April 2023: Newest Meeting Format Plus Abridged Appendix 2

 

This version created in March 2023 from the online PDF at SHARE.   Some edits.   Includes at back the shorter APPENDIX II from the website AAAGNOSTICA.

 

WE AGNOSTICS MEETING FORMAT

SUNDAY 8 PM  (PT)  - SHARE CENTER, CULVER CITY

 

WELCOME 

Welcome everyone.   This is the regular Sunday Meeting of the We Agnostics group of Alcoholics Anonymous. 

My name is (MY NAME) and I am an alcoholic.  (Pause)   Are there any other alcoholics here tonight?

 

AA PREAMBLE

-  Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men

and women who share their experience,

strength and hope with each other that they

may solve their common problem and

help others to recover from alcoholism.

-  The only requirement for membership
is a desire to stop drinking.

-  There are no dues or

fees for AA membership ; we are self supporting

through our own contributions.

-  AA is not allied with any sect, denomination,

politics, organization or institution ;

does not wish to engage in any controversy,

neither endorses nor opposes any causes.

-   Our primary purpose is to stay sober and

help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.

 

 INTRODUCTIONS

We will now go around the room and around the ZOOM call and introduce our selves.

#1 - If you are at this meeting for the FIRST TIME, feel free to share where you are from.  For example, I’m Mary, I’m an alcoholic,  from Chicago.

#2 - If you are counting days in early recovery, and would like to share that, feel free to.   For example, I’m Bob, I’m an alcoholic, and today is Day 15. 

 (ROOM INTRODUCTIONS)    (ZOOM INTRODUCTIONS)

 AGNOSTICS PRE AMBLE

 The We Agnostics group has a tradition of free expression.

You can share your approach to spirituality or your rejection of it.

We neither oppose any religion nor endorse it.

We neither endorse atheism nor oppose it.

We just want to assure each person here that anyone may achieve

Recovery in AA without being forced to accept someone else’s beliefs

Or deny their own.

 

At the end of this meeting, there is no closing prayer. 

We will count to 3 and repeat the AA RESPONSIBILITY PLEDGE,

Which will be in the Chat.

 

READING

 At this meeting we read APPENDIX 2 of the BIG BOOK of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Tonight   (NAME)  has volunteered to read it.  

  

BIRTHDAYS  

Does  anyone have a milestone like 30, 60, or 90 days in the past week?  
Does anyone have an AA Birthday this week?

  

LEADER

 Leader shares for ten minutes.

 

 SHARING : 

 

(OPTIONAL: ZOOM BOMBER)  (Often we have many new people who find this meeting through apps.   This is a wonderful thing and everyone is welcome.  Please note that we do have a strict protocol if someone is disruptive and they will be very quickly removed.) 

RIGHT AFTER THE SPEAKER: SHARING "TIPS". 

At this meeting, we may call on those who raise there hands and those who do not.   But if you don’t want to share, that’s fine.

No cross talk, which means questioning or arguing with or criticizing another person.   Each person will please limit your share to 5 minutes.    One person shares and then stops.  The next person shares and then stops, and so on.

 

 

OUR TIME HAS RUN OUT

NEXT PAGE….

OUR TIME HAS RUN OUT

 

Our time has run out.  We will now have 7^th tradition.   There are no dues of fees for AA membership.  But we hope you can help support AA.   Online, you can donate to support this meeting and the SHARE SELF HELP CENTER where we meet.

 

AA ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

 Thanks to   (NAME)  for Leading and (NAME) for reading Appendix 2.

 We especially want to welcome       ( ?? NAMES … AND )        every person that is new to AA or new to our meeting.  We are happy you came and we hope to see you next week.

 If you would like other AGNOSTIC meetings in the Los Angeles area, see the Los Angeles AA website and search the directory with the word AGNOSTIC.  

 We try to have the meeting open ten minutes early, both in person and on Zoom, for people to chat.

 Finally, can we have a volunteer to be the leader and do the first share  next week?

  

CLOSING

 AA RESPONSIBILITY PLEDGE

 When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA always to be there, and for that, I am responsible.  

#############

CHAT

Please donate to support SHARE.
https://shareselfhelp.org/donate-share-the-self-help-and-recovery-exchange/

For court cards, or comments, please email 
bruce@brucequinn.com

Responsibility Statement

When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help,
I want the hand of AA always to be there,
And for that I am responsible.

SECULAR AA
https://bit.ly/secularmeetings 

Secular AA Conference Orlando Sept 20-22, 2024
https://www.aasecular.org/in-person-conference

"MEETING APP" (w/ Chair)
Screen for "Secular" meetings

 

 

 

SHORTER VERSION OF APPENDIX 2

In AA’s Big Book, the terms “spiritual experience” and “spiritual awakening” are used many times.  In the first few chapters of the book, alcoholics who recovered through sudden revolutionary changes are described.

But careful reading of the whole book shows that a personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism can take place in many different forms. 

Sudden changes leading to sobriety can occur, but are by no means the rule.  

Most of our experiences are much less dramatic, and our experience with sobriety usually develops over a period of time.

Often friends of the newcomer are aware of a difference, long before the newcomer is. The new member of AA starts to realize that a profound alteration takes place in their day to day reactions to life; that such a change could hardly have been brought about by the newcomer alone. 

##

Some members find that they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they identify with their own concept of a Power greater than themselves.  But other members of AA recover without any kind of belief in a higher power or other spiritual concepts.

Most emphatically we wish to say that any alcoholic capable of honestly facing their problems in the light of our experience can recover, provided their mind is not closed to all spiritual concepts.  One can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial.

We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. The essentials of recovery are willingness, honesty and open mindedness and these have proven to be significantly helpful.

 ##

“There is a principal which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a person in everlasting ignorance – that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”

 

( END )

From AAGNOSTICA, abridged

https://aaagnostica.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Appendix-II.pdf

 

Additional edits 4/2023, We Agnostics Sunday Culver City.

https://tinyurl.com/aashortapp2  

April 2023: Sunday Night Culver City Abridged Appendix 2

ABRIDGED APPENDIX 2

In AA’s Big Book, the terms “spiritual experience” and “spiritual awakening” are used many times.  In the first few chapters of the book, alcoholics who recovered through sudden revolutionary changes are described.

But careful reading of the whole book shows that a personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism can take place in many different forms. 

Sudden changes leading to sobriety can occur, but are by no means the rule.  

Most of our experiences are much less dramatic, and our experience with sobriety usually develops over a period of time.

Often friends of the newcomer are aware of a difference, long before the newcomer is. The new member of AA starts to realize that a profound alteration takes place in their day to day reactions to life; that such a change could hardly have been brought about by the newcomer alone. 

Some members find that they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they identify with their own concept of a Power greater than themselves.  But other members of AA recover without any kind of belief in a higher power or other spiritual concepts.

Most emphatically we wish to say that any alcoholic capable of honestly facing their problems in the light of our experience can recover, provided their mind is not closed to all spiritual concepts.  One can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial.

We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. The essentials of recovery are willingness, honesty and open mindedness and these have proven to be significantly helpful.

 

“There is a principal which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a person in everlasting ignorance – that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”

 #######

#######

This link:  https://tinyurl.com/aashortapp2

From AAGNOSTICA, abridged

https://aaagnostica.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Appendix-II.pdf

 Additional edits 4/2023, We Agnostics Sunday Culver City.

For full protocol see here:

https://lasideposts.blogspot.com/2023/04/april-2023-newest-meeting-format-plus.html

Agnostic Side Posts: How AAAGNOSTICA Shortened Appendix 2 by 50%

 

II. SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE (ORIGINAL)

This is an abbreviated and slightly edited version of the Appendix.

https://aaagnostica.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Appendix-II.pdf

 

 This blog

https://lasideposts.blogspot.com/2023/03/agnostic-side-posts-agnostica-appendix.html

The terms "“spiritual experience"” and "“spiritual awakening"” are used many times in this book which, upon careful reading, shows that the personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism has manifested itself among us in many different forms.

Yet it is true that our first printing gave many readers the impression that these personality changes, or religious experiences, must be in the nature of sudden and spectacular upheavals. Happily for everyone, this conclusion is erroneous.

 

In the first few chapters a number of sudden revolutionary changes are described. Though it was not our intention to create such an impression, many alcoholics have nevertheless concluded that in order to recover they must acquire an immediate and overwhelming "God-consciousness" followed at once by a vast change in feeling and outlook.

 

Among our rapidly growing membership of thousands of alcoholics such transformations, though frequent, are by no means the rule. Most of our experiences are what the psychologist William James calls the "“educational variety"” because they develop slowly over a period of time. Quite often friends of the newcomer are aware of the difference long before the newcomer is aware of it. 

She or he is himself. He finally realizes that he has undergone a profound alteration has been undergone in his reactionday to day reactions to life; that such a change could hardly have been brought about by himselfthe newcomer alone. What often takes place in a few months could hardly be seldom have been accomplished by years of self-discipline. With few exceptions our members find that they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they presently identify with their own conception of a Power greater than themselves.

Most of us think this awareness of a Power greater than ourselves is the essence of spiritual experience. Our more religious members call it "God-consciousness."

 

Most emphatically we wish to say that any alcoholic capable of honestly facing his or her problems in the light of our experience can recover, provided he does not close histhe member’s mind is not closed to all spiritual principles. Heconcepts. She or he can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial.

 

We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. WILLINGNESS, HONESTY AND OPEN MINDEDNESS ARE THE ESSENTIALS OF RECOVERY. BUT THESE ARE INDISPENSABLE.

"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance--that principle is contempt prior to investigation." --HERBERT SPENCER

Willingness, honesty and open mindedness are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable.

Agnostic Side Posts: AGNOSTICA "Appendix 2" at Half Lenth

This is an abbreviated and slightly edited version of the Appendix.  202 words, half the original 400 words.

 https://aaagnostica.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Appendix-II.pdf

  

The terms “spiritual experience” and “spiritual awakening” are used many times in this book which, upon careful reading, shows that the personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism has manifested itself among us in many different forms.

 In the first few chapters a number of sudden revolutionary changes are described.

 Among our rapidly growing membership of thousands of alcoholics such transformations, though frequent, are by no means the rule. Most of our experiences are what the psychologist William James calls the “educational variety” because they develop slowly over a period of time. Quite often friends of the newcomer are aware of the difference long before the newcomer is aware of it. She or he finally realizes that a profound alteration has been undergone in day to day reactions to life; that such a change could hardly have been brought about by the newcomer alone. What often takes place in a few months could seldom have been accomplished by years of self-discipline. With few exceptions our members find that they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they presently identify with their own conception of a Power greater than themselves.

 Most emphatically we wish to say that any alcoholic capable of honestly facing his or her problems in the light of our experience can recover, provided the member’s mind is not closed to all spiritual concepts. She or he can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial.

We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. Willingness, honesty and open mindedness are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable.

###

In addition, in March 2023, BQ offered a few additional edits.

The terms “spiritual experience” and “spiritual awakening” are used many times in this book which, upon careful reading, shows that the personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism has manifested itself among us in many different forms. 

In the first few chapters alcoholics who found sudden revolutionary changes are described. 

Sudden changes leading to sobriety can occur, but are by no means the rule.  Most of our experiences are much less dramatic and usually our experience with sobriety develops slowly over a period of time. Quite often friends of the newcomer are aware of the difference long before the newcomer is aware of it. She or he starts to realize that a profound alteration takes place in their day to day reactions to life; that such a change could hardly have been brought about by the newcomer alone. What often takes place in a few months could seldom have been accomplished by years of self-discipline. With few exceptions our members find that they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they presently identify with their own conception of a Power greater than themselves. 

Most emphatically we wish to say that any alcoholic capable of honestly facing his or her problems in the light of our experience can recover, provided the member’s mind is not closed to all spiritual concepts. She or he can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial. 

We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. Willingness, honesty and open mindedness are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable.