God Job

BB Kate's picture
Submitted by BB Kate on Sun, 05/06/2012 - 18:38

On many occasions i heard members say "It's a God job".

It heard it said in situations as varied as:
* Getting a car park when running late to a meeting
* Running into a member on the street when having a bad day
*Getting the last teaspoon of instant coffee at a meeting

and my favourite...
*meeting a newcomer in AA with the same name as a cousin with a drinking problem.

Do AA members really think that these things are an intervention of a God, who cares about the minutia of their lives?

Comments

becket's picture

becket

Mon, 05/07/2012 - 19:24

"A different dece(i)bo problem beset Ted Kaptchuk's recent Harvard study in which researchers gave a "placebo," or nothing, to people afflicted with irritable bowel syndrome. They administered the placebo in a bottle boldly labeled "Placebo," and advised patients they were receiving placebos, which were known to be potent. The thesis was that one might harness the effects of expectation honestly, without deception, by telling subjects how powerful placebos in fact were - and by developing a close relationship with subjects. Researchers met repeatedly with subjects, gained subjects' appreciation for their concern and listening (as the researchers made clear), and repeatedly told subjects that placebos are powerful. Those placed on placebo obliged the researchers by telling them they had gotten better, moreso than those on nothing. The scientists attributed this to a placebo effect." ~ http://edge.org/response-detail/1664/what-scientific-concept-would-impro...

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”
― Christopher Hitchens, Letters to a Young Contrarian

Pennywise's picture

Pennywise

Tue, 05/08/2012 - 03:43

Good research skills there, Becket. Thanks for that.

"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."

causeandeffect's picture

causeandeffect

Mon, 05/07/2012 - 23:24

As for the atheists and agnostics, I would assume that they accept full responsibility for each and every good, bad and indifferent thing that comes their way. They have no partnership with a higher power, so who else is there to credit for anything?

This is a typical AA style false dichotomy. Just more of bill wilson's black and white thinking. "If one doesn't believe in God, then one must think they are God." In reality atheists and agnostics don't think there is no one but themselves to credit for anything. We don't exist in a vacuum. There are other people who bring the good, bad and indifferent things our way. Case in point: 9/11 had nothing to do with me personally. But it sure ruined my day for many, many days. It also sucked all the life out of my mother, whose health had been failing for a long time. She just lost her will to live and was dead within 2 weeks. But I can claim no credit for the actions of those people. None whatsoever. Conversely, people can make my day. I claim no credit when someone makes me laugh. Sometimes people say something that can entertain me for days. And I love that. So just because someone doesn't believe in God doesn't mean they take credit for everything or fancy themselves as the center of the Universe. Patently absurd.

Placebo effects do exist and can be quite powerful. But placebo effects are measurable. AA cannot claim anything above spontaneous remission, therefore, whatever placebo effect it could possibly have is effectively canceled out by the crazy. People in AA are not qualified to deal with many of the issues, yet they have been misled to believe they are. Science has shown that they are going about it in ways that are demonstrably wrong. All AA has ever been effective in doing is making people incorrectly attribute their sobriety to AA, and preventing any real recovery modalities from being searched for. Fortunately this is slowly being turned around. Too slowly.

becket, since people who are trying to get sober are seeking compassion, why are they given so damn much derision from those in AA who claim to be helping them? I guess you have to dump that onto God, because they sure aren't getting it from the fellowship--that is, unless they conform perfectly into bill wilson's misdirection.

Troll free AA critical forum
http://www.expaa.org/

"The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it." ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson

avogadno's picture

avogadno

Tue, 05/08/2012 - 11:48

Yep c&e, AA is a place where you can be surrounded by many but still feel all alone. Quite the opposite of what they advertise huh? No hierarchy and no judgment is bullshit. Like most other aspects of the program there is much ambiguity in those claims. The judgment doesn't come from criticism of who you once were but who you are now. Not conforming to Bill W's misdirection, as you said, results in being out-casted as one that isn't ‘working a good program', or is 'preparing for their next relapse'.

Leaving those that "don't understand you" behind and finding new friends and family in the rooms, potentially makes you become more lonely. Those that preach about no one being in charge are actually the gurus. They place the crown on themselves and run the show because what they have is fine knowledge in propaganda techniques and an acute case of narcissistic extroversion. If confronted and backed into the corner, getting caught in their masquerade, they pull out their wildcard and that is that "you're going to die". The rainbow of key tabs gives them that privilege. Having the fatal disease of alcoholism and a decade of sobriety makes them a miracle. That's the fist lesson in AA-101. Years of sobriety = power.

Pro Empowerment!
Truth about AA: http://orange-papers.org/menu1.html
Expose AA: http://www.expaa.org/

avogadno's picture

avogadno

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 21:37

The problem is that this is an action that requires a belief. Instructing groups of people to particpate in this and calling it treatment is preposterous. It is a religious exercise no question, and I can imagine that any atheist or agnostic would be bewildered (at the least) and begin to question all aspects of any program that prescribed this.

Pro Empowerment!
Truth about AA: http://orange-papers.org/menu1.html
Expose AA: http://www.expaa.org/

Brett

Mon, 05/07/2012 - 05:00

'ud be a god nob job.

Brett

btnben's picture

btnben

Mon, 05/07/2012 - 05:02

It'd be a god Hobnob job

God damn it, get me a whiskey

Bill W, Deathbed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?source=patrick.net&v=Sdn3O6aaMNc

Brett

Mon, 05/07/2012 - 12:29

he started with adam & eve in the garden of eden & adam ate the apple,he wasn't suposed to but he went & ate it anyway, wasn't like there was nothing else to eat but he went & had the apple, wasn't like there was a whole grove of 'em or nothing, just one fking tree but he had to eat the apple, one fking apple tree he had to say no to but he went & had that apple bastard ought to try living in the year 2000 & see what I gotta say no to. & another thing yez are lucky adam wasn't a black fella cuz he'da ate ya fking snake.
Part of a conversation I had with a S.A major in detox.

Brett

jonnijoy's picture

jonnijoy

Mon, 05/07/2012 - 16:20

Haman spirit ; The last group were the people who think that God will intervene personally in their individual lives, and will make things happen for them if they pray enough, attend church, etc. And those people were confident that they would go to heaven too. This group also tended to be the ones who thought that Americans out of all nationalities were especially blessed by God.
JJ; I was just watching the Ultimate fighting championship repeat on tv. They were interviewing one of the fighters and watching the replay and he explained to the announcer that 'if god would just allow him to get out of the neck-choke he was in, he would work harder the next round to beat the guy up and win the title. He did just that and thanked god for the victory. This happens in all sports in the USA. God helped us win the game mentality. Its not just AA, where people think god helped them get sober 1 day at a time or helped them get a good parking spot.

live_free_or_die's picture

live_free_or_die

Tue, 05/08/2012 - 04:50

Tell me jonnijoy (a/k/a mcdonalds boy) who is your favorite NASCAR driver?

Whoseyourdaddy?

Alcoholics Anonymous: MyNotGodHasItCovered®
http://www.expaa.org/
http://bereanresearch.com/
http://badrecovery.blogspot.com/
NOT AA:
Rational Recovery, SOS, HAMS
http://alcoholabusesolutions.com/

disclosure

Mon, 05/07/2012 - 16:23

I prayed "God help me" after my last drink, then I ended up in AA and have had a life well beyond my dreams. I got my job back, wife back, kids back, and life back. Thanks AA!

alkieanon's picture

alkieanon

Mon, 05/07/2012 - 21:33

Serendipity.
Synchronicity.
Maybe.

Jesus-is-Fraud's picture

Jesus-is-Fraud

Tue, 05/08/2012 - 04:31

Just at the end of the Area Service Committee of Narcotics Anonymous, as he tried to talk me into pulling down my pants so he could fuck me in the arse.....

"It's a god Job."

Speaking of which, the continents are moving apart at about 30mm a year.... that is Europe is going one way, and the America's are going the other....

Given the distance between them it's taken a whole 100 million years to create the Atlantic ocean - and the basin it sits in.

Then the continents usually end up impacting and one slides under the other - into the mantle and core of the earth.

The fun side of all this, is that in another 200 million years, after our bones have fossilized and had a little poke out of the rocks at the tops of mountain ranges - way up in the clouds, before washing away as dust and grit, only to wash out onto the floor of some future ocean.

Then a bit of the red giant to galactically flash fry the planet and a few more impacts with asteroids and other solar systems....

I wonder what the god will do then, when all the non believers and the brainwashed become atomised and scattered to the far ends of the galaxy?

Resurrection is going to be a HUGE fucking job - assembling a few hundred billion people, and then annihilating most of them, and only keeping the nasty arse licking clique.

That too will be a god job.

Of course Bill Wilson will be in there sucking the cock of god.... "I'm your bitch god, I'm your bitch!"

patti

Tue, 05/08/2012 - 06:40

Gigi & Pie, exactly right. And it is the epitome of control & eliminating critical thinking. This is who you are selfish, not of God, a terrible being with no humility, these "character defects" caused you to become addicted to an addictive substance! If an individual's mind is filled with the thoughts & ideas of another, if they stop doing their own & critical thinking, then they are available to be controlled & used. Get obsessed & stay obsessed with self, with a problem you have solved if you are sober or clean, but stay obsessed with your prior problems & your character defects. Remain & stay scared, dependent & weak, don't be your own person or an individual, don't cause you can't stand on your own, you will relapse back into that being with character defects. Obsess on the group first & then self, become & stay an obsessed & controlled individual, & give back, your money & time & recruit & find new pockets & time for the group, the cult to tap into. A group is it's members, have to have them all obsessed with their flaw's & prior problems, with the group's version of self & the monster that created their new being, identity & existence & obsession. Wilson's description of an alcohol addict was a self evaluation, selfish, immoral, anxious, depressed, he described him self & his many mental illness's, including his narcissistic personality disorder. The last thing he needed or wanted was for members of his group to think, evaluate, grow or evolve, they had to stay stuck & obsessed with a problem & self. They had to be one with Wilson & selfish & obsessed with self & stay weak with an incurable problem, illness & spiritual sickness! @ the same time, they have to balance being a victim & being a predator, they had to recruit & control new members & blood! One's mind & time is completely monopolized by belonging to AA, here's who you are, here's all the stuff wrong with you, only we can fix you 24 hours @ a time, we are your liaison to God or an HP, obsess, fill your entire mind & being with this identity & the actions necessary to maintain it, while obsessing, pass your obsession & our theories & philosophies on to others, take over their minds & life's. It takes a lot of one's time & energy to keep endlessly & perpetually healing, a life sentence from alcohol addiction if their method is AA, there really just isn't any time or energy left to think, feel or act for the benefits of self or others. I think the majority of AA members who stay have dependent personality disorders, they don't want to think for themselves or others, they want to be told what to do, who they are, how they feel, they are lazy. But they do have the energy to repeat orders, that's easy & requires no mind exercise or use. They are taught to be obsessed with the group & self, but not to help, not to think critically or think or act @ all as an individual, not to be kind, or compassionate or emphatic. And they do as they are told, & evolve into childish bullies who pass those orders on & pass on the belittling & unhealthy psycho babble of mentally ill Wilson.

patti

patti

Tue, 05/08/2012 - 07:23

LOL, you are funny & Clara thank you for the material to make us all laugh out loud & smile!

patti

Pages