"I Don't Know" is on the Third Step

Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss his alcoholic problems and explain our fellowship. But his face falls when we speak of spiritual matters, especially when we mention God, for we have re-opened a subject which our man thought he had neatly evaded or entirely ignored. - Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 45

Abbott: Strange as it may seem, they give ball players nowadays very peculiar names.
Costello: Funny names?
Abbott: Nicknames, nicknames. Now, on the St. Louis team we have Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third--
Costello: That's what I want to find out. I want you to tell me the names of the fellows on the St. Louis team.
Abbott: I'm telling you. Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third--

This isn't in the Big Book. But as I was thinking about the term "agnostic" I realized that it is a term with a variety of meanings. I won't bore you with all the nuances but you can Google it.

In the sense that Bill is using it in this chapter, I think he is referring more to people who evade or ignore the subject. This is not real agnosticism. Rather, it is a habit of mind that refuses to ponder the ultimate questions. On page 53, Bill calls that kind of thinking "soft and mushy."

We tend to think that true believers and virulent atheists are at opposite ends of the spectrum. But in reality they are both people who have passionate feelings about the issue of God. It is not so much like a line as it is like a clock. Atheists are 11:59 and believers are 12:01. That's why conversion experiences seem so unlikely. But in reality it's a small step over the line. So it was with me and with many others of my acquaintance.

Bill's "agnostics" prefer to live down around 6:00. And these people, it turns out, are the toughest to reach. It takes something quite profound to rouse them from their stupor. Again, on page 53, Bill refers to a self-imposed crisis we could neither postpone nor evade. Here's where the latex encounters the macadam. We evaded the ultimate question until there were no questions left. And on that important page 53 the question is posed.