Boleo

"Both a church and AA will welcome you if you are a sinner. But a church kind of expects you to stop sinning."
(Bob D. - Las Vegas)

freshstart57

Folks pray to have their obsessions lifted, their moral failures addressed and their shortcomings removed, and to be made amenable to God's will. Thy will be done. Is that religion or AA? Church membership can be predicated on a desire to stop sinning, and AA's stated requirement is a desire to stop drinking.

Yes, there are indeed differences, and many similarities too, and many take great comfort in these shared traits. It depends on your point of view whether those differences are material or not.

Craaig

I am not interested in acceptance by either AA or the Church. I am interested in recovery using the principles of AA, and recovery is a matter of practice of those principles as a "way of life," a "manner of living." AA, as opposed to the church, does not *tell* me what to do or how to think. AA suggests a path and the steps on that path which will change my thinking. It follows the precept in Proverbs, "Set your feet upon the path, and your thoughts will be established."
Love, Craaig

Soberpotamus

It felt religious to me, but different from church. It felt ritualistic. And there was Higher Power talk of course... so for me, it definitely felt religious despite the insistence on establishing your own Higher Power concept. I understand that the Higher Power can be whatever you wish... that doesn't change the fundamentals though, that a lot of the steps are taken from a Christian and religious vein. Not necessarily Christian, Catholic even... whatever. The surrendering, the calling upon a Higher Power for help, admitting wrongdoings, making amends, and carrying on the message... it absolutely feels very religious to me.

BRD

AA is quasi religious. Its not sectarian but just about every meeting I've been to ends with holding hands and saying "The Lord's Prayer". The Lord's prayer is an prayer that is only applicable to Abrahamic religions. It is a personal familial "God".

As an atheist it is tough for me when I go to the meetings. I need the fellowship and there isn't any sort of proselytizing but all the AA literature, Big Book etc religous belief is intrinsic to AA.

tomsteve

goin to AA is to share our experience,strength, and hope that we may stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.
going to church on sunday is to worship Christ.

Craaig

BRD, What's the problem. As an atheist, you have nothing to be afraid of. When others gurgle on about god or Jesus or Krishna or the tooth fairy it may dilute the content of the meeting, but it does not dilute the content of your mind, the organ that keeps us sober and a portion of which, the ego, can get us drunk if it's not recognized and challenged. As a Naturalist, I do not credit or acknowledge the "supernatural," so a lot of the attributions others make to justify their sobriety a silly to me, but if it works for them, great.
May I suggest that you relax and enjoy the spiritual gifts of AA: patience, tolerance, kindliness, love, acceptance and forgiveness, to name a few.
Love, Craaig