An Atheist’s Prayer Higher Power, build with me and do with me as this program requires. Relieve me of the bondage of self. Let victory over my difficulties bear witness to the love and power of this program. Let me follow its way of life always. Direct my thinking. Eliminate my self-pity and dishonesty with myself. Confine my self-seeking to positive directions. Keep my mind open and … Read More
Translation for the Newcomer I am athletic and an atheist. I don’t fit the stereotype of what a compulsive overeater looks like. Twenty-five years ago, before phone or online meetings took off and before anorexia and bulimia were in the media, I attended my first face-to-face OA meeting in Sacramento, California. California, land of the progressive, land of the open-minded, right? Wrong. I did not … Read More
Making OA More Accessible In May 2019, three of us founded an atheist/agnostic face-to-face meeting in Bethesda, Maryland. We’d already had nineteen people at our most recent virtual meeting and had launched a second meeting online. Our purpose has been to help make the OA community more accessible to people who do not believe in a deity or have unconventional beliefs. We begin our … Read More
Drifting to My Higher Power I first joined OA twenty years ago and have been in and out a few times. I have consistently found it frustrating that the word “God” is used in literature and meetings and by sponsors and other members. I’ve found the male pronouns in the Steps and Traditions equally alienating. It’s not just the words that I’ve found problematic: the … Read More
Clear Intentions The first time I worked the Steps, more than thirty years ago, I believed in a benevolent HP who was watching my back. I was sure of this because I was very happy at that time in my life. Twenty-five years later, I had a spiritual crisis when I lost my career, and now, I believe no entity was ever … Read More
Realigned by a Few Tenths There are problems faced by OA members who do not practice a dogma-based spirituality. These problems could be eliminated by restating certain Steps and Traditions to align with Tradition Ten. In OA, I was constantly being told: living within ethical and moral principles can only occur within dogma-based spiritual practices. spirituality is only expressed by belief in a singular and … Read More
Light and Color I came to OA at age 25 with only 10 to 15 pounds (5 to 7 kg) to lose. That was twenty-six years ago. Before OA, there was darkness: guilt, remorse, shame, fear, paranoia. I built a wall to protect me. I even wore mostly black. I was bingeing, purging, and starving. I was smoking, drinking, and using drugs. There … Read More
Feeling Supported Longtimers used to say, “Either you’ll get the God-thing, or you’ll put a gun in your mouth.” At a recent meeting, some men shared about having suicidal thoughts. I had been a part of that misanthropic club, so I may be a terminal case, but I’m not unique. The God-thing must be easier for religious folks. I can’t buy a … Read More
Port of Call My spiritual journey in OA started like a ship in a sea of confusion. How could I understand God’s plan for me, or take Steps Three and Eleven—surrender to, and maintain conscious contact with, God as I understood him—when I don’t believe that I, as a human, can understand God? My ship visited many ports of discovery. In Port One, … Read More
Knock, Knock I went to my first OA meeting many years ago. I already knew someone, so it wasn’t too scary. I liked the meeting, having long ago figured out that food, for me, was an addiction just like alcohol or drugs. (That’s pretty common knowledge now but wasn’t in the 1980s.) How many times had I tried dieting in various forms—paid … Read More
