What is Spirituality? AA Under the Microscope

Father Bill W.

The series explores the book SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION by Dr. George E. Vaillant. The author was a psychiatrist at Harvard and served as a non-alcoholic Trustee for Alcoholics Anonymous. Spirituality can be a hard concept to grasp, and his book helps make it understandable. He defines spirituality as the realization of positive emotions such as love, hope, faith, joy, forgiveness, and compassion – along with awe and mystical illumination. The author argues our brains are hard wired for these and through the 12 Step journey, we’re evolving – “sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly” towards realizing them in our lives This episode concludes the series focusing on how AA brings about spiritual transformation. It concentrates on the difference between religion and spirituality and how AA tries to protect itself from becoming a cult.

Show Notes:

⁠Spiritual Evolution: A Scientific Defense of Faith by George Vaillant⁠

⁠HARVARD STUDY HIGHLIGHTS⁠: ⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Study

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fatherbillw/support