You do not have to stay prayer to prayer. Bill Wilson, the co-founder of AA, said “It must never be forgotten that the purpose of AA is to sober up alcoholics. There is no religious or spiritual requirement for membership . ... God and higher power are interchangeable words according to the Big book of AA.
Does AA work if you don't believe in God?
Yes , although you may have to do some internal mental gymnastics to be cool with it. Here's the first three steps of AA (Alcoholics Anonymous): We made a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. ...
Does AA have to be religious?
Is it religious? Alcoholics Anonymous has only one requirement for membership and that is the desire to stop drinking. ... Because it is a spiritual programme (not religious) those who believe in some form of divinity often find it useful to incorporate the programme into their religious practices and vice versa.
Is there an agnostic AA?
Alcoholics Anonymous officially recognized atheist and agnostic membership in the October edition of Grapevine, the International Journal of Alcoholics Anonymous. The publication began in 1944, just five years after the founding of AA.
Is AA a spiritual program?
Although AA is a spirituality-based program , it works through a number pathways. As such, individuals may benefit from AA participation regardless of their spiritual leanings.
Who are you to say there is no God AA?
“Who are you to say there is no God?” In a few seconds he was overwhelmed by a conviction of the Presence of God. But there is One who has all power — that One is God. First of all, we had to quit playing God.
What AA says about God?
Against this background of despair, Alcoholics Anonymous comes along telling him that God is in him, that God can be in him as much as God can be anywhere , that if God is not in him God is not everywhere and so cannot be God. By the witness of another alcoholic, now sober, the life is breathed into his soul.
What is agnostic AA?
Agnostics and atheists believe that the Lord's Prayer does not belong at AA meetings . It's fine at a religious church meeting but to say that AA is “spiritual but not religious” and then end a meeting with the Lord's Prayer is a real contradiction.
Is AA Catholic?
There is an increasing debate over whether AA should be considered a religion. In many ways AA does seem Christian in focus, but on closer examination, AA is neither Christian nor moral by any usual definitions of the word.
What does AA say about higher power?
Except in a few cases, neither he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must come from a Higher Power.” “Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!”
What does AA say about spirituality?
AA itself believes it is indeed spirituality that is the answer, explicitly stating that recovery is achieved through a “spiritual awakening” from working through its 12-step program (“The great fact is just this and nothing less: That we have had deep and effective spiritual experiences which have revolutionized our ...
What are the spiritual principles of AA?
The 12 spiritual principles of recovery are as follows: acceptance, hope, faith, courage, honesty, patience, humility, willingness, brotherly-love, integrity, self-discipline, and service .
What does the big book say about God?
The God in the Big Book is the God of Bill W's understanding . deep down honesty, with myself, admitting that alcohol was controlling me, and there was nothing I could do about it on my own. I needed a power greater than alcohol, and greater than me – and I found that power in Alcoholics Anonymous.
Who is our southern friend?
Fitz Mayo, Big Book author “Our Southern Friend” pages 208-218. John Henry Fitzhugh Mayo , commonly called “Fitz” was the Big Book “Our Southern Friend.” He was among the first few to get sober in New York, probably the second after Hank Parkhurst. He has been described as a ‘blue blood” from Maryland.
How does the Big Book define higher power?
In describing the steps they took to recover from alcoholism, the founders of AA wrote that they “came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” The term higher power, or HP, is used throughout the Big Book of AA to reference the power that was greater than they were.
