Atheism in the Twelve Step Movement
by Cliff Walker
(all NA material is © World Service Office, Inc.,
and used with written permission)
August, 1999
As much as we've criticized the Twelve Step movement in the past, there are a few programs that, historically, have attempted to accommodate atheists. Narcotics Anonymous is one program that has made an effort to encourage atheistic members to alter the program's principles in order to fit in. While most atheists find the basic premises of disease and powerlessness flawed, many feel they need the Program in order to live a normal life.
While Alcoholics Anonymous only accepts those addicted to alcohol, NA considers alcohol just another drug. Unlike the AA literature, which encourages atheists to abandon their godless ideas, NA's literature, from the start (or should I say, from the end), has made it clear that atheism is welcome. I say "from the end" because it is on the very last page of the book Narcotics Anonymous that we read the following atheistic gem:
"As I have matured in the program, and learned to think for myself, I have examined the principles upon which I base my life. In doing this, I found out that I do not believe in any kind of God, and that my Higher Power is the power of the program. Today I am an atheist. I still concentrate on my own recovery, because if I am well, then I can be of value to others, but if I am sick, then I am of no use to anyone, not even myself.
"Being an atheist does not stop me from working the program. The only thing I do not do, of course, is pray. The main thing is that I do what is possible with what I have got. No one can do more." (3rd ed. rev., p. 290)
The most recent issue of The NA Way Magazine has, as its main theme, "Spirituality." Even with this theme, the editors managed to give atheism its due prominence. Most atheists would be happy if the rest of society granted us the dignity that NA (at least offically) grants its atheistic members.
In an article called "A Brief History of God in Narcotics Anonymous," editor Cindy T. reviews the struggles over the wording of the steps ("God" and "Him") and over what that really means to the individual member. Starting with the passages from the AA "Big Book" that I usually use to show AA's intolerance toward atheists, NA's history shows it moving away from AA's position to become the inclusive program that it is today.
In describing the development of its most recent book-length work, Cindy T. makes the following observation:
"Some input received from a member of the fellowship during the development process pointed out that the committee's efforts were still falling short in one area. There was no material to address belief in a higher power that wasn't a supernatural deity.... In response, the committee included more discussion about non-supernatural higher powers such as the spiritual principles of the program, the NA group, etc."
I admit that I was that NA member, oh so long ago. When I contacted Cindy for permission to use the piece that follows, she verified my initial suspicions. I am no longer active in Narcotics Anonymous -- or any recovery group, for that matter -- but I can just imagine what it would have been like to be court-mandated into the program, without having discovered that passage on the last page of the NA book.
Just to show that NA is still making an effort to accommodate atheists (perhaps even more so than before), I will reprint the following piece, also from the most recent issue of The NA Way Magazine.
Though NA's efforts to make room for atheists arguably reveals the ignorance theists tend to have toward the atheistic position, NA's efforts are commendable nonetheless.
Here is a piece submitted by an atheistic NA member in response to the topic of "spirituality":
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Recovery
Without God It seems that I've been searching all of my life for something to believe in. Finally, in 1982, after fifteen years of nonstop drug abuse, I crawled into the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous. Though I was barely recognizable as a human being, I found in those rooms the hope that had eluded me for so long. Upon receiving my first hug at my first NA meeting, I knew that I had come home. What I found especially appealing were the choices I had been given -- the choice to not use, just for today, and the choice to have a Higher Power of my own understanding. For the most part, not using just for today proved to be much easier than finding a Higher Power. Over the years in recovery, I tried many different gods: Jesus, Buddha, Saraswati, Vishnu, and countless others. But I found that trying to believe in an intangible and invisible being or force left me empty and longing for more. What worked for me in early recovery, as well as today, is using the group as a power greater than myself. Actually it is the unconditional love that I get from the group and members of NA that I believe is a Higher Power -- certainly greater than anything of which I'm capable alone. Does this mean that I pray or meditate to the group? Of course not. Prayer is simply a petition, and meditation merely reflecting -- it does not have to be directed to anything, anyone, or any deity in particular. How can I possibly have any purpose or meaning in my life without a god? I believe my purpose in life is to develop into the best me that I can be. Finally, with what do I maintain a conscious contact, and from where do I seek comfort, if not a god? Today I find comfort in knowing that I am living a healthy, good, clean life and that I am not harming others or myself. I can maintain a conscious contact by holding love close to my heart. I seek to do the right thing for the right reason. I attempt to move my life forward in a good, orderly direction, and I do my best to incorporate the principles of our steps, traditions, and concepts into each day, I stay close to the program by going to meetings and sharing with my sponsor and sponsees. Today I accept my humanity. I know I'm not perfect, just a perfect human being. My most significant spiritual awakening was when I realized that the power is in me. I cannot rely on a mythical being or force to do for me what I cannot do for myself, nor do I wish to. After a lifetime spent trying to be everything to everyone, I now know that it begins and ends with me. I have to do the footwork, I must make the effort, and I need to seek the solutions. As it states in It Works: How and Why, today I have the ability to "live with dignity, love myself and others, laugh, and find great joy and beauty in my surroundings." I believe that life is an adventure waiting for me to discover all of its intricacies, not something to dread. I embrace the life that NA has given me today, and in spite of all the pain, loss, grief, and fear that I've experienced over the years, I relish every waking moment. I love life today. I recently read something that, for me, says it all: "The meaning of life is to live a life of meaning." Today, with the help of NA, its principles, the friends I've made, and the people I've met along the way, I'm capable of living such a life. -- Anonymous |
"As I have matured in the program, and learned to think for myself, I have examined the principles upon which I base my life. In doing this, I found out that I do not believe in any kind of God, and that my Higher Power is the power of the program. Today I am an atheist. I still concentrate on my own recovery, because if I am well, then I can be of value to others, but if I am sick, then I am of no use to anyone, not even myself. "Being an atheist does not stop me from working the program. The only thing I do not do, of course, is pray. The main thing is that I do what is possible with what I have got. No one can do more." --
from the final testimonial story (on the very last page) in book |