Well, I've taken a break from writing and posting Orthodox agitation brochures to address another problem: the idea that 12 Step groups teach about a version of God that the Orthodox Church would object to.
Here is an anonymous article (written for a Russian audience, mind you) which lays out an argument for the God of the 12 Steps being the same as the God of the Church:
If I were to add anything, I would say that the 'ambiguity' of the 12 Step God is not unlike the ambiguity of the Trinity in the Old Testament. We certainly would not call Old Testament Judaism 'heresy' even though it does not specify the Person of Jesus Christ and the Trinity. Yet, we can see that it certainly does not conflict with it, and even hints that it is coming.
I won't say that the comparison works in all ways, but I do think it is a fair analogy. Certainly, there are lots of alcoholics and addict in the Church today who would agree.
You know, in the rooms of AA I have often heard the phrase "God as I understand him" changed to "God as i don't understand him". It has never led to a discussion of essence and energies, but it is a step away from western thought toward Orthodoxy.
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