Beyond Belief: Agnostic Musings for 12 Step Life: finally, a daily reflection book for nonbelievers, freethinkers and everyone

Non religiously based. Thought provoking and encourages engaging in step work.

The best daily book, ever.Super thought-provoking, while also being very open-minded.Being in recovery can be really rough for an agnostic, so having a book like this that supports growth while skipping any awkward or grating religious topics is truly liberating.

I love this book. I’m not fond of traditional AA. I’m a free thinker and agnostic. This is perfect to start my days with. I’ve recommended it to many people and share the daily quotes. Never had a complaint.

The media could not be loaded.  A different kind of meditation book! So many points of views are shared. So many great questions for reflection. Recovery based, but could be applied by many people. The agnostic views and wording can be comfortable for many people.

I used to read The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie, which I found helpful to deal with codependence, but I became uncomfortable with the focus on God. I searched for daily 12-step readings for agnostics and was delighted to find Beyond Belief. I appreciate that the daily readings draw from a wide variety of sources and relate the readings to the 12 steps. The book has an excellent index. With a clear emphasis on sobriety, this may be the ideal book for an agnostic alcoholic/addict. Unfortunately, this emphasis doesn't address codependency in a way I found helpful. So I'm still looking.

I do readings out of five books in the morning. The other ones are more traditional in the readings. This book gives my program a nice counterbalance. This is where I want to be today. Not on either far end of spectrum, but I want to be able to see more than just my own little world. I need this for me recovery today.

I had no idea how much I would love this book. Most days it is spot on to what I have needed to hear.

Just to qualify: I've got 26+ years in recovery from alcohol and drugs, and 3+ in recovery from a common process addiction. I've searched and traveled a lot of paths since I got clean and sober, and read innumerable books on recovery, spirituality, clinical treatment and -- as far as I know -- all of the popular daily "meditation" books. I've also worked and written in the field.Joe C's book "Beyond Belief" is, without question, the best book of daily readings I've run across. It's a staple of my daily practice, and I have recommended it widely and without reservation, both in person and through my own writing. There is no mystical b.s., no pseudo-spiritual preaching, and it's easy to read and understand. Every day brings some clear thought and insight into my recovery. It's not so much that what he has to say is new (some of the ideas, in fact, are very, very old indeed), but that it is presented in portions of just the right size to digest with my morning -- well, I was going to say coffee for effect, but actually my morning glass of water.Don't let the sub-title "Agnostic Musings for 12-Step Life" turn you off. This is not an anti-religion tome; more accurately, it simply leaves religion out of the discussion completely, unless it is necessary to distinguish "reality" from "myth" in the context of a specific discussion. Joe deftly sidesteps the issues of whether the soi-disant (yes, I'm one of those) "spirituality" espoused by some fellowship members is accurate, preferring to state the ideas in such a way as to avoid direct conflict with those who confuse religion with spirituality, new-age gobbledygook with inspiration.My one BIG COMPLAINT about "Beyond Belief" is the sub-title itself. I know for a fact that it has turned off folks who, in my considered opinion, would benefit greatly from a touch of its reality. Not only is it off-putting "prior to investigation," but it gives readers who are so inclined an excuse to pooh-pooh the remarks because they aren't (insert dogma of your choice here) enough. That is not a good thing, because this book should be on the bedside table of everyone who believes him- or herself to be in recovery, and "Earth People" could benefit from it as well. I sympathize with Joe's position, but I think just a bit of bend -- and a changed title -- would benefit myriad people in the long run.

Fabulous book. Engaging, unique style. Finally, a book of daily musings for inspiration that doesn’t ooze 12 step religiosity, but encourages contemplation of the principles of forward-thinking, practical living in recovery. Having said that, there is nothing in it that I’ve read so far that couldn’t be appreciated by religious folk, too.

I’ve been reading these daily reflections for the last couple of months and they never fail to inspire. This book is full of wisdom to nourish the mind and soul.

J'avais commencé à lire des extraits dans le même livre d'un ami, et je savais qu'il fallait que je l'achète. Je ne suis pas déçu. Il peut être spirituel comme il peut être agnostic, mais en tout les cas tous les jours j'ai quelque chose pour me faire réfléchir le matin. C'est parfait pour un pratique matinale quotidien!

It made more sense to me being an agnostic and was more helpful than trying to keep the God thing out of the Big Book (AA).

This book is irreplaceable. It is by far my favourite "go to" each and every day. Much food for thought, and an excellent way to start the day in the right headspace. Highly recommend!