From: "Omer Gillham" <[email protected]>Add sender to ContactsTo:
[email protected],
We appreciate you contacting Adult Children of Alcoholics World Service
Organization. We have considered the issue of removing your group from our
listing of registered ACA groups. We acknowledge your passion in reaching
out to adult children. We believe that you are sincere and that you seek to
help others find hope and a new way of life through the Twelve Steps.
However, your group has identified itself as a Christian ACA group. We have
reviewed the information you have provided and it clearly identifies your
group's religious focus on Christianity and a common Higher Power. ACA is a
nonreligious fellowship founded on the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous.
A group having a common, Christian higher power contradicts the precepts of
the Twelve Steps as adopted by ACA from AA. The precepts of the Twelve Steps
cannot be changed to convert or align an ACA group to a specific religion,
sect or belief. We urge you to study the history and origin of the Twelve
Steps. We are providing you with this historical information so that you
understand our position.
For example, in about 1937, Bill W. edited Step Three so that future AA
groups would avoid discussions or arguments over religion. The edit was
included in Step 11 also.
Seventy years ago, the edit involved adding "God as we understood him'' to
Step 3. By doing this, Bill W. made it clear that AA groups should not
align themselves with a particular religion or sect due to the potential for
religious arguments and the possible exclusion of non-believers. This idea
began with AA's break away from the Oxford Group. The Oxford Group was a
religious organization dedicated to the Christian principles of salvation,
absolute truth, service and a risen Christ.
The adoption of AA's Steps and principles compels ACA to agree with AA's
nonreligious focus. By identifying as a Christian meeting, your group
raises the potential for religious argument between the believers of various
religions and nonbelievers as well. Believers of the various faiths are
welcome in ACA but they cannot convert or align an ACA group with a
religious group.
Additionally, a Christian ACA group can be exclusive by nature since
Christianity espouses only one way to salvation. While we realize that you
are careful and thoughtful, you cannot guarantee that this fact of
Christianity will remain outside a Christian ACA group. We could say the
same for a Muslim group or Jewish group and we would not list these groups
with ACA WSO as well. The only requirement for ACA membership is a desire
to recover from the effects of alcoholism or other family dysfunction.
We believe it would be more appropriate for your group to register with
other Christian 12-Step organizations such as Overcomers Outreach or
Celebrate Recovery. You can find these organizations on the Internet.
As it stands we will remove your group from the ACA WSO listing. As an
alternative, you could reregister your group with ACA WSO as a standard ACA
group without a common Higher Power or Christian focus. ACA groups
registering with ACA WSO must adopt the ACA Steps, Traditions, Problem and
Solution and have no affiliation with an outside entity. The group also
cannot change the precepts of the Steps or Traditions which affirm ACA as a
nonreligious program. This extends to meeting formats and readings.
Additionally, based on the information you provided, is appears your meeting
format, group name and email address include a common Higher Power or
Christian focus. (See below). We would require that this be removed so
that it does not contradict ACA's nonreligious focus.
This issue is not debatable since it was settled more than 70 years ago.
Please promptly notify us of your decision.
Josie E., chairwoman, Adult Children of Alcoholics WSO
Omer G., ACA WSO past chairman