What if I Don't Believe in God?
Working the OA program of recovery is a highly individual process. We don’t all think alike. As stated in The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, “Our common bonds are two: the disease of compulsive eating from which we all have suffered, and the solution that we all are finding as we live by the principles embodied in these Steps.” This is what unites us in OA. Differences regarding a spiritual concept, or lack thereof, need not keep us from working the program. As the Third Tradition states, if we have the desire to stop eating compulsively, there is a place for us in OA.
The following excerpts from OA literature further explain the 12-step approach to religion and spirituality:
The following excerpts from OA literature further explain the 12-step approach to religion and spirituality:
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Ours is a spiritual program, not a religious one. We have no creeds or doctrines, only our own experiences of recovery.
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OA doesn’t tell us we have to believe in God — only that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. We are invited to define that Power however we wish and relate to it in whatever way works for us. OA only suggests that we remain open to spiritual growth. Open-mindedness is key to success.
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All in all, the experiences of those who work this program with their own concept of a Higher Power show that this program does work regardless of one’s personal interpretation of that power. Clarity, peace of mind and growth are some of the many byproducts of OA’s recovery program. When we stay in the program and apply these principles in keeping with a personal understanding of a Higher Power, these rich rewards are ours! These are certainly good reasons to “keep coming back.”
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Literature
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Meetings for Freethinkers (Atheists, Agnostics, Spiritual, Religious, and Questioning)
Mondays and Wednesdays, 6PM to 7PM, Golden Gate Recreation Center, (1075 62nd St, Emeryville, CA 94608). All are welcome. For information, text or call: 510-409-8340.
For now we are meeting virtually at:
https://zoom.us/j/452384903?pwd=bUJKWHlmQUplMzM5d1ByQ0VxWGZxQT09
Meeting ID: 452 384 903; Passcode: 041562 — Dial in at 669-900-9128
Mondays and Wednesdays, 6PM to 7PM, Golden Gate Recreation Center, (1075 62nd St, Emeryville, CA 94608). All are welcome. For information, text or call: 510-409-8340.
For now we are meeting virtually at:
https://zoom.us/j/452384903?pwd=bUJKWHlmQUplMzM5d1ByQ0VxWGZxQT09
Meeting ID: 452 384 903; Passcode: 041562 — Dial in at 669-900-9128
