We Agnostic Podcast

The transcription is about Chapter 4 of Alcoholics Anonymous, titled "We Agnostics." It explores the paradox of finding strength and recovery in spirituality for those who are agnostic or atheist. The chapter discusses the struggle with addiction and the need for something beyond willpower. It addresses the concept of a higher power and emphasizes the willingness to believe, rather than a specific religious belief. The chapter shares a story of a minister's son who experiences a transformation by questioning his certainty and surrendering to the unknown. It highlights the limitations of logic and the importance of being open-minded. The chapter suggests that the desire for something greater may be innate to being human and can provide a deeper sense of meaning and purpose. It encourages readers to approach spirituality with an open mind and explore the potential for personal growth and connection. All right, ready for a deep dive into a chapter that feels kind of like a paradox, especially for those of us, you know, more agnostic or atheist leaning. We're in Alcoholics Anonymous, but specifically chapter four, we agnostics. Yeah, this one's all about people who are practically running from anything spiritual, yet ironically, that's how they found their strength, their recovery, even without becoming like super religious. Right. It's like the book saying, look, we get it sounds weird, but just stick with us here. And it jumps right into the struggle, people desperate to ditch the booze, but they hit this wall. Like willpower just isn't cutting it. And the book goes beyond just stating that it gets into the W.H.Y. It's like, imagine trying to out swim a riptide. That's how strong addiction can be. Willpower alone becomes this exhausting, losing battle. So it points to this lack of power as the core issue, forcing people to look for something, some force outside themselves. OK, already I can hear some listeners thinking, wait a minute, is this where God comes in? Because that doesn't quite compute for someone like me. And you know what? The book totally gets that. It even talks about how some early AA folks pushed back on the whole God thing, thought it was weak, even cowardly. They struggled with the concept of a supreme being, especially with all the world suffering. You know, it's right there in the text. Yeah, they even tell this story about a guy, minister son no less, hits rock bottom and cries out, if there is a God, he sure hasn't done anything for me. Talk about feeling let down by the universe. Totally. But here's the thing. And it's surprising. The chapter says you don't need this perfectly formed picture of God to begin. It's about the willingness, just the willingness to believe there's a higher power, something for good that can help, whatever that looks like for you personally. So it's not about suddenly joining a church or having all the theological answers. Phew, that's a relief. Exactly. It takes the pressure off. They actually use this analogy. We accept scientific stuff without needing to see it. It's like electricity can't see it, but we know it's real by what it does. Same open mindedness with spirituality is key, not blind faith, but being open to something beyond what we currently grasp, something potentially more powerful than willpower alone. Right on. And the chapter points out, even with the best intentions, willpower often wasn't enough for lasting change. They observed how people with strong faith, they seem to have this stability, this happiness, even usefulness that others craved. And it's not about judging anyone's beliefs here, but seeing the potential good that a spiritual connection, however you define it, might bring. Like there's this missing piece we can't just logic our way to. And maybe, just maybe, looking beyond ourselves is how we find it. But how does that even happen? What does that shift feel like? We'll get into that right after this. Yes. Okay. So we're getting into that moment, that internal shift where things kind of click. Remember that minister's son, the one with the crisis of faith in the hospital? His story, it really gets to the heart of how this change, this transformation can happen, even when you're starting from like total doubt. Oh, yeah. His story, it's practically a case study. So picture this. He's completely defeated, railing against this idea of God, who seems totally MIA. But then something really interesting happens. He's alone with his thoughts, and he's questioning his own certainty. He's surrounded by his own rock bottom, and yet he starts to wonder, could all those devout people in his life actually be on to something? It's like the chapter describes it, feeling trapped in hell. And it's that feeling, that desperation, that somehow creates the space for something new. And then, bam, that aha moment hits him. Who am I to say there is no God? Just like that, one question flips his entire perspective. Right. It's a powerful example of how our certainty, our need for logic, can actually block us from experiencing something bigger. There's actually this psychology concept, ego death, where letting go, surrendering can ironically lead to this amazing freedom, a connection to something greater. And for him, in that surrender, he has this profound experience. It's like this wave of God's presence just washes over him. All those walls he built, the skepticism, the anger, they just melt away. What's incredible is how his story, it points to this universal truth beyond any one religion, that power of desperation, of being willing to let go of those tightly held beliefs and really embrace the unknown. And it's not just a fleeting thing, this experience. The chapter says his craving for alcohol, it vanished, gone. He lives free from it. Now, some folks might call that a miracle, but the chapter frames it as a natural outcome, aligning yourself with that higher power. Again, not about a specific deity, but that force for good we keep discussing. Like tapping into this wellspring of strength that was always there, but he couldn't access it until that perspective shift. And this idea, accessing something beyond logic, that comes up a lot, wouldn't you say? Absolutely. The chapter straight up says logic, while useful, has limits. It even uses this analogy. Imagine people back in the day, utterly convinced humans couldn't fly, the Wright brothers. They must have sounded nuts. Using all the best logic at the time to explain why it was impossible. But by clinging so tightly to what they thought they knew, they missed out on this whole other reality. Exactly. And that's a question we can ask ourselves today, right? Are there areas where our own need to be right, to figure it all out logically, might be holding us back? Are we so busy being reasonable that we miss out on the truly extraordinary? And it makes you wonder if this connection to something bigger is so powerful, even for non-religious folks, could it be more innate to being human than we realize, like something we're wired for? That's a question that really got me thinking. This chapter opens the door to a whole new way of thinking about spirituality, about where we find strength, how we tap into a power beyond ourselves, religious or not. And that is exactly what we're going to explore next. Is this desire for something bigger, just a religious thing, or is it woven into what it means to be human? Stay with us. We'll be right back. We're back and we're really diving deep into this question. Is this whole power greater than ourselves thing just like a religious thing? Or is it something deeper, something we all share as humans? It's a fascinating question, isn't it? The chapter even points out that belief in some kind of higher power is like as old as humanity itself, across cultures throughout history, always that impulse to connect to something bigger. It really is like this echo through what millennia, ancient myths, these elaborate rituals, even just someone finding a quiet spot in nature, feeling that sense of awe, like we're hardwired to search for something beyond our everyday lives. And you know what gets me, the details change, the rituals, the gods, the stories, but that core idea that something's greater than us, some force or presence we can't totally grasp, that part stays the same. So it leaves us with this big question, right? Is this yearning for something bigger? Is that actually like in our DNA somehow? Is it possible, even if you don't follow a specific religion, that yearning could be the starting point to finding that power for yourself? Exactly. And maybe that yearning, that feeling that there's got to be something more, that's what we should really be paying attention to. It could be the key to this deeper sense of meaning, of purpose in our lives, religious or not. As we wrap up this deep dive into the agnostics, a few things really hit home for me. First off, you don't need to have it all figured out, this whole belief system to get started. You don't need all the answers, just that willingness, that openness to the possibility of something more. And what I appreciate is that they don't just throw arguments at you. They say, look at the evidence. And by that, they mean those real life stories, people finding strength, peace, by connecting to something beyond themselves. Those stories, they're powerful. Listen to this. This really stuck with me from the ending. When you drew near to him, and however you interpret him, he disclosed himself to you. So that leaves us with this. What happens if we approach this with a truly open mind? Even if it feels uncertain, even if it's a little scary to really seek that connection? It's a challenge, right? To step outside what we think we know and just see what we find. And who knows? You might surprise yourself. And that wraps up our deep dive for today. Thanks for joining us as we explored this, the often surprising journey of finding that power greater than ourselves, even, or maybe especially, when we're starting from a place of doubt. Keep those questions coming, keep exploring, and until next time, happy diving.