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This story was penned by Jim B. who got sober in 1938, and was an member of Bill W’s original New York Group that met on Tuesday nights in Brooklyn. It was published in the Second, Third, and Fourth Editions of the Big Book, but not in the First Edition. However, Jim’s involvement in the program during the writing of Alcoholics Anonymous, is sometimes credited with having influenced Bill W’s references to God in the 12 steps. The agnostically-inclined Jim B. and Hank P., one of the earliest members of AA, insisted that the word “God” be less theologically-specific, more general, and less objectionable to agnostics, atheists, and those who had dissenting views toward religion. As a compromise, Bill W. appended the qualifying phrase “as we understood him” to the word God in the 3rd and 11th Steps.
In subsequent years, Jim B. often spoke of having a role in the development of the 12 Steps, by insisting that the phrase be used. Over the years, as stories diverged from memories, Bill W. was sometimes asked about Jim B’s actual influence on the ultimate use of the expression, “God as we understood him”. While Bill never attributed the term directly to Jim B. (or Hank P. for that matter), he did acknowledge Jim B’s indirect impact on the Steps by virtue of the agnosticism Jim frequently expressed during discussions in early meetings.
Irrespective of whose recollection is more accurate, it’s clear that the expression “God, as we understood him” was a singularly important addition to the Big Book, keeping the doors of AA open to all, while alienating no one to the idea of a power greater than one’s self.
Howard L, sober since January 1, 1988, presents this inspired reading of the Big Book and encourages listeners to revisit earlier podcast episodes that feature the main chapters and stories in the First Edition of the Big Book. Enjoy listening on our website, BigBookPodcast.com, or download and subscribe to the podcast for free at Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have a minute, please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Also join our facebook group, Big Book Podcast Listeners, where you can share your thoughts and experiences with fellow listeners.