One of the first things you hear in AA is "You are no longer alone" until that is when the Catholic Lords Prayer is said at the end of the meeting, and you do feel alone or different as you try to join in so as to not feel out of place but stumble over the words because they are different from the words you were taught.
Isn't the 3rd step prayer a religious prayer, maybe I'm wrong, but if it isn't it's doing a great impersonation of one.
Another thing you initially hear is, "it's not a religious programme, it's not God, it's a Higher Power of your choosing" until that is you are some way through the programme, or have went to a significant amount of meetings to continually hear, "it's God", "That one is God" etc.
Another one "fake it to make it"...... You are bombarded with the 12 steps, AA literature, meetings day and night and so on, this should be sufficient to have you brainwashed into accepting God and the religious conversion by the end of 90 days.
Apart from the religious overtones of the actual programme (BB/12 steps) I think the constant references to how the programme helped people go back to their religion, what they did at church on Sunday, what the priest said etc etc, adds to the culture of the organisation being religious.
This is all very cosy for people of that particular religion, but they wonder why people stop going. Not very inclusive if you ask me, in fact it seems a very exclusive organisation to me and I know of a number of people who stopped going for these reasons.
It's no use saying take what you need and leave the rest. People don't want to feel different or left out, they want to feel part of.
If AA was truly trying to be a non religious, spiritual programme it would need an overhaul and the BB would need to be re written not only to ditch the religiosity,(is that a word!) but to bring it into the 21st century as far as the language goes, but it's not. Why do they lie though?
If you find comfort in religion that's fine and if you are happy with AA then good luck to you.
I don't know about the States but over here there are very few (if any)muslims, jews or people from other ethnic minorities in AA.........is it any wonder?