was seeing the Higher Power work in my life and in others.

My awakening to the spiritual occurred as I:

(Step 2) Came to believe that a Power greater than myself could restore me to sanity.
(Step 3) Made a decision to turn my will and my life over to the care of God as I understood Him.
(Step 5) Admitted to God, to myself, and to another human being the exact nature of my wrongs.
(Step 6) Was entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
(Step 7) Humbly asked Him to remove my shortcomings.
(Step 11) Sought through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with God as I understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for me and the power to carry that out.
And as already mentioned, (Step 12) Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, I try to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all my affairs.

Today, I am in contact with God often during the day. I continue to struggle to accept and follow his will in all things. The problems and pain I experience in life often can be seen as the direct result of trying to impose my will over what God seems to want for me. The Big Book reading today drove home why that could be true:

Organized religions and their members infuse spirituality into their worship practices and traditions. Twelve Step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) differentiate themselves from organized religious movements by considering themselves purely “spiritual” programs. What is the difference?

The A.A. pamphlet, “Many Paths to Spirituality,” states “With sharing that reflects the boundless range of belief (and non-belief) among A.A. members — including Buddhism, Islam, Native American faith traditions, and atheism and agnosticism — this pamphlet shows how Alcoholics Anonymous is a spiritual organization, rather than a religious one.”

How do Twelve Step programs and their members separate spirituality and religion while incorporating the former into their programs? By creating an environment where no one viewpoint is held above others and everyone has the freedom to decide how to incorporate spirituality into their individual programs.

My journey from religion to spirituality

My parents were Catholic and raised me in that religion. I respect their beliefs but while I do consider Jesus Christ to be my lord and saviour, many of the traditions and beliefs of that religion differ from what ring true to me. I also am a recovering alcoholic and drug addict whose life was saved by A.A. a few years before my soul was saved as a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA).

Because I was well acquainted with the concept of God growing up, I easily accepted the need for a “Higher Power” (God as I understand him) like the A.A. program suggests. Unlike the Christian religion, in which everyone believes in one triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), A.A. members are free to choose their own conception of a Higher Power.

I’ve known atheists and agnostics who chose their A.A. group, nature, even a door knob as a “Higher Power.” In that way, they put their belief in something outside of themselves—and each had a different concept.

My journey to spirituality began when I stopped believing that my efforts impacted my relationship with my Higher Power. Rather than trying to be “good” to be accepted, I realized that God already loves me completely. So I find ways to connect with God to increase our connection like I do with family, friends and coworkers.

Spirituality in A.A. is much more complex than connecting with a Higher Power. We see the way that the program developed and spread as being influenced by some force greater than the sum of the people who helped to launch and maintain it.

I am the same spiritual person whether I am in a Christian worship service or in an A.A. meeting. I’ve been able to incorporate both into my life, while keeping the line well defined between the practice of religion and the working of the A.A. program.

Do you see a difference between religion and spiritual programs like A.A.?

Author: Thomas McGuiness (Page 2 of 2)

Awakening to the Spiritual

Separating Religion from Spirituality

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