Aa history Lovers 2006 moderators Nancy Olson and Glenn F. Chesnut page
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In order to become an Advisory Action, any committee recommendation must pass the Conference with substantial unanimity--defined as a two-thirds majority. To reach substantial unanimity, floor discussion may take a very short time or go on for hours. Ideally, all Conference members, whether or not they agree with the final decision, will be satisfied that they have been heard and a genuine consensus has been reached. The A.A. Service Manual describes how it happens: Before a vote is taken, plenty of time is allotted for full discussion, including questions about the background of a recommendation and the committee's reasons for coming to its conclusions Discussions, both in general sessions and during committee meetings, can at times be hot and heavy, but Conference members always try to reach a group conscience and to make decisions in the best interests of the Fellowship. After the vote, the Conference chairperson calls for minority opinions and occasionally, a well-reasoned minority opinion can result in another vote, reversing the first decision.
the G.S.O. publications department for final editing, type-setting, design and printing. The publications department is an integral part of the process at every stage, working with the G.S.O. staff to prepare material for distribution to Conference members, overseeing any preliminary editing that might need to be done, finding writers when needed (A.A. members with solid sobriety and strong professional experience), working with them to prepare manuscripts, and implementing any changes suggested by the Conference. Sometimes, a book or pamphlet can take a long time to come to fruition. Take as an example the pamphlet Can A.A. Help Me, Too? for African-American alcoholics, approved by the Conference in 2001. The idea came up originally in 1970, with proposal for a cartoon book for black alcoholics, but its time had not come, and it was turned down by the Conference. The need came to the fore again in the 1990s and in 1998 a proposal for a pamphlet directed to the Black/African American alcoholic came from a group, went through the district and area assembly, was passed on to the General Service Office by the delegate, and placed on the Conference agenda. The 1999 Conference recommended that a draft be prepared and brought to the 2000 Conference for consideration.
project, and a call for stories by black alcoholics went out to all Conference members. Meanwhile, the pamphlet engendered some lively discussion and while the majority of groups were in favor, there was also some strong opposition from members who felt that publication of such a pamphlet would set black alcoholics apart, rather than making them a part of A.A. Others, however, pointed out that the goal was to inform and attract still-suffering black alcoholics who needed to know that African Americans were sober, active members of the Fellowship.
to pass on to the G.S.O. publications department for editing. Because of the time needed to collect the stories, it was not possible to have a draft ready for the 2000 Conference, which received a progress report. After input from the Conference, the editing proceeded and in addition to numerous revisions, two new stories were added. The final draft went to the 2001 Conference, which approved the Literature Committee's recommendation for publication. Conference approval means that a piece of literature carries the A.A. message and represents a good cross section of the Fellowship. Equally significant, though, is what it does not mean. It does not imply criticism or dis-approval of any other publications, whether published by A.A. or outside the Fellowship. For example, many inter-groups and central offices publish material such as meeting lists and other informational leaflets for local members. These publications are genuine A.A. literature, because they provide a necessary service to members and reflect the experience of A.A.'s in the local community. Service material published by G.S.O. informational pieces and guidelines do not go through Conference approval, though they contain shared experience from a good cross section of the Fellowship and often incorporate excerpts from Conference-approved publications. And because it would be impossible to put each issue of periodicals such as Box 4-5-9, other G.S.O. bulletins, or the A.A. Grapevine through a two-year procedure, these too are not Conference approved, though the Conference has long recognized them as A.A. literature. Telling A.A. members what to read and not to read is clearly not the business of the Conference. But when new members search out the group literature table at their first meeting, when middle-timers have questions, when old-timers want to widen their knowledge and understanding, the words "This is A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature" on a piece of
literature assures them that the message has been the result of several group conscience decisions--the ultimate authority for A.A. literature. BOX 4-5-9, APRIL-MAY 2005 A.S.A.P. Always Say A Prayer IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3385. . . . . . . . . . . . Success vs. Gloom-and-Doom From: ny-aa@att.net . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/24/2006 3:07:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII See Excerpt from the "The Exact Quote..." Thread Below: -------------- No More Myths: Let's be sure nobody takes this statement by Bill W and trumpets, "Hah! See. A one percent success rate." (I've seen it done.) That's not what it means at all! Visionary: Like someone introducing a new product, Bill was looking at how many prospects were not reached and offers a number to emphasize, "If we keep on going there is little doubt that much good will result, but the surface of the problem would hardly be scratched." In saying that "a vast procession of the world's drunks has passed in front of us ... 25 million of them," he is putting forward an image of how important A.A. can be. Most Never Came to A.A.: The 25 million alcoholics he speaks of died somewhere in the world in the 25 years Alcoholics Anonymous had been around. Only a very few came "through the doors of A.A.." A "mind experiment, " as Albert Einstein suggests, proves that. For all 25 million of them to visit exactly one meeting of one group, the average group would have hosted 300+ per year. For each of them to talk with exactly one A.A. member, the average member would have talked with 15 per year. As the robot on Lost In Space would say, "That does not compute." :-) Reasoning: My calculation is based on an estimated 75,000 group-years. (I added up the annual census of groups for first 25 years.) Similarly, it is based on an estimated 1,600,0000 member-years (I added up the annual census of members for first 25 years.) Think about it. It makes sense. :-) History Challenge: Can anyone find the source of Bill's estimate of 25 million of the worlds drunks? It sounds to me like some agency may have estimated "one million per year" and Bill multiplied that by 25 years. That is just a guess. Some other historian may have a real answer. ____________________ En2joy! Tom En2ger
From: "ArtSheehan" > > What is the quantitative number "of alcoholics who came to AA" at any > particular period of time? Nobody knows, but it was likely substantial > and likely remains substantial. In an address to the 1960 General > Service Conference, Bill W commented: > > "I took note", the co-founder pointed out, "that in this generation > which has seen AA come alive, this period of 25 years, a vast > procession of the world's drunks has passed in front of us and over > the precipice. Worldwide, there would appear to have been something > like 25 million of them. And out of this stream of despair, illness, > misery and death, we have fished out just one in a hundred in the > last 25 years." >
++++Message 3386. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: 95% First Year Dropout Myth From: Billlwhite@AOL.COM . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/23/2006 2:30:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Ernie, The article you refer to was written by Don McIntyre and appeared in Volume 18, Number 4, 2000, issue of Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, pp. 1-18.. The title was "How well does A.A. work? An Analysis of published A.A. surveys (1968-1996) and related analyses/comments. Bill White In a message dated 4/23/2006 3:57:03 PM Eastern Daylight Time, kurtzern@umich.edu writes: There was also an article in the *Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly* a few years ago that dissected this too widespread fallacy. Perhaps someone can give the exact citation, which I do not have at hand right now?
groups
From: ArtSheehan . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/24/2006 12:47:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII If anyone can make it to the National Archives Workshop (or knows someone who is going) there is a chance that "A House Full of Miracles" might be available there for purchase. That's where I picked up my copies a few years ago when it was first aired. It was described then as being intended to be a pilot production for a more expanded video targeted to a History Channel, AandE or PBS viewing audience. Also, the revised (and previous) "Markings On the Journey" videos from
GSO Archives are wonderful and informative works. I believe the first version of "Markings on the Journey" was not Conference-approved. The video "My Name is Bill W" is also a great film. It has one notable
historical inaccuracy (probably for poetic license and time restraints) of showing Ebby and Bill working and drinking together in New York City prior to the stock market collapse in the great economic depression. Ebby lived in Albany, NY (and Vermont) and, with a very notable exception regarding an airplane flight from Albany to Vermont, he and Bill did not do all that much drinking together. Cheers Arthur
From: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Robert Stonebraker Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 10:32 AM To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [AAHistoryLovers] Reading lists for AA study groups Joe A. asked: "Can you tell us where these films are available for local
sharing?" I believe "A HOUSE FULL OF MIRACLES" is still sold at Dr. Bob's Home
and the earlier one, "DAWN OF HOPE," which came from the same place, may be out of
circulation. I would suggest you write or check out their website. Both
are about 30 minutes long which makes them convenient to play at meetings. Bob S. ?????????? ----Original Message----- From: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of Joe Adams Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2006 4:48 AM To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Reading lists for AA study groups Can you tell us where these films are available for local sharing? Joe Adams (sober_in_nc at yahoo.com) __________________________________________
(rstonebraker212 at insightbb.com) wrote: Our Big Book Step Study Group in Richmond, IN, spends the first two Tuesdays studying AA history - we show a short movie, "DAWN OF HOPE" and sometimes "A HOUSE FULL OF MIRACLES" from Dr. Bob's Home.
From: theresa . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/24/2006 12:27:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Hello all! I'm new to this group,and was wondering if there is anywhere I could get(or read) a copy of the General Service Conference report from panel 37('87-'88)? I volunteered to share on concept five at next months area meeting,and heard and interesting concept five story that involves that panel.I have a list of our past delegates,but that particular one is no longer with us. I love all the contributions to this group,it's taught me alot already.Thanks, Theresa
Stones in Bedford Hills, N.Y. From: Gene . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/23/2006 4:26:00 PM
directions to Bill and Lois' house... http://www.steppingstones.org/map.ivnu Near Katonah, N.Y. Rt 684 is the big highway close by...easy to get to...
Gene in Westchester
From: ArtSheehan . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/24/2006 9:37:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Hi We need to encourage folks to visit the AAHistoryLovers web site and take advantage of the search function for perusing through past posting on subjects. There is much in the archives that is of interest to this question. Lois Wilson's paternal grandfather, Nathan Clarke Burnham, practiced law, medicine and was also a minister of the Swedenborgian Church. He wrote a book "Discrete Degrees" about the relation Swedenborg had found between the spiritual and natural life. On January 24, 1918, spurred by rumor that Bill W might soon go overseas (World War I duty) he and Lois were married at the Swedenborgian Church of the New Jerusalem in Brooklyn, NY. The wedding date was originally Feb 1. Lois' brother Rogers Burnham was best man. Cheers Arthur
From: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Gene Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 1:26 PM To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Was Bill a Swedenborgian?
spitituality, I wonder how much Bill W. was in contact with the Swedenborgians?
teachings... Gene in Westchester ------------------------------------------------------------------ This from some of their beliefs:
Love, Swedenborg says, is the basic element of reality. It is the source of all life, the essence of God. Our souls are individual finite forms of love, our bodies serving as mirrors of that inner essence. As we live, we choose what kind of love we will be. We may choose to regard ourselves as the only reality--our own needs, desires, and feelings as all important. Or we may choose to focus on others. In the former instance, we shrink in spirit, allowing a part of our potential as loving beings to atrophy. In the latter instance, we grow spiritually, heightening our awareness of the nature of love and thus also of the nature of ourselves and God.
Truth is the way love works. Most of us sense that. Actions we perform out of love are honest actions, genuine expressions in a physical form of what love means, or the truth of love. Swedenborgians feel that ultimately the two are inseparable, a part of the same reality. Actualized love is truth, and hence faith and charity are especially significant in human living. Swedenborg defines faith as a kind of inner sight, a perception of what is true. Charity is founded in the desire to do service and live a useful life, beginning with the choice of career or life work. The spiritual life involves the active development of a useful and meaningful life in service to the betterment of the world as a whole. Whereas the religious life often connotes withdrawal from the world and life, active participation in the world is a commitment to actualizing faith and charity. The life of charity and faith parallel the union of love and truth which is the essence of God. Freedom of the Will Swedenborg emphasizes the responsibility of all people to develop their own beliefs and live their lives accordingly.
advance into light, i.e., into truths and goods of the church, or procure himself a life. Without that free will he would not be a human being but only a figure and a phantom. For his thought would be without reflection, consequently without judgment and thus in Divine things which are of the Church he would have no more ability to turn than a door without a hinge, or with one fastened with a bolt of steel. His will, too, would be devoid of decision, hence no more active towards justice or injustice than the stone on the mound under which lies a dead body...." (Coronis, 24 28) An Inner Meaning Within the Bible Swedenborg likens the Spiritual teachings to a parent teaching a child.
although he himself thinks from an interior or deeper ground. Otherwise it would be like teaching what would not be learned. (Arcana Coelestia, 2533) Thus the scriptures are written on the literal level in plain language expressing the truth and wisdom of God as it is adapted to our limited human understanding. The Bible also contains a deeper meaning, an inner essence, in addition to its obvious and overt meaning. Swedenborg notes in The True Christian Religion:
Lord, and passing through the angelic heavens, the Divine (in itself unutterable and imperceptible) became level with the perception of angels and finally the perception of man. Hence, the Word has a spiritual sense, which is within the natural, just as the soul is within the body, or as thought is in speech, or volition in action. The belief that all things have an inner reality, as well as an outer manifestation is a significant concept for the whole of Swedenborgian thought.
This, then, is the living reality of Swedenborg's teachings. In stressing freedom, diversity, and individualism, he issued a challenge to individuals, churches, and other organizations to be committed to the human growth processes and to express their personal commitment in ways as diverse as their numbers. Sensitivity to, and respect for, each individual's "internal church," or spirituality, is what Swedenborgianism is really all about. One primary pathway advocated in the Swedenborgian Church for spiritual growth is a specialized study of scripture, enabling the diligent student to become aware of the inner-penetration of nature and spirit, of our natural world here and the universal spiritual world. In addition, an expanding awareness of spiritual reality is encouraged by the exploration of dreams and by prayer and meditation practices. And perhaps the most popular of Swedenborg's spiritual growth practices is his Zen-like discussions on "being useful." Teilhard de Chardin once said, "Do not forget that the value and interest of life is not so much to do conspicuous (although we have this ambition) as to do ordinary things with the perception of their enormous value." For Swedenborg, such a focus provides the ground for future spiritual growth. As Paul Zacharias, a Swedenborgian minister, observes in his pamphlet This We Believe, "Everyone who lives up to the best he knows, whether Christian, Jew, Moslem, or Pagan, is truly a member of the church Invisible." --------------------------------------------------------------- Now if you have had the patience to get this far... the idea of service...giving of yourself...It's all there.
From: Hugh D. Hyatt . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/24/2006 12:50:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII As a lifelong 4th-generation practicing Swedenborgian with 13+ years of sobriety and and almost as many in active service to A.A., I agree that many aspects of A.A.'s program are remarkably similar to some of the primary tenets of Swedenborgianism. On the other hand, much as I would like to conclude otherwise, it seems clear to me that Bill W. was little affected by Swedenborg's teachings, despite being married in a Swedenborgian church in New York City into an established Swedenborgian family. He struggled with issues whose resolution would be obvious -- at least intellectually -- to almost any serious Swedenborgian.
but I conclude it's due to well-meaning but wishful thinking on their part. Gene is alleged to have written, on or about 22-Apr-06 14:26: > > Having done some reading on Swedenborg's beliefs and understanding of > spitituality, I wonder how much Bill W. was in contact with the > Swedenborgians? > > The higher power as we understand him sounds very close to their Download 13.83 Mb. Share with your friends:
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