Originally Posted by
Longpasttime 
when i go to an AA meeting and look around to see people working on their own sobriety, truly connecting with each other and reaching out to help others, I think it is beautiful.
This is what keeps me coming back. As a result I am becoming more self-reflective, open minded and responsible. It hasn't kept me sober the entire time I have been going, but I at least have some hope within my heart/mind.
Originally Posted by
anattaboy Just heard jesus with a lot of conviction/fear this sunday in an open meeting by a person with 20+ yrs. truth.
If I were at a meeting and the word 'Jesus' were being thrown about liberally by more than one person, on a single occasion, I would walk out. There is NO PLACE for Jesus in the fellowship as a collective. What an individual chooses to hold on to is their own decision, but to assign the very religion that many newcomers are seeing in the steps (ie with the western understanding of the word 'god') is actually going to hinder new members in coming back.
I don't live in the USA, but find it startling to hear that some groups recite a christian prayer ('Our Father who art in Heaven etc'). This goes against the
'not allied with any sect, politics, religion, organisation' preamble. How would they feel if started a meeting and recited a passage from the Quran each week, I wonder.