Originally Posted by
Yardbird 
That said, I know that many people perceive the text and program as religious--even as specifically Christian. That shouldn't be surprising given that the basic text and the steps refer to God with a capital G, Him with a capital H, and so on, and that some meetings end with a prayer that comes from the New Testament. I suspect that's why seekingself cringed; I know that's why I cringed. I'm over it now, for the most part, but I think that feeling turns a lot of people away from AA, and it shouldn't.
Had I believed it to be a religious program or one that forced me to accept the god of my childhood I would have run the other way and accepted an alcoholic death rather than play the religion game. I am so grateful for those that taught me there is a difference between spirituality and religion. Today I can be spiritual without conforming to others interpretation of what the right god or higher power is. I can feel comfortable with what my mind says it is.