God-language

Hi, I'm Chris S., and I'm a recovering TV addict.

Since I use a lot of religious language in this blog, I'd like to say a bit about what lies behind it. Everyone is sensitive about religious language; there's a range in which we're comfortable, and in the rest of the range, we're ... well, not comfortable. And I'd like my visitors to be as comfortable as possible. (Disclaimer: these are entirely my own opinions; they're not official statements from any 12-Step group.)

I've been recovering from my addictions in 12-Step groups for eight and a half years now, and the 12-Step way of spirituality has become very much my own. Alcoholics Anonymous, and nearly all other 12-Step groups that follow its model, use the term Higher Power (sometimes abbreviated HP) to describe the force that can guide them to sobriety from their addictions. "Higher Power" is a masterful term that leaves each addict free to discover what she or he believes Higher Power to be. In my 12-Step groups, I've met Christians of all flavors, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Mormons, agnostics, and atheists, as well as many people who have never shared with me what religion, if any, they had. Quite a few addicts believe that Higher Power is not supernatural at all, but rather their own best selves, some inner resource that they haven't yet learned to reach. Some addicts believe that Higher Power is the collective wisdom of the recovering addicts they meet.

The 12-Step way of spirituality is remarkably ecumenical. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says that AA is "spiritual, not religious." That phrase is repeated regularly in every group I attend, and I believe it.

Virtually all 12-Step groups believe in prayer and consider it an essential part of recovery from addiction. However, as with the idea of Higher Power, each addict is free to understand and use prayer in whatever way works best for her. Most of the prayers used in 12-Step groups do address God, rather than Higher Power. The best known of these prayers is the Serenity Prayer: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." Most meetings open or close with the Serenity Prayer. No one is required to join in saying the Serenity Prayer or any other prayer, and at least in the groups I attend, I'm quite sure that no one would be thought less of if they chose to abstain. Yet in the many hundreds of meetings that I've been to, almost no one -- even the people I know to be atheists -- has done so. I can't recall more than 8 or 10 people who ever did.

I'm a student of religion and language, and I'm well aware of the potential coercive power of religious language, whether it's meant that way or not. I wouldn't have been able to stay in these meetings all these years if I felt that I or anyone else was being coerced.

All of that wasn't meant to be a sales pitch for 12-Step groups. OK, maybe just a little. But mostly I was trying to say that I'm highly sensitive to coercion of any kind, and I'm constantly careful to avoid coercing anyone's religious or spiritual beliefs. My interest is helping myself and other addicts dig deeper into ourselves and our beliefs, to test them, strengthen them, and as needed, change them.

So when I talk about Higher Power, or address a prayer to God, that is my language and my beliefs. You are welcome to translate what I say into your own spiritual language, or agree with me, or disagree with me, or ignore me. (You're welcome to do it in comments in this blog, too.) Take what you like, and leave the rest.

I'm Chris S., thanks for listening. And I'm open to feedback.