Is Alcoholic's Anonymous secular or religious?

Question

I've seen some TV shows lately that says it's religious and that the higher power Bill W. talked about is supposed to convert people to Christianity. Others say that the higher power can be a rock or tree, it doesn't matter.

Answer 1

Religious.

Doesn't matter if you choose a rock for your higher power, if you pray to it and expect an answer to those prayers, you're talking religious belief.

The Big Book and the 12 & 12 both discuss how this "starter god" is just to get a person into the habit of praying and that once the prayers are answered, the person will discover the "true" God.

The Second District Court, The Seventh District Court, The New York State Court of Appeals, and The Supreme Court of Tennessee have all declared AA at least "religious in nature" and mandated attendance a violation of the Establishment Clause.

AA is a splinter group from the Oxford Group, once known as the First Century Christian Fellowship, later as Moral Re-Armament.

The Religious Roots of Alcoholics Anonymous
and the Twelve Steps:
http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-religiousroots.html

Answer 2

Secular. AA is non-religious. People often confuse "higher power" with religion, but AA does not take a stand on religion (or lack of), it allows its members to define a "higher power" in their own way. http://www.aa.org/

AA was based, in parts, by the many other similar groups before them, namely the Oxford Group and the Washingtonians.

The Oxford Group, at that time, was a Christian faith based organization with minimal success with treating alcoholism. Part of the reason the Oxford group failed was it's strict religious nature that turned off a lot of alcoholics.

The Washingtonians, in their day, were very successful - their downfall began when they involved themselves in politics.

AA learned the lessons of their predecessors, avoiding outside issues, and focusing on alcoholism only.

Answer 3

AA is generic religious. The higher power is God in a general sort of way, not the Judeo-Christian God, but a generic "god" most people of Western Culture can be comfortable with, without subscribing to a specific religion.

Answer 4

The Oxford Group, at that time, was a Christian faith based organization with minimal success with treating alcoholism. Part of the reason the Oxford group failed was it's strict religious nature that turned off a lot of alcoholics.

Answer 5

it's religious. they claim it's not, but just go look at the 12 steps and tell me it's not.

even if you take "god" out of the equation, there's still a spiritual aspect to it. which for many people just doesn't work. they need to take all religious and spiritual aspects out of it, or at least come up with a separate set of steps for the non-reliigous and the non-spiritual.

i don't believe in a "higher power" whether it be god or a rock or a tree. but to keep that in, still definitly brings a spiritual aspect to it.

Answer 6

It is religious. They paste the serenity prayer all over the god damn place. You can not be court ordered to go either. They have to find a secular alternative.

Make me try to worship a rock and I will put it through your head as divine interaction.

Answer 7

I was forced by the courts to attend 6 meetings. Although they say it isn't religious, about 4 "steps" give indications to God. Whether it claims to not be about God, what is so wrong with cleaning up a bad habit and finding the Lord at the same time?

Answer 8

AA is secular. Higher Power is whatever you want to perceive it as. My husband is 19 years sober. When he first entered AA, his higher power was a little glass egg he bought in Mexico. The important part to them is to acknowledge that they are powerless over thier ability to cope with alcohol, so they enlist the help of Higher Power to help them to do something they feel unable to do by themselves. I just had a good laugh, asked husband about higher power, he says the only God mentioned by name in AA is generally Bachus, actually (the roman God of wine) ROFL! The focus in AA is mainly "spiritual", not "religious". Those who don't have a religion, will still address spiritual recovery by allowing Higher Power to reside in a rock, or a glass egg, or a houseplant, instead of addressing it in terms of the God of Abraham. I just asked him in what terms he addresses Higher Power these days, he says in terms of god with a lower case g. Apparently the reason for that, is because he wishes to address God as not specific to a religion, and he feels the Christians wish to lay sole claim on God with a capitol g to mean specifically the God of Abraham. But no, AA as a general rule is very strict about maintaining higher power as an entity in whatever form you want to comprehend it, not specifically as the Christian God, although a few groups may possibly have a predominance of Christians who clumped together for support, or something like that. He mentioned the Serenity prayer, and how that is Christian prayer. He said they use it, not because it is Christian, but because it is a good prayer that fits thier situation and what they are trying to accomplish, he said it would be equally valid to him as an AA if it were written by Muhhamed(PBUH), Sidhartha, or Bachus, and just as likely to be used if it had come from one of those sources instead.

Answer 9

Although some of it's teachings seam religious, AA is very secular. Just as you get good secular advise in some books and on T.V. most of that advise is biblical. So in a sense it may seem so, but it is not when mixed with some advise that may be harmful or tainted by the world.

Matt

Answer 10

Secular. Syncretistic.