A Story of Benefactors, Books, Prisoners, and
Thankfulness
Dick B. A.A. History Book Gifts Still Traveling Far –
A Great Story
Dick B.
© 2015 Anonymous. All
rights reserved
We began researching, traveling, interviewing, speaking, and
publishing my A.A. history books about 1990. About the time of the Seattle
Convention, I attended mostly to learn if what I had heard about A.A.’s roots
in the Bible could be verified, could help others still suffering, and was a
story that needed to be told.
Since that date, we have published some 46 titles and 1700
articles laying out the history of A.A. and the role that God, His Son Jesus
Christ, and the Bible have played in recovery, One alcoholic who was a priest
began joking about the quest. He said he didn’t favor A.A. But he asserted that
an “amateur,” a “hobbyist,” and a “non-professional” (unnamed but quite clearly
Dick B.) was trying to prove that every line in the Big Book came from the
Bible, He doted on his criticism and wrote five or six articles over 25 years.
He coached a lady who organized “aa history buffs,” And he began writing that
those who saw the importance of God, the Bible, and reliance on the Creator
were trying to “Christianize A.A.” and lacked integrity. His incessant writing was
about not-god-ness, “spirituality,” and a higher power that could be “something,”
“somebody.” Or anything that dumped God from A.A.’s roots and substituted a
mythical spirituality of imperfection as its idol.
Like many an A.A. newcomer, I had devoted myself to active service in A.A., to study of the Steps,
the Big Books, the biblical training and teaching of A.A.’s founders, and to
hands-on help for the newcomers still suffering. I sponsored more than 100 men,
was invited to speak widely across the United States, and began meeting A.A.
pioneers like Dr. Bob’s children, Rev. Shoemaker’s wife and daughters, and
Henrietta Seiberling’s three children. And as I did, I became aware that many
later A.A. newcomers were calling Christian members “Jesus freaks.” They
invented a deity they called “higher power,” called that higher power a rock,
Santa Claus, a chair, a table, and the Big Dipper.
Soon my reading, research, active contact with real
fellow-historians, and real “twelfth steppers” made clear that pioneer A.A. was
totally unlike the “new version” of the program that Wilson wrote and advocated
in 1939. AAs began asking that I write “the rest of the story.” And they were
objecting to the ridicule they received in meetings when they mentioned God,
Jesus, the Bible—even prayer.
A doctor-and director of a counselor training institute in
Florida whom I had come to know well and with whom I had spoken at various conferences
said to me: “Dick, why don’t you write a book which tells us where all these
crazy names like “higher power,” “light bulb,” “rock,” and “light bulb” came
from. And I did just that – locating all the “scholars” and “counselors” and
leaders who were regularly referring to some illusory nonsense god like higher
power or rock or “something.” I took all the Wilson nonsense about a “Power,”
about “as we understood Him,” and about
self-made religion; and I documented the many people and places who had fallen
into that trap and wound up with self-made religion, absurd names for “a” god,
and nonsense deities like a Coke Bottle. The book was published as God and Alcoholism: Our Growing Opportunity
in the 21st Century (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications,
Inc., 2002)
This story begins there. I had a fine young AA sponsee
working with me here on Maui for about six months. He was an excellent
researcher and writer. One day he was watching TV and heard Governor Linda Lingle of Hawaii
talking about the “ice” problem here. He phoned her and said we had a host of
books on recovery, dependence, God, the Bible, the Steps, and the successes of
pioneer A.A. He said we wanted to donate them to the Hawaii prison system. She
referred him to Lt. Governor “Duke” Aiona. Aiona asked what it would cost. And
he was told they were free and that we would send a box for each of the
fourteen prisons. Aiona jumped on the offer and wrote every warden directing
that they receive and use the books. A lady benefactor donated copies of “God and Alcoholism” to each prison; and Governor Aiona became our friend.
The story ends here. Today, years later. a prisoner in Idaho
wrote that he had been reading the book. He felt the meetings in prison were
not helpful; but he was sure that he would read and circulate my book if it
were sent to him in prison. This we did. And it was one of many which were sent
to other wardens and resulted in communications to us from the prisoner or his
family.
And thanks be to the executive branch in Hawaii, to the
wardens, to the benefactors who paid for the books and shipping, and to the
prisoners who have been blessed to have them!
