Is A.A. religious?
The honest answer, including the awkward parts
No. A.A. is not a religious organisation. It is not allied with any sect, denomination or religious institution, has no religious requirement for membership, and takes no position on any religion. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.
Atheists and agnostics are members, including people sober for decades. The steps refer to "a Power greater than ourselves" and to "God as we understood Him" — that qualifier is deliberate, and members interpret it as the group, the process, nature, or nothing they can name. You will never be asked what you believe, and you do not have to pray. Meetings are held in church basements because churches rent cheap rooms at awkward hours.
Why people ask
Because the surface of it looks religious. Meetings are in church halls. The steps mention God. Some rooms close by holding hands and saying a prayer. If you are not a believer, that is enough to make you think this is not for you — and it is worth having the awkward parts named rather than glossed.
The church basements
Churches have rooms that sit empty on weeknights and are willing to rent them for very little at seven in the morning or nine at night. That is the whole reason. Groups pay rent as tenants; the congregation has no involvement in the meeting and usually no idea what was discussed. Some of our meetings are in community centres, hospitals and clubhouses for the same practical reason.
"God as we understood Him"
This is the phrase the whole question turns on, and it was argued over deliberately when the steps were written. The wording is not "God"; it is God as we understood Him — with the understanding left to each person. Members fill it in with the group itself, with the collective experience of other alcoholics, with nature, with the process, with something personal, or with nothing at all.
What the steps actually ask is narrower than it looks: an admission that willpower on its own has not worked, and a willingness to accept help from outside yourself. You can hold that position as a committed atheist. Many do.
The prayer at the end
Some groups close with the Serenity Prayer, some with the Lord's Prayer, some with neither. If a room does and you would rather not, you can stand quietly, or step outside for a minute and come back. This happens every week in every town and nobody remarks on it. If a particular group's habits do not suit you, another group ten miles away will do it differently — that variation is normal and expected.
What you will not be asked
Nobody will ask what you believe, whether you go to church, or whether you have accepted anything. There is no creed to recite and no membership to be admitted to. If somebody presses their own religion on you, they are out of step with A.A. itself, and you are free to say so or to try a different meeting.
If you want to read further
Two things are worth your time. Chapter 4 of the Big Book, "We Agnostics", is A.A.'s own argument aimed directly at people who do not believe — it is over eighty years old and reads like it, but it was written for you specifically. And A.A.'s pamphletMany Paths to Spirituality collects members from very different positions, including none.
Do You Think You're Different? is the other one worth reading — it is about every version of "this works for other people but not for someone like me", which is usually the real question underneath this one.
The practical answer
Go to a meeting and see. You are not signing up to anything by sitting in a room for an hour, and nothing about the first meeting requires you to believe or say a single thing. Pick one from today's list, or read what actually happens first. If you would rather ask a person, call (814) 283-4772 — and you can ask this exact question.
Common questions
Is A.A. a religious organisation?
No. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination or religious institution, has no religious requirement for membership, and takes no position on any religion. Members include Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, agnostics and atheists. Meetings are often held in church basements because churches rent cheap rooms, not because of any connection to the church.
Can an atheist join A.A.?
Yes, and many have. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. A.A. publishes literature specifically by and for agnostic and atheist members, and there are members who have stayed sober for decades without ever believing in a god.
Do I have to believe in God to do the twelve steps?
The steps refer to "a Power greater than ourselves" and to "God as we understood Him" — that last phrase was deliberate and is the point. Members interpret it as the group itself, the process, nature, the fellowship of other alcoholics, or nothing they can name. What the steps ask for is an admission that willpower alone has not worked, not a doctrine.
Do I have to pray at an A.A. meeting?
No. Some groups close with the Serenity Prayer or the Lord's Prayer. You can stand there in silence, or step outside, and nobody will comment. Plenty of members do exactly that every week.
Why are A.A. meetings held in churches?
Because churches have rooms to rent cheaply and are willing to rent them at inconvenient hours. Groups pay rent like any other tenant. The building implies nothing about the meeting inside it, and the church has no involvement in what happens there.
Will anyone try to convert me at an A.A. meeting?
No. A.A. does not proselytise for any religion and members who tried would be out of step with the whole thing. If somebody does press their beliefs on you, they are speaking only for themselves — and you are free to say so, or to try a different group.