Big Book Study

[bluidkiti]

Big Book Study - Post #17

Good Morning everyone!

Beginning on *Page 59, paragraph 1*, we'll continue to examine the text as
originally written to see the changes made before the first edition of the
book was published. The original, pre-publication version is known as the
"Multilith."

"Half measures availed us (will avail you) nothing. We stood at the turning
point. We asked for (Throw yourself to) His protection and care with
complete abandon. (Now we think you can take it)."

"Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a (your) program of
recovery:"

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become
unmanageable. [Unchanged - this step came from Dr. Silkworth.]

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to
sanity. [From Dr. Carl Jung.]

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as
we understood Him. [Essentially our "will" is our thoughts, our thinking.
For example, when making out a will we are putting our thoughts down to be
expressed after we pass on. Our "lives" are comprised of our actions. We are
making a decision to turn our thoughts and our actions over to the care of
God. This step came from the Oxford Group's "Surrender".]

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and another human being the exact nature of
our wrongs. [Steps 4 and 5 are unchanged and came from the Oxford Group's
"Confess your sins."]

6. Were entirely ready to have (willing that) God remove these defects of
character.

7. Humbly (, on our knees,) asked Him to remove our shortcomings (holding
nothing back). [Steps 6 and 7 were inserted as a means of closing any
loopholes.]

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make
(complete)
amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so
would injure them or others. [Unchanged - Steps 8 and 9 came from the Oxford
Group's "Restitution."]

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly
admitted it. [Unchanged.]

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact
with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us
and the power to carry that out. [The words "conscious" and "as we
understood Him" were omitted in the original draft.]

12. Having had a spiritual awakening (experience) as the result of these
steps (this course of action), we tried to carry this message to (others,
especially) alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

In our next post we'll continue with the first paragraph on *page 60* and
begin to delve into Step 3.

Something to think about: the word "suggested" has been twisted around to
make it sound like the steps are optional. Why do you think that word was
inserted into the text?

Have a good day!
Karen H.