In DRUG REHABILITATION / Tags: Alcoholics, Anonymous, Athiests, Bait, Switch /
Question by Rachel: Athiests: Is Alcoholics Anonymous a Bait & Switch?
I am an athiest and I was forced to attend AA meetings for underage drinking. (Quit experimenting with alcohol after I got caught. Haven’t had a drink in 2 years!) Anyways, in AA they told me that only God could cure my “spiritual disease” and I had to turn my will and life over to Him and admit that I am powerless without Him.
However, they said it is “God as your understanding”. However, what happens is that at first they say you can use a doorknob as God, or a wall since it is more powerful than you since if you run into you you might get hurt. However, once you agree to use a door knob, eventually they try to get you to worship the Christian God. For example a friend of mine explained that when she first entered she was agnostic. Her sponsor allowed her to use “nature” and change “Him” to “Her” but eventually she “got it” and started believing in God.
Isn’t that a bunch of crap? I would use the “Universe” but they kept trying to get me to use the Christian God.
What do you athiests think? Isn’t it the most insane thing? They say “Someone must be looking out for me. God is with me because I drove drunk 100 time and didn’t die.” Do you think God really cares about someone that chooses to get sh**faced every night when there are children and Africa that just want a kernel of rice??? Why do they think they are that important??
Best answer:
Answer by eric k
It’s trading one crutch for another.
I can see where they think they are moving from a “negative”
to a “positive” organizing factor in an alcoholic’s life, but
the fact remains that if they’re being forced to attend per a
court order, then there shouldn’t be any proselytizing occurring.
I applaud them for their sincere wish to help addicts, but being provided a literally captive audience by the State
tends to muddle things up for those with differing theological
views.
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You are pretty much spot on with everything you’ve just written
yes, it’s a dangerous and misleading bait and switch, and yes, peoples should stfu because if god does exist, he srsly has priorities.
Yeah…technically it state sponsored religion if you have to attend according to a court order…and if I was EVER sentenced to attend I would use every available resource to appeal that decision. If in the end I was forced to go…I would simply ONLY recognize myself as that higher power, and no amount of torture would make me change my stance.
My sister got a DUI and was forced by the court to go to that. She said it was like going to church.
It makes sense to me that they would seize the opportunity to preach to and convert a person when they’re obviously suffering from the consequences of their actions and making bad decisions.
It sounds like they are trying to take advantage of people who already have some problems and exploiting them for their own gain.
Congratulations on your two years without a drink! I’m two weeks strong myself! lol…
And about the whole referencing “god” in AA… that’s pretty lame. It’s like, they’re trying to brainwash you into believing something that has absolutely NO proof just to conform you into their view of a “better” person.
There is no god… and even if there was… why would he/she/it/whatever allow you to safely drive drunk, but then allow good people to die tragic deaths all over the world.
Lame… totally lame.
Hopefully you’re done with that nonsense.
That’s messed up. What did they say to you to try to get you to use the christian god?
By the way there’s a great episode of South Park satirizing this.
God isn’t done with you yet.
The problem isn’t a “bait and switch,” though to a non-believer, it certainly could be considered that. The key is what another answerer said – switching one crutch for another.
You were/are not trapped by an addiction. In order to break an addiction (any kind), one has to have something to focus on. Unfortunately, religion seems to be the only tool that works (for good or bad).
From what I’ve heard, and what you elaborate on, it sure sounds like it. Luckily I have no intention of ever finding out for myself first hand.
Good for you for the two years of sobriety! Remember resistance to something that could control you is a good practice and sign of personal strength and will power. Some forms of stubbornness can be an asset.
You should see the Penn and Teller BS episode on 12 step programmes. It’s just another way of pushing religion on people.
God is omnipresent so its not like He has to attend to one thing at a time. He can deal with your issues and still feed Africa all at once. You are His child and hold as much importance as some child in Africa- they are about to die a physical death and you are dying spiritually.
You will see the light one day. People like you usually make the greatest evangelists because of your great resistance at first. You will have an amazing testimony and convert many. Mark my words.
AA acts as a support group, nothing more. There are secular programs based on behavioral therapy that are more effective.
First of all the god of AA is not the Christian God. the god of AA is the god of their (the AA group) understanding) The Christian God gives you power to quit any abusive habits you have including Alcohol abuse. The Christian God can also cure alcoholism or any other disease. Second it is not a disease but an addiction and people get addicted by choosing to drink. You can overcome the addiction by choosing not to drink.
Yes, AA uses bait and switch tactics that is a cult tactic. The biggest tactic of bait and switch that I experienced was the you can take what you can use and leave the rest. They allow that for a while but then you are forced to “WORK THE PROGRAM CORRECTLY”.
As a former Christian minister I can tell you that their spirituality and their god is no where near the Christian god or spirituality. A big part of Christianity is power individual power to carry out God’s will and to control our bodies. Philippians 4:13 says I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me while AA says we can do nothing because we are powerless only god can do this for us. See the difference? There are many other major differences. AA is for lapsed christians who do not want to submit themselves to Jesus or the bible or the Christian God so they reinvented god of their understanding.
I never admitted I was powerless so I was going to die drunk . The closest I could do is admit I was powerless only when I chose to take that first drink was not good enough.
Yes, they use bait and switch you friend is a prime example of that because like you said she finally got it. If you don’t get it they will believe you will die drunk but that is okay because we should not care what they think.