re - Joan R's wonderful message (Thank you for quoting it so I got to 
see it, whereas I've been on sabbatical) and "reminding us all that 
BillW. and Dr. Bob were just plain mortal men.... that made mistakes" -
I used to go to a meeting where an oldtimer who now has forty SOMETHING
years sober, God willing - by which I mean God willing he is still 
alive - used to say that we didn't have to nod our head yes to 
everything that was written in the big book and the 12 and 12, that it 
wasn't meant to be scripture or it's generic equivalent in other 
religions  - it was no form or divine revelation.  He also told me that
it was his sponsors who told him this - men who died sober. 
.
This guy used to joke about people editing the Bible - his tradition 
and that of most in our locale - and taking out Moses and the ten 
commandments to put in Bill and Dr. B and the twelve steps.  
.
And it has come pretty close to that - recently, on the internet, I 
heard someone talk about having a CONCORDANCE to the Big Book.  (A 
concordance is usually a large book one uses whereby one can find a 
specific scriptural text in the Bible if one has one or two of the main
words in that text)  
.
So I have to agree with Joan R. myself - she has some valid points to 
be had there.  Most alcoholics being extremists, I think we - myself 
included - can easily, very easily, be carried away if we are not 
careful and lose the "joy of living" which the 12 and 12 tells us is 
the "theme of AA's twelve steps".  I believe it is also their purpose -
to give us that joy.
--- TriToss (tm) Professional 11.0 - #66
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