The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
I was going to reply to WakingUps post but thought I'd just start this as a new topic so more would read it. When I sponsor someone, below is the stepwork I send for step 2. The first 3 steps are the most important because they build the foundation for the rest of the steps. If we don't have a good solid and strong foundation under us, we won't benefit as greatly from the remaining steps 4-12. All of the step work I do is taken from The Big Book of Alcoholic Anonymous. If anyone has any questions about the questions I use in this step, feel free to email me privately at kathysctc@yahoo.com
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Here is your Step 2. Make sure you feel you're fully done with step 1 before starting this next step. If you have any questions on step one, or feel there's any part of it you *haven't gotten* then let's talk more about it.
Read pages 44-55 of the Big Book then go ahead with the questions.
Step Two We Agnostics Questions/Pages 44-55
1. a. When God is mentioned, have we reopened a subject, which you thought you had neatly evaded or entirely ignored?
b. Does the word God bring up a particular idea of Him, which someone tried to impress upon you during childhood?
c. Did you reject this idea of God and did you then think you had abandoned the God idea entirely?
d. Were you bothered with the thought that faith and dependence upon a power greater than yourself was somewhat weak and even cowardly? Page 45- 46,
2. Have you discovered that you do not need to consider another's conception of God? Pg 46
3. a. Do you have your own conception of God?
b. Do you agree this is all you need to commence spiritual growth and to effect your first conscious relation with God? Page 47, Paragraph 1 The "Second Step Question"
4. a. Do you now believe or are you even willing to believe, that there is a power greater than yourself?
b. Why? Page 47, Paragraph 2
5. a. Has even casual reference to spiritual things made you bristle with antagonism?
b. Do you agree this thinking has to be abandoned? Page 48, Top
6. Do you believe in many things for which there is good evidence, but no perfect proof? Page 48, Paragraph 3
7. a. Did you believe you already knew everything you needed to know about living life?
b. Wasn't this rather egotistical of you? Page 49, Paragraph 1
8. a. Are you willing to lay aside any prejudice you may have, even against organized religion?
b. Do you believe that religious faiths have given purpose and direction to millions?
c. Have you made fun of other peoples spiritual beliefs and practices? Page 49, Paragraph 2
9. a. Did you use the shortcomings of a few as a basis to condemn them all?
b. Did you criticize them for being intolerant, while being intolerant of them yourself? Page 50, Paragraph 1
10. In the past, have you stuck to the idea that self-sufficiency would solve your problems? Page 52, Paragraph 4
11. Do you believe it more sane and logical to believe in God than not to believe? Page 53, Paragraph 1
12. Faced with the First Step; a self-imposed crisis you cannot evade, are you now willing to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or He is nothing? Page 53, Paragraph 2
Consider each of the following questions on the next page in two ways. 1. Answer the question then on each of the following questions, ask yourself "What are my prospects for the future in this area of my life if God is nothing, and does not exist; if all I have is what I've had in the past to deal with these things?" 2. Next, go back through these questions and ask yourself "What are my prospects for the future in this area of my life if God is everything, and does exist; and His power will deal with them?"
a. Are you having trouble with personal relationships?
If God is nothing -
If God is everything -
b. Can you control your emotional nature?
If God is nothing -
If God is everything -
c. Are you prey to misery and depression?
If God is nothing -
If God is everything -
d.Can you make a living?
If God is nothing -
If God is everything -
e. Do you have a feeling of uselessness?
If God is nothing -
If God is everything -
f. Are you full of fear? -
If God is nothing -
If God is everything -
g. Are you unhappy?
If God is nothing -
If God is everything -
h. Do you seem unable to be of real help to other people? -
If God is nothing -
If God is everything -
13.Do you believe the answer to these problems is inside rather than outside of ourselves? Page 52, Paragraph 2
14. a. Have your ideas been working as far as solving the problems listed above?
b. Do you believe the God idea might, are you willing to try? Page 52, Paragraph 3
15. God either is or He isn't, what is your choice to be? Page 53, Paragraph 2
16. a. Have you worshiped people, sentiment, things, money, yourself, or with a better motive, the sunset, the sea or a flower?
b. When you loved something or somebody, how much did this have to do with pure reason?
c. Didn't these "unreasonable" feelings determine the course of your life? Page 54, Paragraph 1
17. Do you agree that reason isn't everything? Page 54, Paragraph 3
18. Do you agree, that deep down within every man, woman and child is the fundamental idea of God? Page 55, Paragraph 2
19. a. Are you willing to search fearlessly within your own heart to find God, are you willing to believe He is there?
b. Do you agree that it is only there that God can be found? Page 55, Paragraph 3
__________________
Kathy S --
~*I trust my Higher Power that I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my life today.*~
Yes, the way I worked the steps with my sponsor there were worksheets for every step. After completing my answers my sponsor would go over them and if she felt there were some I needed more work on she'd let me know. I followed in her footsteps once I was ready to sponsor and I do it the same way, simply because it worked so well for me. The steps aren't meant to be worked alone. Even if we have every book, worksheet etc, we're still not really working them if we don't have a sponsor.
__________________
Kathy S --
~*I trust my Higher Power that I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my life today.*~
I understand that belief in a higher power is important for some, but i also know that there are 12 step versions that do not require a person to believe in god to work the twelve steps. I do not say this to offend anyone. I know that spirituality and belief and the lifeline for some people, and i respect that. But i also understand for some, believing in god is not a possibility, but their need for the 12 steps to be a lifeline is very real. Does anyone know of any worksheets like these that do not require a belief in god or a higher power?
Deanna Please note this is an extremely old posting and refers to the questions taken out of the AA Big Book which is not recommended for alanon members.
I have posted several Step 2 messages on the Step work Board with questions from the alanon book:"Paths to Recovery I suggest you review these. Here is the link: http://stepwork.activeboard.com/t63332514/alanon-step-2-3-12-2017/
The 12 Steps suggest that we can use our own concept for a Higher Power/God. In the beginning I used the "alanon program and principles "as my Higher Powers I saw how they worked and could embrace the concepts.
Please do keep coming back program works and can be used by all.