Who is "a responsible member of Alcoholics Anonymous?" An old-timer with 50 years of sobrioety gives his views

So this little article is addressed to those who are or want to be “a responsible member of the program.” Who is a responsible member?

 

Let’s take a cue from the three old timers I just quoted.

 

A responsible member is one who does not seek, or want, to take God out of the program. A responsible member is one who makes it clear that the Creator, his Father, is “conference approved”—certainly not “conference dis-approved.” A responsible member includes any one who gets well by turning to “the Lord”—as Bill Wilson and Bill Dotson (A.A. Number Three) said they did (Big Book, p. 191). A responsible member is one who would rather focus on what God has done for him once he sought God, rather than sparking a conflict over definitions--who is sick from what, what a “higher power” is or isn’t, and who satisfied the requirements for “membership” and who doesn’t.

 

One of the reasons I enjoyed and still enjoy the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous is that I never tried to substitute a “higher power” for Almighty God. Another is that I never got thrown out when I mentioned God. Another is that I used the same terms for describing God that were used by Dr. Bob, Bill Wilson, and the other pioneers—Creator, Maker, Father, God, Father of lights, Heavenly Father, Father of Lights, Spirit. Another is that I soon gave up thinking I could demand that others stop using the phrase “higher power” to describe their “Something,” or “Somebody,” or “not-god” philosophy. And I am, like Gene, “a responsible member of the program.” At least I think so, and that is what counts for me.