The Higher Power of Experience Over the Higher Power of Argument – Sam S.

About This Speaker Tape

New York, the Gas House District. A man named Larry walks into a mission because he met an old pal, "The Spider," who claimed the man he used to be is dead and a new one has taken his place. Sam S. views this as the core of the program: an experimental approach to faith

. He argues that pride is a subtle snare that puts the ego in the driver's seat, and only a Higher Power is big enough to tell that ego to move over. For the skeptic, faith isn't found in a book but by acting as if it were true—a scientific hypothesis applied to the soul.

Sam rejects the "sky-blue atmosphere" of religious perfection, noting that even saints have clay feet. He describes a dynamic Higher Power, not a figure with a long beard keeping an unfavorable record, but a force of grace. He concludes that while the "good" often struggle with mercy, the out-and-out sinner has the advantage of a problem too serious to hide.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Introduction of Sam S. and his relationship with Bill W.
• 5:15 Sam S. discusses the danger of pride and the necessity of a Higher Power to move the human ego.
• 10:40 Discussion on the 'experimental approach' to faith for skeptics and agnostics.
• 15:20 The story of Larry and 'The Spider' in the Gas House District.
• 22:10 Sam S. reflects on the difference between a dogmatic and a dynamic Higher Power.
• 30:00 Sister Ignatius begins her account of working with Dr. Bob at St. Thomas Hospital.
• 38:15 Laughter: Sister Ignatius describes the chaos of admitting alcoholics into a general hospital ward.
• 45:30 Sister Ignatius describes the strict rules of the AA program: no radios, no televisions, no newspapers.
• 52:00 The history and naming of Rosary Hall (RHS) in memory of Dr. Bob.
• 58:10 Closing remarks on the cooperation between the Sisters of Charity and AA.