What is the exact tie between AA and Religion? If there is a link, can the courts mandate that you attend AA?

Question

(If you don't know what AA is, just say something funny and I will pray that you get 2 points. Trust me! My prayers always get answered when it comes to this!)

hemm... Let me correct myself, I did not mean to infer that the courts can mandate it, it was just a secondary question. I do not know if it is, hence the question.

There's truth to what TTC said. It does reak of "hidden agenda"

Sue, can you answer w/o a wiki post?

nice Mike, I have not heard of "Serenity Prayer". That plays right into TTC's premise as well.

Answer 1

Having been a member of AA for over thirty years, I can state that there is no tie between AA and any religion. There are spiritual beliefs spoken of, but no one is compelled to believe in any particular form of deity, or indeed, in a deity at all.

Answer 2

Well, it is and it isn't. ;o)

It does speak of a Higher Power. The separation between church and state is that Congress cannot interfere with church matters and it cannot impose an "official" religion.

I'm sure the person given this option was also given the option of jail time for non-compliance. In that sense, it's an easier option - a gift, not cruel and unusual punishment.

Also, AA is successful. Whatever your religious or non-religious affiliation, you want to go with what works, right? So do the courts. It's free. It's successful. It's open to everyone. It's not a drain to the taxpayers, and it's not undue hardship to the "perpetrator." It's not like in-patient treatments.

One reason it works is that it removes the secrecy that entrenches the addictive behavior and it provides mentoring from other people from all walks of life who have "been there and done that."

My Social Work instructor was talking about AA and she actually wrote AAA on the board. She's great, but she's not type A, if you know what I mean. It took her a while to figure out what she did and why we were all trying not to giggle at her lecture. Wasn't there a sit-com where the characters when to AAA and tried to give AA testimony? "Married With Children" maybe?

;o)

Answer 3

There's no relationship between AA and religion, but there is a relationship between AA and a belief in a God.

My friend, who was court ordered to attend AA, had a very abstract view of what a "higher power" or "god" could be... whether it's love, or morality, or natural forces like gravity.

I don't buy it. You shouldn't have to be forced into not only believing in a higher power, but also turning your life over to that higher power, by any court in this country (the US).

These are the twelve steps of the AA philosophy, which include mention of the role a higher power, "God", plays in the program...

http://www.aa-louisiana.org/steps.htm

Answer 4

While AA is non-denominational and does not subscribe to a particular world faith, it requires belief in a "Higher Power" and there is a "prayer"--often chanted and recited, it is known as the "Serenity Prayer" in which the request is made to the Higher Power to grant serenity in accepting life's chaos and granting courage in empowering one's life, and discernment on which events fall beyond our control and under our control.

Thus, some agnostics, skeptics and atheists opt out of AA and choose secular-based or rational-based addiction recovery groups.

Informed courts will allow a defendant to opt for equivalent programs that are secular/reason-based.

Answer 5

AA believes in a higher power whatever one thinks is the higher power.There is no religion connection between the two.And yes,the courts can make you go to so many meeting.You have a card that will need to be sighed to prove you went.

Answer 6

The courts cannot make you attend AA. You always have the option of going to jail. They are giving you or whoever a chance to clean yourself up. There has been a few instances of a judge sending a drunk to AA and it actually works. But not usually.

Answer 7

The only link was through Bill Wilson.
Bill's "higher power" was God.
But with a bit of success, others who were not necessarily religious wanted help attaining sobriety.
God was taken OUT of AA.
A person's higher power can be whatever a person wants to make it.
So, there's no religion promoted by AA.

So, just give up and get to that court ordered meeting!

Answer 8

Yes the courts can mandate you to go to AA and they want you to accept a higher power.

Answer 9

The connection is that AA says that one of the steps is that you have to accept a "higher power" around step 5 and ask for that higher power to help you overcome the addiction.

Why do courts mandate it? Because it works....

Answer 10

I honestly don't know if there is a tie between AA and religion. I do know that there are mantras associated with AA like "Let Go And Let God".

The court can order you to get treatment for substance abuse, but they can't force you to attend AA. There are lots of addiction treatment programs out there.

Answer 11

) Neither a state nor the federal authorities can set up a church. Ans: sure. 2) Neither can bypass guidelines which help one faith, help all religions, or favor one faith over yet another. Ans: sure. 3) Neither can stress nor impact someone to bypass to or to stay faraway from church hostile to his will or stress him to profess a concept or disbelief in any faith. Ans: sure. 4) no man or woman might want to be punished for interesting or professing non secular beliefs or disbeliefs, for church attendance or non-attendance. Ans: sure. 5) No tax in any volume, great or small, might want to be levied to help any non secular activities or establishments, regardless of they could be suggested as, or regardless of type they could undertake to coach or prepare faith. Ans: sure. All those solid issues yet the position is the forged question for tolerance to human beings of alternative faith?