Originally Posted by
miamifella 
yeahgr8--
Again, as I said, religious people tend to think that because AA is not like the church they grew up with that it is not religious. I think that is what you are doing.
I never said that ALL AA members were part of the same religion or shared any religious beliefs. However, it is expected that they all have some belief in a higher power. So they may be a bit more like the Unitarians than the Evangelicals.
I went through years of Catholic education and worked for a diocese for many years. It is a pretty common theological idea that our conception of god is formed by our own understanding. (AA did not create this idea.) And one priest I worked with extended this to say that when people converted from one church to another it was in search of an organized faith that matched their understanding. I think he was right. The religion you choose to be part of is the one that espouses the god of your understanding. Or if you do not find one that matches your understanding, you just do not take part in any organized faith and pray privately.
Whether people think your faith and your god are on the same parr as theirs is irrelevant. Just because an Evangelical thinks a Jew and a Buddhist are "not on the same footing" as his faith does not make Judaism and Buddhism any less religions--so that conversation that you suggest seems pointless. Most people of faith do not need the approval of people outside their faith to carry on their beliefs.
Just because a faith does not fit in with your own ideas of what a religion is does not make it "nonreligious." Belief in a higher power independent of oneself and spiritual in nature, be it an old man in a white beard, group energy, the force of nature, karma, etc. is by its nature religious belief. I am not sure how (or why) anyone tries to get around that.
If you work the steps in AA then yes you definitely are encouraged and indeed expected to find a power greater than yourself to rely on as relying on oneself clearly has not worked for that individual. This Higher Power can be of that individual's choosing.
Tell you what I will agree for a second that there is a religion out there, as you suggest, that allows their followers to choose their version of God. I don't believe there is a main stream religion that allows that flexibility, but will agree for sake of argument.
Athiesm
rejection of belief in God or gods.
So in AA we have quite a few athiests that get sober by believing in a power greater than themselves, some choose gravity, the group of AA or someone passed that they hold dear etc.
What religion allows a new member to come into it's fold with the knowledge that new member does not and will not believe in the God that religion follows?
So i rock up to my local Church of England Sunday Service and I ask the vicar about getting married in his church. He then asks my faith and i say i don't have one and even more than that i don't believe in God but i do believe in a higher power and it's a group of drunks that meets twice a week....what do you think he is going to say? The best case scenario is that the church insists that he take an oath to raise his children in that faith and to ensure they believe in God etc.
So how again is AA a religious group?