ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses firstly how some questions are dealt with by Searching Issues along with some of the more common questions raised by guests. The way in which they are dealt with in the Alpha literature throws light on the dogma extolled by its founders and relatedly, if they are advanced in a standard way, whether this leads to a further McDonaldization of the programme on a global scale. While Alpha guests will undoubtedly have their own questions regarding issues like suffering, the course, through standardized and widely-read literature such as Searching Issues, not only provides the legitimate answers but presents the relevant questions. While ‘other religions’ in all their manifestations is something of a preoccupation in supporting Alpha literature, questionnaire responses, interviews, and discussion groups in Alpha courses also tend to reflect the subject as a major concern for the guests.
