Alcoholics Anonymous is NOT a cult

I accept all the definitions for cult. However, i think we can finish this debate rather quickly. Here is the original 12 steps presented by the founder of AA(1). 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Notice the multiple mentions of God. The fact that currently, AA has become more lenient in its 12 steps, is akin to the creationist movement changing their stance to "Intelligent design" in order to suppose that this "intelligent designer" does not have to be God, thus not making it a religious view. However, despite this, for the sake of this debate, i shall adress all the points made by my opponent. 1). I agree, that cults are "charismatic groups with a high level of social cohesion, an intensely held belief system and a profound influence on its members behavior". However, this is rarely the purpose of any cult. As seen by this Cult(2), the purpose of this cult is to spread the message of the fact that aliens created human beings. Yet, it is a cult nonetheless. 2). One does not have to punish its members, in order to become a cult. Christianity, to some, is a cult. Yet, rarely is anyone punished in the USA for leaving christianity. 3). Again, when i enter a church, i do not have to pray. 4). Cults do not require leaders in order to become cults. 5). DING DING DING DING DING! Higher power. This is the keyword. The higher power is in most cases, assumed to be God. Again, this is absurd as claiming that Creationism is "Intelligent design", but claiming that this "Intelligent designer" does not have to be God, and can be anything the person wishes to choose it to be. The courts STILL ruled against it on the grounds that intelligent design IS religious. And to settle this once and for all, id like to ask my opponent, what possible higher power could exist, other than God, that helps you move away from alcoholism, and what is the first thing that comes to mind, when someone suggests a "Higher power"? 6). What does this have to do with AA being a cult? 7). See rebuttal 4. 8). Cults are not always destructive. Cults are not always unethical. You watch too many horror movies. Raelians, for example, are non violent and have very liberal views. Yet many regard them as cults, nonetheless. 9). Again, what does this have to do with AA being a cult? 10). Again, there is nothing in the definition of cult, that requires cult members to cut ties to their families. 11). Again, there is nothing within a cult system that encourages hate or violence. In conclusion, my opponent has watched too many horror movies, where Cult members eat babies and sacrifice nonbelievers. Rarely do these things occur. And this is the problem. No one is claiming that the AA system does not work. No one is claiming that the AA system is inneffective. The truth is that the AA system is just as effective as any other secular alcoholic treatment program. The problem, however, is that when you have a system that makes you dependant on a "higher power", you take away someones self-worth. The twelve step program, admits this, with their first step; "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol". AA creates the mindset, that without God, or a "Higher power", you are powerless, and therefore takes away the guilt of drinking. Taking away your guilt about anything, is the worst thing that could possibly occur. Once you relapse, once you start drinking again, you have this belief that it is not your fault that you are drinking, that you are powerless to stop it. You have no guilt, because its not your fault. What youve done with AA is taken away the Alcohol addiction, but brought along all the baggage that comes with a belief in God. source: 1. . http://www.aa.org... 2. . http://rael.org...