Sigmund Freud was born in 1856. Today he is known as the father of psychoanalysis and his work, much like that of Carl Jung, has contributed greatly to the practice of psychology and psychiatry we have today. Freud was a "doctor" and a "scientist" in his day. His first love was neurology, the study of the physical brain.
Some people do not know that early in his medical career Freud did research on cerebral palsy. It was later that he became interested in working with the mentally ill. Freud became interested in the mind and how it works, specifically how it related to human behavior and in particularly, how it worked in relation to human sexuality.
Freud liked to investigate people’s most inner thoughts and dreams and this fascination lead him to believe that dreams were the “royal road to the unconscious." He also developed theories about how a person’s childhood affected their adult life and how people repressed desires, especially of the sexual kind. He worked with hypnosis and tried to learn how memory works and he studied the effect of traumatic experiences on the mind. He used methods of talking and analyzing the problems his patients had that he called psychoanalysis. He is probably most known and recognized for his probing into people’s thoughts on sex and publishing his research on human sexual behaviors.
It was Freud who was bewhinds the developement of many psychology theories about the human sex drive. He popularized for interested parties the idea that everyone had this "libido." within the "Id." As an atheist, humanist and a strong believer that Darwin was right, he reasoned and taught that food and sex and repression of sexuality was the motivating force behind all human life and activity. He notably developed theories about the growth and development of sexuality in humans and did lots of research into the sexuality of children and infants as well as adults. His bold and aggressive research on this "taboo" subject and the dissemination of his theories got a lot of attention from the world both positive and negative.
Freud was a contemporary of Carl Jung, and the two of them spent some time traveling together lecturing and sharing their discoveries, but they had some differences of opinions. Jung was critical of Freud’s headstrong insistence that he knew so much and Freud, being an atheist, was critical of Jung’s occult spirituality. They ultimately went their separate ways and developed different theories, and both made a mark upon the work. Both are still studied in universities and their ideas practiced in various fields of psychology today.
As for his personal life, Freud was born into a family full of complexity and confusion. He had two older siblings that were from the same father, but their mother died and his father, Jacob Freud married Sigmonds mother. Sigmond was third child in the family as well as the first of eight. His mother married Freud’s father when she was 20 and he was 41. It should be no wonder that Sigmund Freud was the first to document the notion that birth order as well as gender would have great influences in a persons later life.
Throughout his career in studying the mind, Freud experimented with and was addicted to cocaine. He smoked cigars and endured cancer of the jaw in a time when medical options for treatment of cancer were not as they are today. Eventually he died of throat cancer. Well, he actually died from euthanasia, but it was because of his cancer that he asked his physician to give him a lethal dose of morphine in 1939.
As for religion, he is often quoted as believing that religion was a mere illusion, and he often called it something the whole world would be better without. Still, the man born to Jewish parents, who grew up in the Roman Catholic town of Freiburg, Moravia and was himself saved from Hitler's Invasion of his country by a Nazi officer who liked his books and being set over the Freud family affairs, allowed him to escape to Britan. Ironically, Frued ended his life writing his last book on the topic of religion titled, Moses and Monotheism, (1938.)
Freud wasn't a convert to any particular religion, nor was that the purpose of this writing, but the now eighty year old man had obviously had given great thought to the Bible and the biblical record...his own family's heritage... and had something to say about it all. He obviously had to come to some sort of terms with the impact of religion, and his heritage as a human being. It seems one can simply not ignore the effect of religion and morality both in the human psyche and in the role it has in the history of the world.
Carl Jung
Carl Jung, born in 1875, was a psychotherapist; that is, he was a person in the study of the mind and in treating behavioral or emotional disorders. He believed that people's mental problems could be solved by interaction with someone who was trained in how the mind and psyche worked. He believed in using non-physical methods, rather than medications or things that have a more physical effect. As a "scientist int his field of study, Jung wrote many books about his studies of the human mind and how it works; it's behavioral patterns as well as his ideas of patient doctor methods of dealing with mind disorders. His book titles include, Symbols of Transformation, (1912) and Modern Man in Search of a Soul. (1955)
Jung, was the contemporary of another famous psychologist, Sigmund Freud; and though they were both in the same field of study at the same time in history, both interested in human behaviors, Jung had more of a spiritual take on psychology than Freud. Freud, a Jewish man, claimed to be an atheist and he despised religion. Freud and Jung, though they both studied the mind and human behavior, even met one another and discussed their beliefs and discoveries, had their strong differences of opinion.
Freud, until the time of his death, believed that religion was "an escape" from reality, he even called it, a "collective Neurosis," and believed religion should not be propagated. Jung on the other hand, was intrigued by the notion of religion's role in societies as well as in the life of the individual. On a personal level, he took interest in the occult.
Jung was interested specifically in channeling, and even consulted regularly with a spirit guide who he said was named Philemon. Jung also believed in the power of dreams and dreaming and interested in deciphering their hidden meanings. He was a pioneer, they say, in "dream analysis." He believed that "modern man" relied too much on science and logic and that he would benefit from understanding his unconscious realms of being, a place he tried to explore within himself and others. He thought religions of all kinds had commonalities and saw spirituality and religion as a way for people to connect with people and make discoveries of who they are as individuals... discovering both "self and "the divine" or "God."
It is no surprise that Jung had good thoughts about religious ideas, even though he rejects the central issues of God and Jesus Christ being the only way "to the Father"for he was the son of a Christian pastor, grew up in a Christian home, they were familiar ideals. He never adopted his father's "faith" in Christ, but even so, in his psychological theory, he inevitably made reference to Jesus, but this without regard for Him as God. Taking it all a step further, Jung also believed that men and women were not "whole" until they had some kind of spiritual experience, but in his mind this experience did not have to be Christian... it could be any religion and any kind of spirit.. He believed this quest of finding and discovering what he called "self" was the true connecting point between all religions and subsequently all peoples..
It's notable that one mainstream organization still in existence in our day and age, was influenced by the work of Carl Jung. This group is known as Alcoholics Anonymous. In fact, Carl Jung and Bill W., one of the founders of AA were correspondents.
(See the above links as well as the excerpts of these letters, published in AA’s Pass It On: The Story of Bill Wilson and How the AA Message Reached the World. 1984, pp. 381-386)
Jung, was the contemporary of another famous psychologist, Sigmund Freud; and though they were both in the same field of study at the same time in history, both interested in human behaviors, Jung had more of a spiritual take on psychology than Freud. Freud, a Jewish man, claimed to be an atheist and he despised religion. Freud and Jung, though they both studied the mind and human behavior, even met one another and discussed their beliefs and discoveries, had their strong differences of opinion.
Freud, until the time of his death, believed that religion was "an escape" from reality, he even called it, a "collective Neurosis," and believed religion should not be propagated. Jung on the other hand, was intrigued by the notion of religion's role in societies as well as in the life of the individual. On a personal level, he took interest in the occult.
Jung was interested specifically in channeling, and even consulted regularly with a spirit guide who he said was named Philemon. Jung also believed in the power of dreams and dreaming and interested in deciphering their hidden meanings. He was a pioneer, they say, in "dream analysis." He believed that "modern man" relied too much on science and logic and that he would benefit from understanding his unconscious realms of being, a place he tried to explore within himself and others. He thought religions of all kinds had commonalities and saw spirituality and religion as a way for people to connect with people and make discoveries of who they are as individuals... discovering both "self and "the divine" or "God."
It is no surprise that Jung had good thoughts about religious ideas, even though he rejects the central issues of God and Jesus Christ being the only way "to the Father"for he was the son of a Christian pastor, grew up in a Christian home, they were familiar ideals. He never adopted his father's "faith" in Christ, but even so, in his psychological theory, he inevitably made reference to Jesus, but this without regard for Him as God. Taking it all a step further, Jung also believed that men and women were not "whole" until they had some kind of spiritual experience, but in his mind this experience did not have to be Christian... it could be any religion and any kind of spirit.. He believed this quest of finding and discovering what he called "self" was the true connecting point between all religions and subsequently all peoples..
It's notable that one mainstream organization still in existence in our day and age, was influenced by the work of Carl Jung. This group is known as Alcoholics Anonymous. In fact, Carl Jung and Bill W., one of the founders of AA were correspondents.
(See the above links as well as the excerpts of these letters, published in AA’s Pass It On: The Story of Bill Wilson and How the AA Message Reached the World. 1984, pp. 381-386)
Dewey Know?
Do we really know John Dewey? If someone asked you, "Who was John Dewey," what would you say?
He is not the man who invented the familiar “Dewey Decimal System” used in libraries to categorize books that we call it the "Dewey Decimal System." That was Melvil, Melvil Dewey...the librarian. John Dewey, (1859-1952) you might know or remember, was an educator, psychologist, and philosopher. You might know him as the Father of Modern Education People sometimes get him mixed up with Melvil, but this should set the record straight a little.
John Dewey was a humanist and one who believed in reforming the American system of Education. As a humanist, he was historically very much a part of creating the document called the Humanist Manifesto, an American version of the Communist one. As an humanist, Dewey professed atheism. He didn’t believe in God, but you might say that he was quite religious in how he viewed both his atheism and public education.
Though Dewey was an atheist, he did believe religion was important part of human life. In his book titled, A Common Faith, he even advocated a militant “faith,” but he meant a militant faith in Humanism, (which he believed to have “always been the common faith of mankind.”) Dewey said humanism was "a religious faith that shall not be confined to sect, class, or race."
Indeed humanism is a "faith," it is something you believe in but it was antiChristianity and anti-family. It was the kind of faith that required children to be liberated from the prejudices and values of their parents. Like religious communities of faith, being a humanist required learning about that faith, and the place where this faith would be taught would not be churches and synogogues, but public schools.
Dewey's vision for life in 1930 America, included children being educated using a radically secular vision of life that did not include God. It was based upon the premise that humanity, (recently enlightened by the wisdom of Charles Darwin,)was to progress or rather, "evolve" higher and tthat this could only be done through change. Furthermore, he believed that the American schools of his day violated the child's nature and hindered the best "ethical results," this by, “by introducing the child too abruptly" to reading, writing, geography, etc., and this "out of relation to this social life.” He did not believe the true center of school to be "science, nor literature, nor history, nor geography, but the child's own social activities.” (My Pedagogic Creed by John Dewey, 1897)
For the young child in a typical home, their social activities would be oriented around family, siblings, brothers sisters mother father... dog.... but Dewey wanted to remove children from this environment and create a new one. It was not necessarily a placd where they would actually learn subjects, (like science and history,) but more importantly to be “socialized” and directed in what their thoughts and beliefs ought to be. Dewey believed that children needed to learn how to be a part of a group, but that " group" would not apply to family, or to neighbors or neighborhoods, nor recreational hobbies like sports, and certainly not the church community. It applied to the classroom experience, one that would be taught by a trained professional who had adopted his way of thinking, socialism.
Can you imagine education without facts and truths? Dewey did. He said they make one selfish.
“The mere absorption of facts and truths is so exclusively an individual affair that it tends very naturally to pass into selfishness. There is no obvious social motive for the acquirement of mere learning, there is no clear social gain in success thereat.”
(John Dewey, The School and Society, 1899)
Do we know John Dewey? Yes, we do! He's the Father of Modern Education!
He is not the man who invented the familiar “Dewey Decimal System” used in libraries to categorize books that we call it the "Dewey Decimal System." That was Melvil, Melvil Dewey...the librarian. John Dewey, (1859-1952) you might know or remember, was an educator, psychologist, and philosopher. You might know him as the Father of Modern Education People sometimes get him mixed up with Melvil, but this should set the record straight a little.
John Dewey was a humanist and one who believed in reforming the American system of Education. As a humanist, he was historically very much a part of creating the document called the Humanist Manifesto, an American version of the Communist one. As an humanist, Dewey professed atheism. He didn’t believe in God, but you might say that he was quite religious in how he viewed both his atheism and public education.
Though Dewey was an atheist, he did believe religion was important part of human life. In his book titled, A Common Faith, he even advocated a militant “faith,” but he meant a militant faith in Humanism, (which he believed to have “always been the common faith of mankind.”) Dewey said humanism was "a religious faith that shall not be confined to sect, class, or race."
Indeed humanism is a "faith," it is something you believe in but it was antiChristianity and anti-family. It was the kind of faith that required children to be liberated from the prejudices and values of their parents. Like religious communities of faith, being a humanist required learning about that faith, and the place where this faith would be taught would not be churches and synogogues, but public schools.
Dewey's vision for life in 1930 America, included children being educated using a radically secular vision of life that did not include God. It was based upon the premise that humanity, (recently enlightened by the wisdom of Charles Darwin,)was to progress or rather, "evolve" higher and tthat this could only be done through change. Furthermore, he believed that the American schools of his day violated the child's nature and hindered the best "ethical results," this by, “by introducing the child too abruptly" to reading, writing, geography, etc., and this "out of relation to this social life.” He did not believe the true center of school to be "science, nor literature, nor history, nor geography, but the child's own social activities.” (My Pedagogic Creed by John Dewey, 1897)
For the young child in a typical home, their social activities would be oriented around family, siblings, brothers sisters mother father... dog.... but Dewey wanted to remove children from this environment and create a new one. It was not necessarily a placd where they would actually learn subjects, (like science and history,) but more importantly to be “socialized” and directed in what their thoughts and beliefs ought to be. Dewey believed that children needed to learn how to be a part of a group, but that " group" would not apply to family, or to neighbors or neighborhoods, nor recreational hobbies like sports, and certainly not the church community. It applied to the classroom experience, one that would be taught by a trained professional who had adopted his way of thinking, socialism.
Can you imagine education without facts and truths? Dewey did. He said they make one selfish.
“The mere absorption of facts and truths is so exclusively an individual affair that it tends very naturally to pass into selfishness. There is no obvious social motive for the acquirement of mere learning, there is no clear social gain in success thereat.”
(John Dewey, The School and Society, 1899)
Do we know John Dewey? Yes, we do! He's the Father of Modern Education!
This Could Be Your Hour of Power
The Hour of Power is a weekly religious television broadcast that featured the preaching of a man named Robert Schuller whose weekly messages were given from a place in Garden Grove, California he calls the Crystal Cathedral. Schuller, is likely one of the best known television evangelists in America. He is famouse for his teachings on “self-esteem” and “positive thinking,” and he uses these philosophies in his preaching.
Dr. Schuller has written at least 35 books over the years, including titles like: Success is Never Ending, Failure is Never Final, (1990) Self Esteem: The New Reformation, (1982) If It’s Going to Be, It’s Up to Me , (1998) Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking (1986) and many more. He is also the founder of the Institute for Successful Church Leadership which he says is established (since 1970) in order to build "successful church leaders." He stopped holding the conferences in 2005, (this, after doing them for 35 years,) saying that now he was going to prepare for something new.
But "doing new things" is nothing new for Schueller. He has over the years taken a lot of disapproval from many fellow Christians who emphatically believe that Schuller, instead of preaching Christianity, preaches something new; New Age Theology.
As evidence of Schuller's "New Age Christianity", they cite his statements in books and magazine articles. They cite, for example, his lack of talk about sin. Schuller said in Time magazine, March 1985; “I don't think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive to human personality and, hence, counterproductive to the evangelism enterprise than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition.” They say he endorses eastern religious practices, like Transcendental Meditation. In his book, Peace of Mind Through Possibility Thinking, pg 131 and 132, Schuller tells his readers, “The most effective mantras employ the "M" sound... Transcendental Meditation or TM... is not a religion nor is it necessarily anti-Christian.” And, while there may be some naysayers, many people give testimony to the help they receive from his preaching. The congregation at Christial Cathedral, estimated at about 10,000 is still growing and his books are selling, so obviously, there are a lot of people who approve of Schuller's message.
January 24th, 2007, Schuller announced a new idea for conferences for Church Leaders to attend, this time on satellite and with a new name. He called it the Faith Forward Forum (FFF) and told the pastors and leaders who would come to the conference that he was about to do something new. He said, “You will not be inspired to preach sermons. We’ve done that for over 30 years. No, this is a Faith where you will be inspired to think, think, yes, THINK! – theologically, like you never have before!”
Schuller also warned interested parties saying, “But do not come unless you are prepared to hear ideas that you have never heard or read anywhere before.” One can only wonder if that would include the Bible.
Dr. Schuller has written at least 35 books over the years, including titles like: Success is Never Ending, Failure is Never Final, (1990) Self Esteem: The New Reformation, (1982) If It’s Going to Be, It’s Up to Me , (1998) Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking (1986) and many more. He is also the founder of the Institute for Successful Church Leadership which he says is established (since 1970) in order to build "successful church leaders." He stopped holding the conferences in 2005, (this, after doing them for 35 years,) saying that now he was going to prepare for something new.
But "doing new things" is nothing new for Schueller. He has over the years taken a lot of disapproval from many fellow Christians who emphatically believe that Schuller, instead of preaching Christianity, preaches something new; New Age Theology.
As evidence of Schuller's "New Age Christianity", they cite his statements in books and magazine articles. They cite, for example, his lack of talk about sin. Schuller said in Time magazine, March 1985; “I don't think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive to human personality and, hence, counterproductive to the evangelism enterprise than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition.” They say he endorses eastern religious practices, like Transcendental Meditation. In his book, Peace of Mind Through Possibility Thinking, pg 131 and 132, Schuller tells his readers, “The most effective mantras employ the "M" sound... Transcendental Meditation or TM... is not a religion nor is it necessarily anti-Christian.” And, while there may be some naysayers, many people give testimony to the help they receive from his preaching. The congregation at Christial Cathedral, estimated at about 10,000 is still growing and his books are selling, so obviously, there are a lot of people who approve of Schuller's message.
January 24th, 2007, Schuller announced a new idea for conferences for Church Leaders to attend, this time on satellite and with a new name. He called it the Faith Forward Forum (FFF) and told the pastors and leaders who would come to the conference that he was about to do something new. He said, “You will not be inspired to preach sermons. We’ve done that for over 30 years. No, this is a Faith where you will be inspired to think, think, yes, THINK! – theologically, like you never have before!”
Schuller also warned interested parties saying, “But do not come unless you are prepared to hear ideas that you have never heard or read anywhere before.” One can only wonder if that would include the Bible.
Anonymously Speaking
Anonymous means “not named or identified.” and being anonymous is a way to do something you want to do without disclosing who you are. It's secretive; illusive, and it means that no one will be able to identify who you are, When anonymity is used, the name of someone is deliberately withheld so as NOT to identify who or what is the person, motive or force behind a deed, action or even a gift,. The true identity of the anonymous person can remain shrouded in secrecy, revealed only, if revealed at all, to those closest to the anonymous one, to those who will keep the identity secret and unnamed.
This anonymity is commonly done in regards to giving gifts, authoring written material, even things as benign as signing customer comment forms. Often, the point of being anonymous is to effect something with a good and positive action, such as in the giving of a gift, (so the recipient of such a gift does not feel indebted to the gift giver.) In such cases, it is seen often as an at of humility, so as not to draw any attention or glory to the gift giver, but remaining anonymous is not always used for good and humble reasons. Anonymity, used for good or bad, shrouds the anonymous in the dark recesses of secrecy.
One group that likes to remain anonymous is the well-known Alcoholics Anonymous, an alcoholism rehabilitation program, also known as "AA." In this group the individuals looking for help in overcoming their addiction to alcohol feel more able to talk about their problems if they feel like they do not have to disclose everything about who they are. Members step into this group on an anonymous or first name basis so that they do not have to their name or reputation publicly tainted by other peoples knowledge of their personal alcohol addictions. Things mentioned in the A.A. group will be kept confidential between the members of A.A.
Remaining anonymous, not having to disclose who you are publicly, is a large part of how the A.A. organization thrives and gets new members. Members are actually those who have gone through the twelve step program they offer and then help others do the same. When the program is complete, the member will go public, stating that hard truth that they are and always will be an "alcoholic," and as such they are dependent and always will be dependent on the group to help them deal with their alcoholism.. in fact they believe their life depends upon it.
AA places great emphasis on the idea that alcoholism is a disease and that people who suffer from alcoholism can only recover by practicing complete abstinence from the consumption of alcohol. Instead of conquering the problem, AA members who successfully quit drinking will always be a member of this group, and they will always be a “recovering alcoholic.” Never cured of "the disease," always anonymous, they have to rely on the group for strength as they come to believe that AA will always be there for them in their time of need.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was started by two guys in the 1930's. Their names were "Bill" and "Bob," and AAers, even up to this day, refer to them this way. Their (un-anonymous) names were William Griffith Wilson and Robert Holbrook Smith. The two of them got together in 1935, to help each other quit their own self-destructive drinking habit. In 1939, when they believed they found success, they published the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, a book still used by AA members today.
Originally it was believed that AA was a Christian organization, but dispite the religious overtones and despite the forward in the Big Book, 2nd edition, (What is often perceived to be the "AA Bible") the A.A> groups often state that A.A. is not a religious organization. However, to many people, and for many years, it certainly looked like one. Bill W and Bob S. knew Bible teachings and they even took much of the teachings they implemented in their program from a Christian organization of the time called the Oxford Group. But what is the Oxford Group?
Oxford Group, founded by man named Buchanan, was a group that upheld Christian morals and values. The group had a definitive fourpoint doctrine of absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute unselfishness and absolute love, all attributes of the Christian God.. In fact, the Oxford Group later became known as the "Moral ReArmament" religious movement, a group dedicated to "arming" people, as it were, with morality to combat the ills of humanity at large. The group remained named the Oxford Group until 2001 when the name was changed to "Initiatives of Change." But again, A.A. does not hold to Christian doctrine, nor do they consider themselves a religious organization, despite the connections.
While Christian doctrine is a non issue for AA members, they do believe that people can have a higher power of a religious sort. There is no reference to any particular god by name but they do encourage people involved with the group to call on their "higher power" (meaning any God or power they would like to,) if they feel they need the help of more than simply the other members of the group to help them remain sober.
AA also does not use or reference the bible. Instead, in a mimicking fashion, they use something called the Big Book, a sort of instruction manual for those interested in learning, applying, and practicing Bill and Bob's principles of AA’s 12-Step Program of recovery from consumption issues. It is this book that gives the recovering alcoholic insight, strength and guidance regarding the condition of their being and the answers to overcoming their addiction. And while they make the claim openly that they are not a Christian group and do not name any particular god, the do mention God.... whith a capital "G." The Big Book (3rd edition) quotes the words of Bill Wilson, saying, "At the moment we are trying to put our lives in order. But this is not an end in itself. Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God..."(pg. 77.) Leaving a person to really wonder what AA really is and isn't.
So we who are ou the outside find it interesting that AA asserts it is not religious, but at the same time, and in a contradictory fashion, it talks about religious things like God and "spiritual growth" and even calls itself a “spiritual fellowship”Is it or not, and who is behind all the anonynimity? It is interesting to consider, and it is the very thing that got atheist, Robert Warner's attention when in 1994 he was caught driving drunk and “forced” to attend AA meetings by the judge who presided his case.
Warner went to AA, he checked it out, but then he subsequently sued the state for forcing him to attend these religious classes, saying that a government office in America could not impose religion upon him, (pointing out the separation of Church and state as reasoning for the lawsuit.) Warner’s claim after his experience in the group, was that the AA organization was definitely religious, and this dispite it’s declaration in the forward of the Big Book saying “Alcoholics Anonymous is not a religious organization.” He wanted nothing to do with religion. Warner won the case in court, but was awarded only $1.00 in the suit.
Still peeved about it all, in 2001 Warner wrote a paper titled, How AA Steals Your Soul. In it he said, “It is still being claimed by AA and my government that AA is not religious” and he contends that they in fact really are. HE attempted in this paper to point out that the group was filled with talk about “spiritual awakening,” “spiritual experiences,” “God,” having a “higher power” and “prayer," He writes about how AA even calls itself a “spiritual fellowship.” He believed the group's "non religious" claim was totally dishonest, and deceptive, and he was still mad he was forced by the dictate of the judge, to go.
Don't be too hard on the atheistic Mr. Warner, $1.00 is less than he paid for parking that day in court. Besides he is not alone in seeing an aspect of "deceptive" religion in AA. Take note too that this "religious" issue is not the only problem people have had with the program. Many people find the teachings and actions of AA disturbing.
Citing AA writings that read, “It's Alcoholics Anonymous -- or else!” (The AA Big Book, 3rd Edition, pg. 378) and “Unless each AA member follows to the best of his ability our suggested Twelve Steps to recovery, he almost certainly signs his own death warrant.” (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, William G. Wilson, pg. 174,) many people see that the group practices mind-controlling, cult-like, scare tactics to keep people from leaving. Who would leave, believing that to leave "is like signing your own death warrant?"
Recognizing one's need for the group is important in AA. "It's AA or booze," they say. Some people are deeply concerned that their friends and loved ones in AA cannot function normally without the group. Many feel alienated from these friends as well as they read how the Big Book tells readers how it is... how it has to be... if you are ever going defeat this problem in your life, to become a ecovering Alcoholic. It says, "I decided I must place this program above everything else, even my family, because if I did not maintain my sobriety I would lose my family anyway." (The Big Book, 3rd Edition, pg. 293,) and “Since I gave my will over to A.A., whatever A.A. has wanted of me I've tried to do to the best of my ability.” (The Big Book, 3rd Edition, pg. 340.)
Who is behind AA is anybody's guess, after all, they're anonymous!
So apparently, those Big book readers are supposed to learn this stuff and then do it. And not ony that... consider this: A person never graduates from the AA program, and is never “cured” of the disease.
AA teaches, “We are not cured of alcoholism. What we have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our daily activities.” (The Big Book, 3rd & 4th Editions, pg. 85,) and “A.A. is not a plan for recovery that can be finished and done with. It is a way of life, and the challenge contained in its principles is great enough to keep any human being striving for as long as he lives. We do not, cannot, out-grow this plan.” (A.A. Big Book, 3rd Edition, pg. 311.)
And as for anonyminty....
AA members are told that sometimes, for various reasons someone may "break anonymity," and they are told that doing so is a matter of individual choice and conscience; however, as the AA document titled,”The Importance of Anonymity" states, “It is clear, that such individuals do not have the approval of the overwhelming majority of members.”
(This is no doubt "peer pressure" to conform to the secrecy aspect of AA.)
And note: In AA "keeping anonymity" means that only AA members have a right to know that what takes place at meetings... and a whole lot of people in your group would disapprove of you talking about your experiences at AA meeting with outsiders, (people like even your immediate family who are not in your group.) People in AA do not talk with others about what happens in their meeting. Meeting are for members only.
Besides the devaluing of outsiders, besides the peer pressure to conform to secrecy and besides never being fully cured, and always having to be apart of the group in order to survive, there is something else people note about the effects of AA on a person. It is what AA calls “Wisdom in Shorthand.”
Wisdom in shorthand is the little quips and slogans used in the AA "training" process, like: "Are you in AA or around AA?” ‘AA is not something you join, it’s a way of life.” “Don't drink, don't think and go to meetings." “You have a thinking problem, not a drinking problem.” “Work the steps or die!" Or even, “Take the cotton out of your ears and stick it in your mouth,” meaning stop talking and not listening to what you are being told.
But who is telling you these things? Why?
We are dealing with a serious problem here... alcoholism. For many it may be a life or death situation too, therefore it would almost be easy to argue that this is exactly the kind of boot-camp-like regimented treatment an addict needs so that they come to grips with the importance of coming clean, overcoming the problem, yet it does not and must not go unnoticed that the language is coercive and controlling. A person may get sober for fear of death but when they no longer depend upon their addiction it's likely that they will be fully convinced in their mind that they could never survive without the AA program, their AA sponsor or the AA meetings with the group. As such the "shorthand" is really nothing more than mind control.
This mind control factor of AA makes it very difficult to talk to an AA member about the problems with the Big Book or to tell them that the group they are so attached to is misleading them. Furthermore, all the interaction that takes place within the group is designed to prevent or squelch any and all skepticism or self-reliance. As you may now begin to see, even thinking for one's self is not a good idea in AA... it's group think and help is not wanted if it comes from outsiders, because according to the work and words of Bill and Bob, outsiders just do not understand.
.
While AA appears as a group of people who have overcome a problem, it really is much more involved than that. Its members are dubbed addiction experts, offering their (not religious, not Christian) "spiritual" help.. These people also are those involved in law-making and implementing social programs at the state and federal level, they also influence other vulnerable people to participate in the group, as we saw with Mr. Warner.
Shrouded in secrecy, saying contradictory things, and using questionable tactics the organization has infiltrated every aspect of human society around the world. They might be "spiritual," as they claim, but as such, one can only wonder what spirit it is of.
One thing for certain, if it is spiritual it is not the spirit of Jesus.
Jesus is not anonymous. He has a name tha is to be named, and he does not keep people in bondage like this AA spirit does... he sets them Free! JEsus makes himself known, He reveals who he is and who we are. Jesus also does not just keep people who are alcoholics in recovery... Jesus heals and restores...he puts them back on their own two feet AND he sheds light into the darkness, makes them new creations to walk not in the darkness, but in the light. JEsus is the light... he shines light, healing light on the matter of sin in our lives, no matter how great that sin is and he gives us hope as he heals us and enables us to walk again.
Jesus saves.
The apostles who healed people and taught them about Jesus preached in the Name of Jesus. They were not anonymous. HE did npt remain un-named. the apostles openly confessed his name before men, and he will in turn confess theirs before the father in heaven. He will do that for those who confesss with our mouth and believe in our hearts, that God raised him from the dead. Names areimportant, and there is only one name given among men by which they might be saved; and it is the name that is above every name, the name that is to be named... and that name is Jesus.
This anonymity is commonly done in regards to giving gifts, authoring written material, even things as benign as signing customer comment forms. Often, the point of being anonymous is to effect something with a good and positive action, such as in the giving of a gift, (so the recipient of such a gift does not feel indebted to the gift giver.) In such cases, it is seen often as an at of humility, so as not to draw any attention or glory to the gift giver, but remaining anonymous is not always used for good and humble reasons. Anonymity, used for good or bad, shrouds the anonymous in the dark recesses of secrecy.
One group that likes to remain anonymous is the well-known Alcoholics Anonymous, an alcoholism rehabilitation program, also known as "AA." In this group the individuals looking for help in overcoming their addiction to alcohol feel more able to talk about their problems if they feel like they do not have to disclose everything about who they are. Members step into this group on an anonymous or first name basis so that they do not have to their name or reputation publicly tainted by other peoples knowledge of their personal alcohol addictions. Things mentioned in the A.A. group will be kept confidential between the members of A.A.
Remaining anonymous, not having to disclose who you are publicly, is a large part of how the A.A. organization thrives and gets new members. Members are actually those who have gone through the twelve step program they offer and then help others do the same. When the program is complete, the member will go public, stating that hard truth that they are and always will be an "alcoholic," and as such they are dependent and always will be dependent on the group to help them deal with their alcoholism.. in fact they believe their life depends upon it.
AA places great emphasis on the idea that alcoholism is a disease and that people who suffer from alcoholism can only recover by practicing complete abstinence from the consumption of alcohol. Instead of conquering the problem, AA members who successfully quit drinking will always be a member of this group, and they will always be a “recovering alcoholic.” Never cured of "the disease," always anonymous, they have to rely on the group for strength as they come to believe that AA will always be there for them in their time of need.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was started by two guys in the 1930's. Their names were "Bill" and "Bob," and AAers, even up to this day, refer to them this way. Their (un-anonymous) names were William Griffith Wilson and Robert Holbrook Smith. The two of them got together in 1935, to help each other quit their own self-destructive drinking habit. In 1939, when they believed they found success, they published the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, a book still used by AA members today.
Originally it was believed that AA was a Christian organization, but dispite the religious overtones and despite the forward in the Big Book, 2nd edition, (What is often perceived to be the "AA Bible") the A.A> groups often state that A.A. is not a religious organization. However, to many people, and for many years, it certainly looked like one. Bill W and Bob S. knew Bible teachings and they even took much of the teachings they implemented in their program from a Christian organization of the time called the Oxford Group. But what is the Oxford Group?
Oxford Group, founded by man named Buchanan, was a group that upheld Christian morals and values. The group had a definitive fourpoint doctrine of absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute unselfishness and absolute love, all attributes of the Christian God.. In fact, the Oxford Group later became known as the "Moral ReArmament" religious movement, a group dedicated to "arming" people, as it were, with morality to combat the ills of humanity at large. The group remained named the Oxford Group until 2001 when the name was changed to "Initiatives of Change." But again, A.A. does not hold to Christian doctrine, nor do they consider themselves a religious organization, despite the connections.
While Christian doctrine is a non issue for AA members, they do believe that people can have a higher power of a religious sort. There is no reference to any particular god by name but they do encourage people involved with the group to call on their "higher power" (meaning any God or power they would like to,) if they feel they need the help of more than simply the other members of the group to help them remain sober.
AA also does not use or reference the bible. Instead, in a mimicking fashion, they use something called the Big Book, a sort of instruction manual for those interested in learning, applying, and practicing Bill and Bob's principles of AA’s 12-Step Program of recovery from consumption issues. It is this book that gives the recovering alcoholic insight, strength and guidance regarding the condition of their being and the answers to overcoming their addiction. And while they make the claim openly that they are not a Christian group and do not name any particular god, the do mention God.... whith a capital "G." The Big Book (3rd edition) quotes the words of Bill Wilson, saying, "At the moment we are trying to put our lives in order. But this is not an end in itself. Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God..."(pg. 77.) Leaving a person to really wonder what AA really is and isn't.
So we who are ou the outside find it interesting that AA asserts it is not religious, but at the same time, and in a contradictory fashion, it talks about religious things like God and "spiritual growth" and even calls itself a “spiritual fellowship”Is it or not, and who is behind all the anonynimity? It is interesting to consider, and it is the very thing that got atheist, Robert Warner's attention when in 1994 he was caught driving drunk and “forced” to attend AA meetings by the judge who presided his case.
Warner went to AA, he checked it out, but then he subsequently sued the state for forcing him to attend these religious classes, saying that a government office in America could not impose religion upon him, (pointing out the separation of Church and state as reasoning for the lawsuit.) Warner’s claim after his experience in the group, was that the AA organization was definitely religious, and this dispite it’s declaration in the forward of the Big Book saying “Alcoholics Anonymous is not a religious organization.” He wanted nothing to do with religion. Warner won the case in court, but was awarded only $1.00 in the suit.
Still peeved about it all, in 2001 Warner wrote a paper titled, How AA Steals Your Soul. In it he said, “It is still being claimed by AA and my government that AA is not religious” and he contends that they in fact really are. HE attempted in this paper to point out that the group was filled with talk about “spiritual awakening,” “spiritual experiences,” “God,” having a “higher power” and “prayer," He writes about how AA even calls itself a “spiritual fellowship.” He believed the group's "non religious" claim was totally dishonest, and deceptive, and he was still mad he was forced by the dictate of the judge, to go.
Don't be too hard on the atheistic Mr. Warner, $1.00 is less than he paid for parking that day in court. Besides he is not alone in seeing an aspect of "deceptive" religion in AA. Take note too that this "religious" issue is not the only problem people have had with the program. Many people find the teachings and actions of AA disturbing.
Citing AA writings that read, “It's Alcoholics Anonymous -- or else!” (The AA Big Book, 3rd Edition, pg. 378) and “Unless each AA member follows to the best of his ability our suggested Twelve Steps to recovery, he almost certainly signs his own death warrant.” (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, William G. Wilson, pg. 174,) many people see that the group practices mind-controlling, cult-like, scare tactics to keep people from leaving. Who would leave, believing that to leave "is like signing your own death warrant?"
Recognizing one's need for the group is important in AA. "It's AA or booze," they say. Some people are deeply concerned that their friends and loved ones in AA cannot function normally without the group. Many feel alienated from these friends as well as they read how the Big Book tells readers how it is... how it has to be... if you are ever going defeat this problem in your life, to become a ecovering Alcoholic. It says, "I decided I must place this program above everything else, even my family, because if I did not maintain my sobriety I would lose my family anyway." (The Big Book, 3rd Edition, pg. 293,) and “Since I gave my will over to A.A., whatever A.A. has wanted of me I've tried to do to the best of my ability.” (The Big Book, 3rd Edition, pg. 340.)
Who is behind AA is anybody's guess, after all, they're anonymous!
So apparently, those Big book readers are supposed to learn this stuff and then do it. And not ony that... consider this: A person never graduates from the AA program, and is never “cured” of the disease.
AA teaches, “We are not cured of alcoholism. What we have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our daily activities.” (The Big Book, 3rd & 4th Editions, pg. 85,) and “A.A. is not a plan for recovery that can be finished and done with. It is a way of life, and the challenge contained in its principles is great enough to keep any human being striving for as long as he lives. We do not, cannot, out-grow this plan.” (A.A. Big Book, 3rd Edition, pg. 311.)
And as for anonyminty....
AA members are told that sometimes, for various reasons someone may "break anonymity," and they are told that doing so is a matter of individual choice and conscience; however, as the AA document titled,”The Importance of Anonymity" states, “It is clear, that such individuals do not have the approval of the overwhelming majority of members.”
(This is no doubt "peer pressure" to conform to the secrecy aspect of AA.)
And note: In AA "keeping anonymity" means that only AA members have a right to know that what takes place at meetings... and a whole lot of people in your group would disapprove of you talking about your experiences at AA meeting with outsiders, (people like even your immediate family who are not in your group.) People in AA do not talk with others about what happens in their meeting. Meeting are for members only.
Besides the devaluing of outsiders, besides the peer pressure to conform to secrecy and besides never being fully cured, and always having to be apart of the group in order to survive, there is something else people note about the effects of AA on a person. It is what AA calls “Wisdom in Shorthand.”
Wisdom in shorthand is the little quips and slogans used in the AA "training" process, like: "Are you in AA or around AA?” ‘AA is not something you join, it’s a way of life.” “Don't drink, don't think and go to meetings." “You have a thinking problem, not a drinking problem.” “Work the steps or die!" Or even, “Take the cotton out of your ears and stick it in your mouth,” meaning stop talking and not listening to what you are being told.
But who is telling you these things? Why?
We are dealing with a serious problem here... alcoholism. For many it may be a life or death situation too, therefore it would almost be easy to argue that this is exactly the kind of boot-camp-like regimented treatment an addict needs so that they come to grips with the importance of coming clean, overcoming the problem, yet it does not and must not go unnoticed that the language is coercive and controlling. A person may get sober for fear of death but when they no longer depend upon their addiction it's likely that they will be fully convinced in their mind that they could never survive without the AA program, their AA sponsor or the AA meetings with the group. As such the "shorthand" is really nothing more than mind control.
This mind control factor of AA makes it very difficult to talk to an AA member about the problems with the Big Book or to tell them that the group they are so attached to is misleading them. Furthermore, all the interaction that takes place within the group is designed to prevent or squelch any and all skepticism or self-reliance. As you may now begin to see, even thinking for one's self is not a good idea in AA... it's group think and help is not wanted if it comes from outsiders, because according to the work and words of Bill and Bob, outsiders just do not understand.
.
While AA appears as a group of people who have overcome a problem, it really is much more involved than that. Its members are dubbed addiction experts, offering their (not religious, not Christian) "spiritual" help.. These people also are those involved in law-making and implementing social programs at the state and federal level, they also influence other vulnerable people to participate in the group, as we saw with Mr. Warner.
Shrouded in secrecy, saying contradictory things, and using questionable tactics the organization has infiltrated every aspect of human society around the world. They might be "spiritual," as they claim, but as such, one can only wonder what spirit it is of.
One thing for certain, if it is spiritual it is not the spirit of Jesus.
Jesus is not anonymous. He has a name tha is to be named, and he does not keep people in bondage like this AA spirit does... he sets them Free! JEsus makes himself known, He reveals who he is and who we are. Jesus also does not just keep people who are alcoholics in recovery... Jesus heals and restores...he puts them back on their own two feet AND he sheds light into the darkness, makes them new creations to walk not in the darkness, but in the light. JEsus is the light... he shines light, healing light on the matter of sin in our lives, no matter how great that sin is and he gives us hope as he heals us and enables us to walk again.
Jesus saves.
The apostles who healed people and taught them about Jesus preached in the Name of Jesus. They were not anonymous. HE did npt remain un-named. the apostles openly confessed his name before men, and he will in turn confess theirs before the father in heaven. He will do that for those who confesss with our mouth and believe in our hearts, that God raised him from the dead. Names areimportant, and there is only one name given among men by which they might be saved; and it is the name that is above every name, the name that is to be named... and that name is Jesus.
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