Geobabe is right on target.
There is no “flogging.”
The concept is simple: if we could do it by ourselves we would have.
“HP” can be God, Alllah, Buddha, Shiva, the AA group itself, Mother Earth, Love, Intellect, one’s ideal self, the sun, a tree…
whatever.
I repeat: AA is not a religious organization.
If religion is part of your recovery, fine. But it is NOT a requirement.
For more information, please read the first 164 pages of *Alcoholics Anonymous, * affectionately known by friends of Bill W. as “The Big Book.”