Re: jehovah's witnesses (fwd)

Elaine Hills (ehills@SOLEIL.ACOMP.USF.EDU)
Tue, 7 Nov 1995 10:36:40 -0500

Maria,

In response to AA being a "spiritual fellowship..." how can a person be
truly athiest and comply with AA's rituals?? I don't care what AA says
or who it accepts, it's influence and philosophy is very religious--I
myself (if ever in the need of AA) would NOT be able to partake one bit
because the prayer and mission statement itself absolutely oppose my
beliefs; that is why I don't buy the "spiritual fellowship" bit and just
say hey, it's a religious group if I've ever seen one.

--Elaine

On Mon, 6 Nov 1995, Maria Swora wrote:

> Forwarded message:
> > From cattledj@wfu.edu Mon Nov 6 09:15 EST 1995
> > Date: Mon, 6 Nov 1995 09:14:58 -0500 (EST)
> > From: "Dorothy J. Cattle"
>
> Dorothy rightly chides me:
>
> > Maria,
> > You asked Joel a lot of potentially interesting questions and then
> > clammed up when it came to describing the group YOU are studying for your
> > dissertation. Why not share a bit more, especially since you asked Joel
> > to provide considerable detail? What "spiritual" group? Is it a known
> > denomination or a local, unique congregation centered around a founding
> > member or what...
> >
> Woops, sorry. This is called begging the question, I guess. In my defense,
> let me recount the (com)plaintive remark I heard out in the hallway just as
> I was posting my questions to Joel:"Maria, how long will be be on the
> phone?"
>
> I am writing my dissertation on rhetoric and remembering in Alcoholics
> Anonymous. I am approaching AA as if it were a religious group, but it is
> not a religious group. AA is concerned with the here and now, and AA talk
> is liberally sprinkled with the profane and the pratical. AA is not
> concerned with "big questions." I take AA at it's word: it is a "spiritual
> fellowship." I know, I'm begging another question. What's the difference?
> What religion would allow membership to atheists? Leave the Unitarians
> out of this.
>
> AA's core practice is the personal narrative, akin to salvation stories and
> testamonies found in many, many Christian traditions. That's why I am very
> excited to see Joel's post.
>
> Maria
>