Episode 262: Roger C. and the Story of AA Agnostica

This episode highlights a website that has been a welcome refuge for alcoholics seeking to decouple religious faith and sobriety. Roger C. founded AA Agnostica a decade ago to publish the kind of information he could find nowhere else: Narratives about the experiences of secular members of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Through his tireless work, Roger has afforded thousands of people a safe space to share their experiences, tap resources, and feel acceptance that’s not conditioned on a belief in God. The site attracts not only atheists, agnostics, and free thinkers, but also those of religious faith who nevertheless are inspired by the open, diverse atmosphere at secular AA meetings.

As he prepares to shut down the site, which receives more than 1,000 discrete visits a day, Roger  reflects on where AA is today, and why inclusivity and flexibility are so important to the organization’s future viability. You’ll hear a lively examination of the conflicts associated with constraints around AA conference-approved literature as well as the statistical reality that The Big Book’s religious orientation may no longer be a good fit for a majority of people.

It’s been a transformational adventure for Roger, who has touched so many lives – including those of this podcast’s co-hosts. And not to worry! While AA Agnostica will no longer be live, Roger reassures us that the platform and all its resources will still be available indefinitely.

Key Takeaways

* Roger shares the origin story for AA Agnostica, which he initially established in 2011 as a basic source of information for AA members in search of secular meetings in the greater Toronto area.

* A secular AA meeting (Beyond Belief) was launched in Canada in 2009, only to be booted out of the Intergroup just a couple of years later.

* Curious to know more about the history of agnostics and atheists in AA and finding little information available, Roger started research that today has evolved into a collection of more than 700 articles, histories and narratives housed on aaagnostica.org.

* In its first full year, the website logged 6,000 visitors a month, a number that has grown exponentially and today numbers tens of thousands of people from around the world. 

* There has been some progression in thinking, but historically the position of most in AA has been that without a belief in God the 12 steps were not sustainable long-term.

* Roger’s popular secular adaptation, “The Little Book: A Collection of Alternative 12 Steps,” was published nearly a decade ago and recently updated in a new edition.

* Initially there was some push-back from some AA members who objected to the use of “AA” in  the name AA Agnostica — but it subsided quickly.

* Roger is “not a fan at all” of The Big Book, which by his count has 281 references to God or “Him” in the first 164 pages – something he found alienating. This heavy emphasis also runs counter to the well-documented trends away from organized religion.

* The Future of AA Agnostica: While Roger plans to discontinue posting new material, the website will remain publicly available, along with all its resources, indefinitely.

* AA Agnostica receives about 1,