Page 68 - The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

WE AGNOSTICS 47
When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean
your own conception of God. This applies, too, to
other spiritual expressions which you find in this book.
Do not let any prejudice you may have against
spiritual terms deter you from honestly asking yourself
what they mean to you. At the start, this was all we
needed to commence spiritual growth, to effect our
first conscious relation with God as we understood
Him. Afterward, we found ourselves accepting many
things which then seemed entirely out of reach. That
was growth, but if we wished to grow we had to begin
somewhere. So we used our own conception, how-
ever limited it was.
We needed to ask ourselves but one short question.
“Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe,
that there is a Power greater than myself?’’ As soon
as a man can say that he does believe, or is willing to
believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his
way. It has been repeatedly proven among us that
upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective
spiritual structure can be built.*
That was great news to us, for we had assumed we
could not make use of spiritual principles unless we
accepted many things on faith which seemed difficult
to believe. When people presented us with spiritual
approaches, how frequently did we all say, “I wish I
had what that man has. I’m sure it would work if
I could only believe as he believes. But I cannot ac-
cept as surely true the many articles of faith which are
so plain to him.’’ So it was comforting to learn that
we could commence at a simpler level.
Besides a seeming inability to accept much on faith,

* Please be sure to read Appendix II on “Spiritual Experience.”