"God as we understood Him": Did this much misunderstood expression come from the atheist Jim Burwell? Jim said so. But Bill Wilson never confirmed that statement and for good reason.

Long before there was an A.A. fellowship, Reverend Sam Shoemaker had written: "So they prayed together, opening their minds to as much of God as he understood." (See Children of the Second Birth, pp. 47 and 25). Sam taught Bill's sponsor Ebby Thacher and Bill himself. And it is not surprising that, long before Jim Burwell got sober, Ebby told Bill to "Turn my face to God as I understand Him and say to Him. . . that I henceforth place my life at His disposal and direction forever." (See The Good Book and the Big Book, pp. 65_66).

Bill followed that direction and said that at Towns Hospital, long before Jim Burwell got sober, "I humbly offered myself to God, as I then understood Him, to do with me as He would. I placed myself unreservedly under His care and direction." (See Big Book, First Edition, p. 22; Third edition, p.
13).

This simple idea from Sam Shoemaker was set forth in Anne Smith's Journal and in Oxford Group writings: surrender as much of yourself as you understand to as much of God as you understand. These people (Shoemaker, Ebby, Bill, and Anne Smith) were all referring to our Creator as they understood Him. Not a lightbulb, a radiator, or Gertrude.

Found on the works of Dick B at http://www.aabibliography.com/dickbhtml/article04.html