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Posted by: Nan on 2009-04-01, 13:32:02
I think it's a mixture of all the whole AA thing is really an example of circular reasoning. AA claims it is a disease, not a moral failing, and that AA is the only 'cure' Yet, according to AA's founder, Bill WIlson, AA is a specific instance of the Oxford Group, founded by Frank Buchanan. The Oxford Group is absolutely, unquestionalbly a religious group for the purpose of morality "Buchman, who had little intellecual interest or interest in theology, believed all change happens from the individual outward, and stressed simplicity. He summed up the Group's philosophy in a few sentences: all people are sinners , all sinners can be changed, confession is a prerequest to change, the change can access god directly, miracles are again possible, the change must change others.[6] " "The Oxfords Group's influence can be found in Alcoholics Anonymous. Both Bill Wilson and Bob Smith the two founders of Alcoholics Anonymous were members of the Oxford Group. Though early AA sought to distance itself from the Oxford Groups, Wilson later acknowledged: "The early AA got its ideas of self-examination, acknowledgment of character defects, restitution for harm done, and working with others straight from the Oxford Group and directly from Sam Shoemaker, their former leader in America, and from nowhere else. "[10] " for AA to say that alcoholism is a disease, and not a moral failing, then presecribe a 'cure' based only on Oxford Group teachings is absurd and intellectually dishonest Alcoholism is probably best described as a 'syndrome' or condition. There may be people who are more suseptable to abuse due to the nature of exposure in their acestry - for instance, Native Americans for whatever reason, had almost no alcohol in their culture until Europeans came, then they had exposure all of a sudden. European ancestored people may have some alcohol problems, but there's been thousands of years of natural selection in their genetic background favoring those who can handle alcohol. But ven then is it really a disease? What if someone is a 'natural' at basketball, and someone else cant play it to save their life? Is the person who cant handle basketball a 'Basketballic'? Do they have a 'disease' of 'Basketballism? Excessive drinking leads to physical weakening and impaired judgement, which leads to feeling bad and perhaps other problems in life, then, if the person sees alcohol as an escape from these discomforts and problems, well.....you can see how a degenrative process could begin, with the weight of problems exceeding one's ability to summon up willpower and self determination |
