If war is the violent resolution of conflict,
then peace is not the absence of conflict,
but rather,
the ability to resolve conflict
without violence.
C.T. Butler
Definitions from Merriam Webster
Conscience - "… the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one's own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good..." (© Webster, “conscience”)
Consensus - “… group solidarity in sentiment and belief…” (© Webster, “consensus”)
Unity - “… a condition of harmony…” (© Webster, “unity”)
Various online sources
Ottis D. has an excellent one page summation on the topic posted at: https://aaoklahoma.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Informed-Group-Conscience.pdf.
Nar-Anon Blue Booklet
Theme - unity within the group
“Our group experience suggests that the unity of the Nar-Anon Family Groups depends upon our adherence to these traditions.” (© NFG Blue, “Traditions preface”)
“1) Our common welfare should come first; personal progress for the greatest number depends on unity.” (© NFG Blue, “Tradition One”)
Theme - conscience within the group
“2) For our group purposes there is but one authority – a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants – they do not govern.” (© NFG Blue, “Tradition Two”)
“6) Group conscience is the spiritual means by which we invite a loving Higher Power to influence our decisions.” (© NFG Blue, “Concept Six”)
Faith and Practice of the Pittsburgh Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Theme - unity within the group
“The wide range of religious viewpoints in the Meeting offers many paths to Truth. We learn from one another and can grow in the depth and clarity of our beliefs. We experience unity in our openness to the Inner Light and in our work for peace and justice.” (© Pittsburgh, pages 12 and 13)
“In a truly ‘gathered’ meeting there is a sense of being drawn together in a profound and loving unity of mind and spirit. This may happen although not a word is said.” (© Pittsburgh, page 16)
“We seek a unity, which is not an identity of views or uniformity of practice, but a unity of spirit founded on the common search for truth. The degree of such unity within a Meeting is an important measure of its spiritual health.” (© Pittsburgh, page 17)
“Friends find their essential unity in the deep belief in the pervasive presence of God and in the continuing responsibility of each person and worshiping group to seek the leading of the Spirit in all things. Obedience to that Spirit rather than to any written statement or belief is the obligation of our faith.” (© Pittsburgh, page 19)
"“Different ways of understanding the Divine Light may occur among us. These differences should be recognized and understood so that a deeper and more vital unity can be reached. Keep faith and friendship with each other, waiting in the Light for that unity that draws us together in the divine love and power.” (© Pittsburgh, page 20)
“In all meetings, be willing to wait as long as may be necessary for the emergence of a decision which clearly recommends itself as the right one. Differences should not be ignored for the sake of a superficial agreement, but recognized and understood so that a deeper and more vital unity can be reached.” (© Pittsburgh, page 23)
“If a problem or conflict arises within the Meeting, do we make timely efforts to address the issue, in a spirit of love and humility? As we seek unity, do we listen to one another carefully and with openness to Truth?” (© Pittsburgh, page 26)
“Are we able to express our views honestly and with respect for those who differ with us? Are we prepared to set aside our individual desires or opinions in order to reach unity in the divine Light?” (© Pittsburgh, page 27)
“The unity that Friends seek in making decisions is a unity of spirit and will which draws them together, although there may not be unanimity of opinion. This means that the Meeting must find its way in love and understanding, listening to one another carefully and with respect. A decision arrived at by this process may not be fully satisfactory, but it may be the best that can be made at the particular time on the particular subject.” (© Pittsburgh, page 32)
“Friends’ procedure for finding unity requires time for deliberate consideration, and change is often slow. However, sound procedure in the Light ensures that when action is taken it has the understanding of all.” (© Pittsburgh, pages 32 and 33)
“The work of all committees is carried on in the same manner and spirit as the Meeting for Business. Conveners are responsible for orderly procedure and for arriving at decisions on the basis of unity.” (© Pittsburgh, page 37)
Theme - unity within self
“George Fox lived and taught the necessity of the unity of faith and practice…. The Quaker faith in that of God in everyone is not mere belief but a way of life. All persons are to be treated with respect and without violence and given equal opportunity to live their lives fully. Thus there is a unity of faith and practice: we show our faith as we treat all people as children of God.” (© Pittsburgh, page 15)
Theme - conscience within self
“Conscience, which is socially formed, is illumined and transformed by the Inner Light. Reason has to be consistent with the Inner Light. These secondary sources grow out of and can be corrected by the experience of the Inner Light.” (© Pittsburgh, page 14)
Nar-Anon Sharing our Experience Strength and Hope (SESH)
Themes - unity within the group and conscience within the group
“While taking a group conscience in a Nar-Anon meeting, someone reminded me of the first tradition, that ‘our common welfare should come first; personal progress for the greatest number depends on unity.’ It clicked in my head that this was also true for my family.” (© NFG SESH, January 23)
Theme - conscience within the group
“Nar-Anon meetings are conducted according to the wishes of the group, and decisions are made through discussions and the agreement of the members. This is called a group conscience. Each group can elect group officers. Officers are not paid; they are given the opportunity to perform a service for their group, such as chairing a meeting, making coffee, greeting newcomers, or representing the group at other levels of service. Members who act as leaders are reminded in our literature and Tradition Two that they are 'trusted servants: they do not govern.' This structure works well at the group, area and regional levels.” (© NFG SESH, September 15)
Note by Robert P - This Conference Approved Literature accurately omits the technique of group conscience at the world level.
“My responsibility is to serve the members, whether my work is voluntary or professional; the only authority in Nar-Anon is a loving Higher Power as expressed through our group conscience.” (© NFG SESH, September 15)
Theme - conscience within self
“My part is to use my experience, conscience, and common sense before I make a decision to trust someone or something. When I am in doubt, I can turn to my Higher Power through prayer and meditation, ask for guidance, and wait for direction. I believe that my Higher Power is trustworthy.” (© NFG SESH, March 14)
The Eight Points of the Oxford Group
Theme - unity within self
“The relief which came to him with this action had a determining effect on his life, for he had learnt that there can be no living and transforming sense of unity with the divine Will, no ‘God Consciousness,’ so long as the heart nurses bitterness.” (© Oxford 8, “The light that hurts”)
Theme - conscience within self
“The Cross gives the truth a chance to operate on our consciences. To see sin in the light of the Cross is to see that there is not a thing on earth worth sinning for.” (© Oxford 8, “The Shewing up of Sin”)
“The open acknowledgment of weaknesses and sins has a remarkably liberating effect in most cases of troubled conscience, despondency over failure, fear of human opinions and the like. When a timid seeker after God breaks through the inhibitions of moral cowardice, there comes an inrush of divine life and light and he becomes conscious of being possessed and guided by a power not his own—the power of the Holy Spirit.” (© Oxford 8, “Sharing make Forgiveness Real”)
Theme - conscience within the group
“The Group witnesses that guidance comes through a careful study of the Scriptures, a clear conscience, the cultivation of the mind of Christ in all things, the exercise of reason, illuminating thoughts, the circumstances of life and through the corporate fellowship of guided lives in the Church and the Group. Guidance must be checked by the highest standards we already possess; in the light of our duties and responsibilities to others and by the Fourfold Standards of the life of Christ.” (© Oxford 8, “The Use of Guidance”)
The Nar-Anon Family Group's Event Planning Handbook
Theme - unity within the fellowship
“When an event is planned by an area, region, or NSO, they should reach out to groups in their service structure requesting members to join the planning committee. This is done in the spirit of unity.” (© NFG Events; “Introduction”)
“All events should be planned using the traditions, concepts, and group conscience in the decision making process.” (© NFG Events; “One Day Events”)
Nar-Anon Board Bulletin 002, New Regions and Applying Concept Two
Theme - unity within the fellowship
“Please try to keep the needs of the groups at the forefront of all your services. We ask you to look within your service structure and apply Tradition Twelve and Concept Twelve to work towards unity. Through effective communication, we can strive to do what is best for the groups we serve.” (© NFG Bulletin 002)
Narcotics Anonymous - It Works: How and Why
Themes - conscience within self, conscience within the group, unity within the group
Selected extracts are listed below, but the best way to understand the NA view on group conscience is to read the entirety of the chapter on Tradition Two.
“If we are to find guidance from an ultimate authority, we need to find means of hearing that guidance together. The mechanism we use is group conscience. The success of the group conscience process depends on our willingness as individuals to seek guidance from a Higher Power on a personal level. We then bring that willingness into the group setting.” (© NA How, “Tradition Two”)
“Something happens when we practice the steps and learn to apply principles in our individual lives. We develop an awareness of our behavior and its effects on ourselves and others. In other words, we develop a conscience. This conscience is a reflection of our relationship with a Higher Power. It reflects the guidance we receive from the God of our understanding and our commitment to follow that guidance. Whenever we come together in our groups, a similar process may occur: A collective conscience develops. That conscience reflects the relationship of our members to a loving Higher Power. When consulted regularly, that collective conscience guides us in fulfilling our primary purpose while preserving our unity and common welfare.” (© NA How, “Tradition Two”)
“In developing a group conscience, a clear mutual understanding or consensus arises. Based upon the understanding gained by sharing group conscience, a group may move on to a vote in order to make decisions. In the best of circumstances, however, the group continues discussion until it reaches unanimity. The resulting solution may be so obvious that no vote is needed.” (© NA How, “Tradition Two”)
“This connection with the group conscience is enhanced when, as trusted servants, we carry a continuous flow of information that is honest and open; it is further strengthened when we seek to serve, not to govern. We help form the conscience of our group or committee, through the direction of a Higher Power, by presenting a complete and unbiased stream of information. The ideas and direction of the group, then, are conveyed in our representation of that conscience.” (© NA How, “Tradition Two”)
“When we are open-minded, we hear and accept solutions offered by others in the development of group conscience. Application of this principle teaches us to set aside our prejudices in order to work with others.” (© NA How, “Tradition Two”)
“The principle of anonymity lies at the core of our fellowship’s understanding of group conscience. The ideas of each individual group member have their importance, but the group takes its guidance from the collective conscience of all its members. Before the group makes a decision, its members consult their Higher Power, seeking spiritual guidance on the matter at hand. Their individual voices humbly join in developing a collective sense of God’s will for the group, and a strong common voice arises out of that mix to guide us all. We call this group conscience.” (© NA How, “Tradition Twelve”)
“The various elements of our service structure are guided by the primary purpose and collective conscience of our fellowship and are held directly accountable for the service they do on our behalf. Those who serve on our various boards and committees are expected to do so not to seek power, property, or prestige for themselves, but to selflessly serve the fellowship that has made their recovery possible.” (© NA How, “Tradition Twelve”)
Theme - unity within the fellowship
Selected extracts are listed below, but the best way to understand the NA view on unity is to read the entirety of the chapter on Tradition One.
“The importance of our unity encourages our groups to look beyond their own little worlds to the common needs of the worldwide NA Fellowship, placing the welfare of the whole before their own.” (© NA How, “Tradition One”)
“Some of the principles that seem particularly important to unity include surrender and acceptance, commitment, selflessness, love, and anonymity. As we practice these principles, we will find others that strengthen unity as well.” (© NA How, “Tradition One”)
“With unity as our practical foundation, we find that our relationship with one another is more important than any issue that may arise to divide us. No problem or disagreement is more significant than our need for each other’s support.” (© NA How, “Tradition One”)
“When we each propose a different plan for any course of action, how do we choose among them? Who has the final say in our discussions? Our answer is that a loving God, the source of our unity, has the final say— the same Higher Power that guides our personal recovery.” (© NA How, “Tradition Two”)
“Our unity is so precious that, given a choice between fulfilling our own wishes and preserving our fellowship’s common welfare, we put the best interests of NA first. We do this not only out of enlightened self-interest but out of our sense of responsibility to our fellow addicts. The principle of NA unity comes before the fulfillment of our personal wishes.” (© NA How, “Tradition Twelve”)
“Our common welfare depends upon our unity. The only hope we have of maintaining that unity amidst the tremendous diversity we find in Narcotics Anonymous is by the application of certain common principles: those found in the Twelve Traditions. So long as we place the practice of those common principles before the exercise of our individual personalities, all will be well.” (© NA How, “Tradition Twelve”)
Alcoholics Anonymous - Big Book
Theme - unity within the fellowship
“Today the remarkable unity of A.A. is one of the greatest assets that our Society has.” (© AA Big, “Foreword to the Second Edition”)
Theme - conscience within self
“If he thinks he can do the job in some other way, or prefers some other spiritual approach, encourage him to follow his own conscience. We have no monopoly on God; we merely have an approach that worked with us." (© AA Big, “Chapter 7. Working with Others”)
”As non-denominational people, we cannot make up others’ minds for them. Each individual should consult his own conscience.” (© AA Big, “Chapter 9. The Family Afterward”
Nar-Anon Guide to Local Services
Theme - unity within the group
“In Nar-Anon meetings, we do not engage in crosstalk. Personal progress for the greatest number depends on unity; therefore, we take turns sharing our own experience, strength, and hope. We do not interrupt each other or engage in dialogue; we do not put the spotlight on just one member; and we do not give advice, offer solutions, or try to rescue one another. By patiently listening, we show respect for each other and concern for the common welfare of the group. Loving interchange can occur outside the meeting time through one-on-one or group conversations, shared meals, e-mail, telephone, and sponsorship.” (© NFG GLS, “Sample Format for Nar-Anon Meetings”)
Theme - unity within the fellowship
“The Twelve Traditions and the Twelve Concepts: The group studies one or more of the traditions or concepts and their value in maintaining group unity and growth, keeping in mind the goal of Nar-Anon worldwide unity. (© NFG GLS, “Meeting Ideas”)
“Group Service Representative (GSR): The GSR is a vital link in the continuing function, growth, and unity of worldwide Nar-Anon.” (© NFG GLS, “Group Structure”)
Theme - conscience within the group, unity within the fellowship
“A group conscience is the collective viewpoint on matters affecting the group. Group conscience occurs anytime members make a decision in the best interest of a group, area, region, etc., or Nar-Anon as a whole. Arriving at a group conscience requires informative discussion by its members using the Guides to Local and World Services and adhering to the steps, traditions, and concepts of Nar-Anon in order to reach a decision. As members of a spiritual program, we invite our Higher Power to guide us throughout this process. When we treat each member with respect and learn by listening to one another, we can achieve unity. The group conscience is a spiritual principle in the Nar-Anon program. All members share responsibility for the healthy functioning of the group.” (© NFG GLS, “Group Structure, Group Conscience”)
“Members of the RSC perform the duties described in these guidelines and follow any parliamentary procedures (Robert’s Rules of Order) adopted at the assembly. Its members strive to work for the common good of Nar-Anon as a whole, guided by the conscience of their groups. All members and officers should be bound by Nar-Anon’s Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts of Service.” (© NFG GLS, “Regional Structure”)
“The region shall be guided by the principles of unity, group conscience, and the spiritual nature of our fellowship." (© NFG GLS, “Regional Structure, Spiritual Guidance of the RSC”)
Nar-Anon Guide to World Services
Theme - unity within the fellowship
“The WSC allows the fellowship to act as a whole, encourages unity, and protects the continuity of Nar-Anon services.” (© NFG GWS, “World Service Conference”)
Theme - conscience within the fellowship
“World Service Conference (WSC): The WSC is a biennial event for the expression of the group conscience of the Nar-Anon Fellowship. Its participants are elected regional delegates and alternate delegates, the World Service Board of Trustees, world service committee chairs, WSC Facilitator, and the executive director of World Service Office and staff.” (© NFG GWS, “Nar-Anon World Services”)
“National Service Conference (NSC): A national service conference (NSC) is an event for the expression of the group conscience of the Nar-Anon Fellowship within a country.” (© NFG GWS, “Nar-Anon World Services”)
Theme - consensus within the fellowship
Note by Robert P - a majority vote is a technique used to expedite progress. It is not, however, an indication of consensus or a group conscience.
“After adequate discussion and debate have occurred, the conference formalizes its consensus by taking a vote. The WSC’s consensus is determined by a majority vote except for those decisions that require a 2/3 vote as defined in the WSC Standing Rules of Order. All activities of the WSC strive to achieve the spirit of consensus-based decision making.” (© NFG GWS, “Conference Rules of Order”)
Nar-Anon Pamphlet S305 - Group Conscience and Business Meetings
Theme - conscience within the group
“The principle of the group conscience is used for decision making in all of our business meetings, whether it be at the group, area, region, or World Service Conference (WSC).” (© NFG Pamphlet S305)
Theme - unity within the group
“All members share responsibility for the healthy functioning of the group. To ensure the unity of our groups, we use the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and the Twelve Concepts of Service with the guidance of a Higher Power when making decisions that affect the group.” (© NFG Pamphlet S305)
Nar-Anon Pamphlet S307 - Let’s Talk About Anonymity in Nar-Anon
Theme - unity within the group
“Unity is preserved when we all come together focused on a common purpose. It is in this common cause of helping the families of addicts that we find our equality and unity.” (© NFG Pamphlet S307)
Narcotics Anonymous - The Group
Theme - unity within the fellowship
“In the spirit of unity, oneness of purpose, for the good of NA as a whole, it is important that we all do our part.” (© NA Group)
Alcoholics Anonymous - Service Manual
Note by Robert P - The chapter on Concept Seven includes a description of the thought process behind the separation between the Board of Trustees and the General Service Conference.
Theme - unity within the fellowship
“A Declaration of Unity: This we owe to A.A.’s future; to place our common welfare first; to keep our Fellowship united. For on A.A. unity depend our lives, and the lives of those to come.” (© AA Service, front material)
“... several thousand A.A. members, meeting at the 1950 Cleveland Convention, declared that A.A.’s Twelve Traditions constituted the platform upon which our Fellowship could best function and hold together in unity for all time to come.” (© AA Service, “Traditions Took Persuasion”)
“This communication is a two-way street, making the G.S.R. responsible for bringing back to the group Conference Actions that affect A.A. unity, health, and growth. Only when a G.S.R. keeps the group informed, and communicates the group conscience, can the Conference truly act for A.A. as a whole.” (© AA Service, “The Group Service Representative (GSR)”)
Note by Robert P - the following quote applies to all members in twelve-step programs. Perhaps death is more imminent to those who use drugs, more certain to those who drink, yet is just as inevitable a consequence for those who are “only” addicted to enabling.
“The life of each individual and of each group is built around our Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. We very well know that the penalty for extensive disobedience to these principles is death for the individual and dissolution for the group. An even greater force for A.A.’s unity is the compelling love that we have for our fellow members and for the principles upon which our lives today are founded.” (© AA Service, “Concept One”)
“Nothing could be more damaging to our unity and to the world-wide good will which A.A. enjoys, than public contention, no matter how promising the immediate dividends might appear.” (© AA Service, “Concept Twelve”)
Theme - conscience within the fellowship
Note by Robert P - the following quote pertains to the first A.A. General Service Conference.
“The delegates handled several tough puzzles about which we at G.S.O. were in doubt, sometimes giving advice contrary to our own conclusions. In nearly every instance, we saw that they were right. Then and there they proved, as never before, that A.A.’s Tradition Two was correct. The group conscience could safely act as the sole authority and sure guide for Alcoholics Anonymous.” (© AA Service, “Delegates Encouraged to Question”)
“Discussion, both in general sessions and during committee meetings, can at times be hot and heavy, but Conference members always strive to reach a group conscience and to make decisions in the best interests of the Fellowship.” (© AA Service, “The Voting Process”)
“Therefore it ought to be clearly understood and agreed that our Conference Delegates are primarily the world servants of A.A. as a whole, that only in a secondary sense do they represent their respective areas. Consequently they should, on final decisions, be entitled to cast their votes in the General Service Conference according to the best dictates of their own judgment and conscience at that time.” (© AA Service, “Can the Conference Act for A.A. as a Whole?”)
Note by Robert P - the following quote is an observation about outside issues. I include it here because any illness that affects the outside world can also affect the fellowship.
“Throughout the entire world today we are witnessing the breakdown of 'group conscience.' It has always been the hope of democratic nations that their citizens would always be enlightened enough, moral enough, and responsible enough to manage their own affairs through chosen representatives. But in many self-governing countries we are now seeing the inroads of ignorance, apathy, and power-seeking upon democratic systems. Their spiritual resources of right purpose and collective intelligence are waning. Consequently many a land has become so helpless that the only answer is dictatorship.” (© AA Service, “Concept One”)
Note from Robert P - the following quote acknowledges the shift from pure democracy within the local group to a representative democracy within the service structure.
“The group conscience of A.A. could not be heard unless a properly chosen Conference were fully trusted to speak for it respecting most matters of world service. Hence the principle of amply delegated authority and responsibility to “trusted servants” must be implicit from the top to the bottom of our active structure of service. This is the clear implication of A.A.’s Tradition Two.” (© AA Service, “Concept Two”)
“... the “instructed” Delegate who cannot act on his own conscience in a final Conference vote is not a “trusted servant” at all; he is just a messenger.” (© AA Service, “Concept Three”)
“Under Tradition Two, the group conscience is the final authority for A.A. world service, and it will always remain so respecting all the larger issues that confront us. Nevertheless the A.A. groups have recognized that for world service purposes the “group conscience of A.A.” as a totality has certain limitations. It cannot act directly in many service matters, because it cannot be sufficiently informed about the problems in hand. It is also true that during a time of great disturbance the group conscience is not always the best possible guide because, temporarily, such an upset may prevent it from functioning efficiently or wisely. When, therefore, the group conscience cannot or should not act directly, who does act for it? // The second part of Tradition Two provides us with the answer when it describes A.A. leaders as “trusted servants.” These servants must always be in readiness to do for the groups what the groups obviously cannot or should not do for themselves. Consequently the servants are bound to use their own information and judgment, sometimes to the point of disagreeing with uninformed or biased group opinion.” (© AA Service, “Concept Five”)
“As the conscience of A.A., the Delegates would find themselves in ultimate authority over our General Service Board and also its corporate arms of active world service.” (© AA Service, “Concept Seven”)
The Serenity Connection
Theme - unity within the group
“Although the literature says 'your progress can be made in your own time and in your own way,'* that simply doesn’t apply to the traditions. Our group unity depends on our adherence to the spiritual principles embodied in the traditions. * 'Keeping Our Meetings Healthy,' page 12, Blue Booklet” (© NFG Serenity; Vol 31, Issue 2, June 2015; page 3)
“A healthy group supports our recovery and encourages us to work the steps, participate in service and sponsorship, and place principles above personalities.” (© NFG Serenity; Vol 32, Issue 2, June 2016; page 7)
Theme - unity within the fellowship
“When I practice the program, my personal progress will promote unity in my life, my group, my area, my region, and my world in a positive way. That is how I can contribute to the unity of the fellowship. My recovery is connected to the recovery of others in my group and vice versa. Service is a part of my personal progress – I want my service to be a positive example to others. However, I must remember to not enable the fellowship as I enabled the addict. I must allow others to serve so they may reap the rewards that service gives us. That to me is progress for the greatest number.” (© NFG Serenity; Vol 28, Issue 2, July 2012; page 4)
Theme - conscience within self
“My higher power was always there, always talking to me through my conscience.” (© NFG Serenity; Vol 31, Issue 3, September 2015; page 6)
Theme - conscience within the group
"'I like my meeting but this makes me so uncomfortable I don't want to keep going. But there are no other meetings near my home. What can I do?'
I would ask the group for a group conscience meeting and request that an open minded discussion occur." (© NFG Serenity; Vol 30, Issue 1, March 2014; page 5)
“‘It’s my understanding that, as trusted servants, we use group conscience and allow the whole service body to participate in the decision making process.’” “When dealing with conflict, it is important to remember we are human. We all make mistakes and it is how we handle our mistakes that matters. This situation, where one member dominates or speaks for the whole without a group conscience, can happen at all levels of service. Nar-Anon is a fellowship of equals - no member is above or below another. Looking to the traditions and concepts in spiritually guided group conscience discussions helps us find solutions to almost any problem, and lights the way for service members to do their work. Ongoing support and a focus on incorporating these principles into the service structure can help.” (© NFG Serenity; Vol 31, Issue 2, June 2015; page 6)
Theme - conscience and unity within the group
“My newfound consciousness is preparing me to play an important role in the conscience of my group. A group conscience is when we listen and share with one another as equals, seeking our Higher Power’s will for the group. We respectfully focus on one another’s thoughts and perspectives. We seek to make decisions based on spiritual principles and our concern for the common welfare of the group. This binds us together in unity of purpose. It is important that all ideas are heard and respectfully considered before decisions are made. We may not all agree but we accept the decision of the group. We seek not our will but our Higher Power's will for the group.” (© NFG Serenity; Vol 31, Issue 4, December 2015; page 3)
“Personalities get in the way when we don’t understand group conscience” (© NFG Serenity; Vol 33, Issue 4, December 2017; page 4)
“Every group has issues to deal with and by defining the problems and using the group conscience we can come to solutions. We don’t come to solutions when we are unwilling to listen to each other and choose to stay right where we are. Just because our group always did something a particular way doesn't mean we should continue the practice.” (© NFG Serenity; Vol 35, Issue 1, March 2019; page 6)
Theme - conscience within the fellowship
“Each conference, we learn more and more from each other. We all hear great ideas that we try to incorporate into our service to the fellowship. The more delegates who attend, the better the group conscience.” (© NFG Serenity; Vol 30, Issue 3, September 2014; page 1)
“Nar-Anon Concept Six states: “Group Conscience is the spiritual means by which we invite a loving Higher Power to influence our decisions.” We do this by listening to each other’s words and being mindful of the spirit behind those words. In service, discussions we are guided by our Higher Power to make decisions for all members not our individual selves.” (© NFG Serenity; Vol 33, Issue 4, December 2017; page 6)
Brinton - Guide to Quaker Practice
Theme - consensus within the group
“As compared with parliamentary procedure, this method of conducting a meeting requires more patience and takes more time. To succeed fully, the members should be bound together by friendship, affection, and sympathetic understanding. Factions and chronic differences are serious obstacles. The members should be religiously minded, religion being a powerful solvent of the type of self-centeredness that makes group action difficult. Here the Quaker method differs fundamentally from several other consensus methods. Persons who are dogmatic, who speak with an air of finality or authority, and who go to the meeting determined less to find the truth than to win acceptance of their opinions are exceedingly difficult to absorb. The attitude of a debater is out of place. The object is to explore as well as to convince.” (© Brinton, “Difficulties and value of this method”)
Theme - unity within the group
“Three main functions belong to the Light—it affords knowledge of religious truth and moral values, it supplies power whereby we derive strength to act on this knowledge, and it enables us to achieve cooperation and unity among ourselves. As source of truth, it gives guidance and particularly brings about awareness of sin and shortcoming; as source of power, it enables weak, average human beings to do great things; as source of unity, it causes the whole meeting to act as one person. In Quaker literature, the phrase 'joined to the Lord' is frequently followed by the correlative phrase 'and to one another.'” (© Brinton, “The Meeting for Worship”)
“In both the meeting for worship and the meeting for business, guidance is sought from the Spirit of Truth and Life by whose operation the group is brought into love and unity.” (© Brinton, “Meeting for Business”)
"The principle of corporate guidance, according to which the Spirit can inspire the group as a whole, is central. Since there is but one Truth, its Spirit, if followed, will produce unity. To achieve this unity is always possible and the Society of Friends has practiced the method of achieving it with considerable success for three centuries." (© Brinton, “Meeting for Business”)
“If a high degree of unity cannot be reached, the meeting does not act.” (© Brinton, “Meeting for Business”)
“Often an urgent appeal to obstructive persons by the clerk or by some other Friend will cause such persons to withdraw an objection. It must be remembered, however, that minorities are sometimes right. When a serious state of disunity exists and feelings become aroused, the clerk or some other Friend may ask the meeting to sit for a time in silence in the spirit of worship. The effect of this quiet waiting is often powerful in creating unity.” (© Brinton, “Meeting for Business”)
“This way is based on religious rather than secular concepts. The members of the group discover experimentally that, as they become united with God, so also do they become united with one another. Unity is always possible because the same Light of Truth shines in some measure in every human heart, tending toward the same goal. By prayer, meditation, and worship, that goal gradually becomes apparent.” (© Brinton, “Difficulties and value of this method”)
Bill W - Language of the Heart
Theme - conscience within self
“Of course, I am not for a moment thinking of these statements as rules or regulations; they merely suggest what would seem to be sound Tradition for the future. In the last analysis every AA will have to search his own conscience.” (© Grapevine, A Tradition Born of Our Anonymity January 1946)
“We do suggest, but we don’t discipline. Instead, compliance or noncompliance with any principle of AA is a matter for the conscience of the individual; he is the judge of his own conduct. Those words of old time, “judge not," we observe most literally.” (© Grapevine, Tradition One December 1947)
“The answer seems to be that we AAs cannot really do as we please, though there is no constituted human authority to restrain us. Actually, our common welfare is protected by powerful safeguards. The moment any action seriously threatens the common welfare, group opinion mobilizes to remind us; our conscience begins to complain. If one persists, he may become so disturbed as to get drunk; alcohol gives him a beating. Group opinion shows him that he is off the beam, his own conscience tells him that he is dead wrong, and, if he goes too far, Barleycorn brings him real conviction.” (© Grapevine, Tradition One December 1947)
“Because each AA, of necessity, has a sensitive and responsive conscience, and because alcohol will discipline him severely if he backslides, we are finding we have little need for manmade rules or regulations.” (© Grapevine, Tradition One December 1947)
Theme - conscience within the group
“We believe that every AA group has a conscience. It is the collective conscience of its own membership. Daily experience informs and instructs this conscience. The group begins to recognize its own defects of character and, one by one, these are removed or lessened.” (© Grapevine, Tradition One December 1947)
Despite the fact that we do veer off at times on tangents, we are becoming more able to depend absolutely on the long-term stability of the AA group itself. With respect to its own affairs, the collective conscience of the group will, given time, almost surely demonstrate its perfect dependability. The group conscience will, in the end, prove a far more infallible guide for group affairs than the decision of any individual member, however good or wise he may be.” (© Grapevine, Tradition One December 1947)
“Those severe growing pains which invariably follow any radical departure from AA Tradition can be absolutely relied upon to bring an erring group back into line. An AA group need not be coerced by any human government over and above its own members. Their own experience, plus AA opinion in surrounding groups, plus God’s prompting in their group conscience would be sufficient.” (© Grapevine, Tradition Four March 1948)
“Hence we may confidently say to each group, 'You should be responsible to no other authority than your own conscience.'” (© Grapevine, Tradition Four March 1948)
Theme - conscience within the fellowship
“Deep down, I think we AAs have begun to sense this magnificent possibility. The widening conviction that active leadership ought to be transitory and rotating; that each AA group with respect to its own affairs need be accountable only to its own conscience; that our committees and boards are really servants, not officials; that we, as a movement, ought to remain poor, so avoiding the risks of disrupting wealth; that as individual members of AA we should remain anonymous before the general public—these are the signs and portents of a unique future. Such concepts certainly leave little room for a prestige-clothed leadership.” (© Grapevine, Why Can’t We Join AA, Too? October 1947)
“As a four-year experiment in the guidance of AA by its own group conscience, delegates chosen from all the states and provinces of the United States and Canada have been meeting with our trustees and service staff men and women here at New York to determine whether AA—as a whole—can actually function as such, whether it can now safely gather into its own hands our Third Legacy of Service for all time to come.” (© Grapevine, Our Final Great Decision June 1954)
“There had been a period in which we continually feared what erratic members within and the world without might do to us. It was difficult to believe that our group conscience could be a reliable guide. Hence we questioned the wisdom of giving every AA group its local autonomy.” (© Grapevine, What Is Freedom in AA? May 1960)
“Certainly our long isolated board members were trusted servants. But it was nonetheless true that these trustees had no direct connection to the group conscience of our Society, nor were they directly accountable to it. It was therefore becoming evident that we here at New York were still operating as a protectorate, something that had by then become obsolete and quite inconsistent with the provisions and spirit of AA’s Second Tradition.” (© Grapevine, The Guidance of AA’s World Affairs January 1966)
Theme - unity within the fellowship
“Though the individual AA is under no human coercion, is at almost perfect personal liberty, we have, nevertheless, achieved a wonderful unity on vital essentials.” (© Grapevine, Rules Dangerous but Unity Vital September 1945)
“We must discourage our members and our friends in these fields from stressing the AA name in their publicity or appeals for funds. To act otherwise will certainly imperil our unity, and to maintain our unity is surely our greatest obligation—to our brother alcoholics and the public at large. Experience, we think, has already made these principles self-evident.” (© Grapevine, Dangers in Linking AA to Other Projects March 1947)
“Therefore, many of us think today the main problem of Alcoholics Anonymous is this: How, as a movement, shall we maintain our humility—and so our unity—in the face of what the world calls a great triumph? Perhaps we need not look far afield for an answer. We need only adapt and apply to our group life those principles upon which each of us has founded his own recovery. If humility can expel the obsession to drink alcohol, then surely humility can be our antidote for that subtle wine called success.” (© Grapevine, Traditions Stressed in Memphis Talk October 1947)
“To sum up: For thousands of alcoholics yet to come, AA does have an answer. But there is one condition. We must, at all costs, preserve our essential unity; it must be made unbreakably secure. Without permanent unity there can be little lasting recovery for anyone.” (© Grapevine, Traditions Stressed in Memphis Talk October 1947)
“Eventually, of course, we cooperate because we really wish to; we see that without substantial unity there can be no AA, and that without AA there can be little lasting recovery for anyone. We gladly set aside personal ambitions whenever these might harm AA. We humbly confess that we are but 'a small part of a great whole.'” (© Grapevine, Tradition One December 1947)
“The recovery steps would make each individual AA whole and one with God; the Twelve Points of Tradition would make us one with each other and whole with the world about us. Unity is our aim.” (© Grapevine, Tradition Twelve November 1948)
“Perhaps we AAs can become a new kind of human society. To a degree hitherto unknown, AA may be able to function upon the power of its own fundamental principles rather than upon the prestige or inspiration of a highly personalized leadership. Thus the whole can become of transcending importance over any part; continued unity and success can then mostly depend upon God as we understand him working vitally in thousands of hearts rather than a few.” (© Grapevine, Why Can’t We Join AA, Too? October 1947)
“We believe that our Conference, when securely linked to similar conferences in every distant land, can guarantee, absolutely, the survival, unity, and functioning of AA throughout the world. We feel the deep assurance that this new beacon light of service can endure every storm and peril that the passage of the years may cast upon us.” (© Grapevine, Our Final Great Decision June 1954)
“The AA Traditions were, the Cleveland Convention thought, the key to the unity, the function, and even the survival of us all.” (© Grapevine, How AA’s World Services Grew, Part II June 1955)
“As a Fellowship, we shall always need to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to insure AA’s unity, service, and survival, under any conditions whatever. That is why I'm now writing to you about AA’s General Service Conference, the guardian of our future.” (© Grapevine, Guardian of AA: Our General Service Conference April 1958)
“Because we have already had much practical experience with this vital principle, it is today the view of every thoughtful AA member that if, over the years ahead, we practice this anonymity absolutely, it will guarantee our effectiveness and unity by heavily restraining those to whom public honors and distinctions are but the natural stepping-stones to dominance and personal power.” (© Grapevine, The Bill W. - Yale Correspondence February 1978)
“Gradually we saw that the unity, the effectiveness—yes, even the survival—of AA would always depend upon our continued willingness to sacrifice our personal ambitions and desires for the common safety and welfare. Just as sacrifice meant survival for the individual, so did sacrifice mean unity and survival for the group and for AA’s entire Fellowship.” (© Grapevine, Why Alcoholics Anonymous Is Anonymous January 1955)
“For some years AA power-drivers ran hog-wild. But out of this fearsome situation, the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions of AA were formulated. Mainly these were principles designed for ego reduction, and therefore for the reduction of our fears. These were the principles which we hoped would hold us in unity and increasing love for each other and for God.” (© Grapevine, This Matter of Fear January 1962)
“The General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous has just held its tenth annual meeting. Beyond doubt we know that this indispensable instrument has cemented our unity and has insured the recovery of the increasing hosts of sufferers still to come.” (© Grapevine, Let’s Keep It Simple—But How? July 1960)
“I'm sure you have already seen that AA world service is utterly necessary to our future unity and growth—even to our survival as a Fellowship.” (© Grapevine, A Message from Bill May 1964)