What does it feel like to be an agnostic in AA? Especially when the word God (or Him or Power) appears in six of the 12 Steps, its suggested program of recovery? A History of Agnostics in AA talks about problems in AA – and possible solutions. It also reports on when and where the first agnostic AA meetings were started, and the folks that started them. The book describes a growing secular movement within AA and how in the coming years this will help the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous lend a helping hand to anyone who reaches out for help, regardless of belief or lack of belief.

This book is an inspiration for those uncomfortable with the “God bit” in 12 Step recovery meetings and fellowships. A History of Agnostics in AA is a perfect blend of two essential parts for a book of this sort: personal experience and research. The book is divided into three main parts: Our History, Problems in AA and Moving Forward. The history goes back to Jim Burwell, the first atheist in AA, and to the very first agnostic AA meetings. It also taps into the discrimination against nonbelievers in the fellowship. In the second part, several problems within Alcoholics Anonymous are discussed, and one of these turns out to be “Conference-approved” literature. Finally, the last part, Moving Forward, is all about a secular movement gaining momentum within AA, promising to make AA less God-focused, more inclusive and thus more modern. The author, Roger C, is the manager of the website AA Agnostica. He was the “resident atheist” at the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University for several years and was treated with genuine respect. It is hoped that over time a similar acceptance of nonbelievers in AA and other 12 Step recovery fellowships will be one of the results of A History of Agnostics in AA. Our hope is that Alcoholics Anonymous adapts and moves forward, with greater inclusivity. A History of Agnostics in AA is meant to contribute to that goal.

Roger C was a member of Beyond Belief, the first agnostic AA group in Canada. In 2011 the group was booted off of the official AA meeting list by the local Intergroup. Roger was part of starting the website AA Toronto Agnostics which eventually became AA Agnostica. He looks forward to the day when AA drops its antiquated religiosity and becomes a true refuge for all those suffering from alcoholism. His work in AA – including starting his own We Agnostics AA group – is meant to help in achieving that rather crucial goal.