Why Free Will in AA Fails

Submitted by Soberman on Sat, 12/29/2012 - 19:16

Big Bills free will argument is embarrassingly brittle.
I recently reviewed The Big Book on the issue.

The Problem of Evil is an insurmountable one for “Big Bills” and other alcoholics who believe in a perfectly loving, all-powerful and all-knowing god.

There have been intense and motivated efforts over the past two millennia to defend such a position rationally, and they have all failed miserably, utterly and in many cases, dishonestly.

Some approached involve invoking an unknown "greater good" defense (which throws god's omnipotence under the bus).

An omnipotent deity could simply actualize a desired goal without needing to use suffering as a "middle man".

Attempts to shift the problem by asserting that sobriety is not the goal of AA (but knowing god is) removes the Omni benevolence and omnipotence of god (if you love someone, you don't want them to suffer).

It really is that simple.
Here, Big Bill takes the old canard of free will.
Unfortunately, free will is meaningless unless everyone has an equal amount of it.
This is undeniably NOT the case.
Not everyone is given the same lifespan, physical strength, mental acuity, political clout, financial resources, and so on.
Big Bill is pontificating from the luxurious confines of his residence, funded by conveniently gullible sheep.
This has certainly damaged his ability to empathize with the billions who live on less than a dollar each day. And the thousands who starve to death every time the Earth complete a full rotation.

Big Bills also, perhaps unwittingly, advocates a social Darwinism in which the rich and physically powerful are able to murder, rape and steal from weaker individuals (and are therefore less able to exercise their own free will to prevent their own suffering).
Big Bill worships a cosmic pedophile who revels in granting freedom to abhorrent individuals while getting his jollies from seeing the most vulnerable suffer and die in agony (only to get thrown into even more torture in the Christian vision of hell).
Lastly, a loving god would take away free will from those who would willingly surrender it in return for a life without suffering.

Funnily enough, Big Bill seems to believe in a heaven without suffering but with all the bells and whistles of freedom.
So why not create that universe from the get-go and stick with it?
Why create a universe with even the possibility of corruption?
It certainly is not something a perfect god would do.
Then again, a perfect god would not blackmail beings he supposedly loves for eternal worship."
Soberman
Don't drink, do as you please?

Comments

Adam

Sun, 12/30/2012 - 07:33

You need for AA to be all about religion but it's not.

AA god is a prop for when the suggestions they repeat at every meeting take hold.

Try this, it's not based on a belief in God even though it is advocated by Christianity:

Forgive your sponsor for talking to you like you were accountable to their management. Accept that he has the right to talk any way he likes, and don't be angry, and don't feel like you are accountable to his management.

Then, forgive all the people who consider you a lousy drunk. They can think what they want. Don't become a sponsor so you could dump that grief on others.

You'll feel their power over you slip away.

flannigan

Mon, 12/31/2012 - 09:14

It is irrelevant whether an AA member believes in the existence of "God" or not. What does this have to do with stopping/moderating one's drinking? Where is the connection?