Is it wrong to share about Jesus here?

[sticker]

well said jazzed...

[Ann]

I am responding to this thread because I received a PM from one of you and decided my reply was best posted here.

We all came here for recovery, perhaps arriving by different paths but today we share the road together. We come from all social backgrounds, all races, all sexes, all countries of the world...that is the beauty of SR. I am grateful here to listen to everyone, whether I agree or not, because I learn. I learn how others think, what works for them, and sometimes they have what I want and other times they can just keep it...but it is not my place in life to tell anyone else how to live theirs.

I have learned to embrace our diversity, rather than challenge our differences, because that helps me grow in my recovery and because that brings peace to a place where most of us need to find peace for our spirits.

We are each unique in our beliefs but can unite in our respect for each other because each one of us is worthy of respect, even when we differ. Differences don't make one person right and the other wrong...it just makes us different and thank goodness for our differences. If we were all the same, one post here would cover it all, we could each nod and go about our day. It's our differences that will make our journey worthwhile, and respecting our differences will make our travelling companions along this road helpful and pleasant to walk with.

You may "get" what I am saying, or not. But I felt a need to say it and I hope it helps at least one person here to know that diversity is a good thing, it's what sharing and supporting each other is all about.

Let there be peace...please.


Ann

[recoveringnky]

Thanks Annie for posting what's been in my heart and what I didn't have the courage to express. You said it well!
Love you guys so much and I hope the knot in my stomach can go away now!
Great big hugs,
Kym

[The_Hammer]

I am done friends. I thank all of you for your friendship and the strength you have given me. This policy will kill a newcomer, and I cannot be a party to it. I will not. I will never forget you. any of you.

[Peter]

Is it wrong to share about Jesus here?

No.

I don't know if it is even wrong to share about J.C in NA but I do agree it may not be such a good idea.

[Rarly Harley]

Originally Posted by toad

Look close Rarly..........what do you see??????

When I joined this forum in Jan. 2006, the people here were a God send and this forum became an integral part of my recovery. I am humbly grateful to declare that I have been a continuously sober and clean member of Alchoholics Anonymous since March 21, 1990. I am a sober biker in AA. God led me to AA even though I had fiercely rejected Him and AA led me back to God. I am hardcore AA, no doubt about it. This forum was a reasonable facimile of my AA recovery program when I joined. It no longer is. I must remember " Shoemaker, stick to thy last ". I cannot participate in this forum any longer. To answer your question Toad, I don't like what I see here any longer. Using camouflage such as " Share this with me ", to try and cram your religious views down everyone's throat is not something that I will tolerate, let alone accept. I must post a fond farewell to the people in this forum who have greatly enhanced my spiritual journey, Bill J., Gooch, Recoveringnky, Tramp, Hammer, Tony B., Jazzed, Chris K., FD4, Hjen, Harleyrunt, Mouse, Freebird, Lilbit and Swmnkdinthervr. I leave you all with a poem by Jack McCarthy, that Phoenix, the founder of this forum, posted back on July 29, 2003...... God bless you all...

We died of pneumonia in furnished rooms where they found us three days later when somebody complained about the smell.

We died against bridge abutments and nobody knew if it was suicide and we probably didn't know either except in the sense that it was always suicide.

We died in hospitals, our stomachs huge, distended and there was nothing they could do.

We died in cells, never knowing whether we were guilty or not.

We went to priests, they gave us pledges, they told us to pray, they told us to go and sin no more, but go. We tried and we died.

We died of overdoses, we died in bed (but usually not the Big Bed)

We died in straitjackets, in the DT's seeing God knows what, creeping skittering slithering shuffling things.

And you know what the worst thing was? The worst thing was that nobody ever believed how hard we tried.

We went to doctors and they gave us stuff to take that would make us sick when we drank on the principle of so crazy, it just might work, I guess, or maybe they just shook their heads and sent us to places like Dropkick Murphy's.

And when we got out we were hooked on paraldehyde or maybe we lied to the doctors and they told us not to drink so much, just drink like me. And we tried, and we died.

We drowned in our own vomit or choked on it, our broken jaws wired shut. We died playing Russian roulette and people thought we'd lost, but we knew better.

We died under the hoofs of horses, under the wheels of vehicles, under the knives and boot heels of our brother drunks.

We died in shame.

And you know what was even worse, was that we couldn't believe it ourselves, that we had tried.

We figured we just thought we tried and we died believing that we hadn't tried, believing that we didn't know what it meant to try.

When we were desperate enough or hopeful or deluded or embattled enough to go for help we went to people with letters after their names and prayed that they might have read the right books that had the right words in them, never suspecting the terrifying truth, that the right words, as simple as they were, had not been written yet.

We died falling off girders on high buildings, because of course ironworkers drink, of course they do.

We died with a shotgun in our mouth, or jumping off a bridge, and everybody knew it was suicide.

We died under the Southeast Expressway, with our hands tied behind us and a bullet in the back of our head, because this time the people that we disappointed were the wrong people.

We died in convulsions, or of "insult to the brain", we died incontinent, and in disgrace, abandoned .

If we were women, we died degraded, because women have so much more to live up to.

We tried and we died and nobody cried. And the very worst thing was that for every one of us that died, there were another hundred of us, or another thousand, who wished that we could die, who went to sleep praying we would not have to wake up because what we were enduring was intolerable and we knew in our hearts it wasn't ever gonna change.

One day in a hospital room in New York City, one of us had what the books call a transforming spiritual experience, and he said to himself "I've got it ." (no, you haven't you've only got part of it) " and I have to share it." (now you've ALMOST got it) and he kept trying to give it away, but we couldn't hear it. We tried and we died.

We died of one last cigarette, the comfort of its glowing in the dark. We passed out and the bed caught fire. They said we suffocated before our body burned, they said we never felt a thing , that was the best way maybe that we died, except sometimes we took our family with us.

And the man in New York was so sure he had it, he tried to love us into sobriety, but that didn't work either, love confuses drunks and he tried and we still died.

One after another we got his hopes up and we broke his heart,
Because that's what we do.

And the worst thing was that every time we thought we knew what the worst thing was something happened that was worse.

Until a day came in a hotel lobby and it wasn't in Rome, or Jerusalem, Or Mecca or even Dublin, or South Boston, it was in Akron, Ohio, for Christ's sake.

A day came when the man said I have to find a drunk because I need him As much as he needs me (NOW you've got it).

And the transmission line, after all those years, was open, the transmission line was open. And now we don't go to priests, and we don't go to doctors and people with letters after their names.

We come to people who have been there, we come to each other. We come to try and we don't have to die.........

[suki44883]

Holy Crap!!!

[recoveringnky]

My heart breaks.............I'm so discouraged and sad...........my "home away from home" is crumbling down and I can't do anything about it......

Hugs,
Kym

[historyteach]

Yes, you can, Kym...
You can keep on coming.
And you can take what you need...
And leave behind what you don't.

You can share your story for the newcomer.
Share your ESH, as someone shared with you.
And the miracle of recovery will live on,
As it has before.

Remember, people come,
and people go.
G*D bless them all.

Shalom!

[Jazzed_N_MD]

I get some of my best lessons from the women in my life.

[Hurricane]

Coffee pot and a resentment. Sorry to see those leave that have been a huge part of my recovery.
There is a part in the acceptance page of the Big Book that talks of how rather than dwell on the things you don't like about a meeting, you might focus on what you can contribute to making it a better meeting.
I realize some of you have been in recovery far longer than me, but it seems to me that that is pretty self centered crap right there.
Please think about those that come here wanting help, you are leaving them with what you believe can kill them. How about just continuing to share your ES&H with them and hope that's enough. I damn sure am going to stay. Thanks for all you have shared with us here, you will be missed.

[toad]

I am at a loss for words right now. Had a long day. Rode my Harley over 300 miles to a Patriot Guard Riders funeral (mission). We honored a 71 year old U.S. Marine, six kids, and a wife. He was a combat veteran like many of the PGR riders. Two of his sons rode with us, one was a PGR member from Corpus Christi Texas. He also is a long time AA member and works in the recovery field as an administrator............long day. I will comment on this later.........maybe........maybe not.

Hurricane, I was in Jeff City today and made a reservation at the hotel for the AA state convention, July, 25-27. Jerry L. and I will ride up........you are welcome to share the room.

[Morning Glory]

I've tried hard to set up forums so that all would have a safe place to share their experience freely.

In my opinion sharing our experience respectfully should go with the flow and majority of posters on the forum unless a specific thread is started that opens up a topic.

I could post a couple of thousand scriptures in the Christian forum here that goes against everything that everyone believes in that forum. All my posts would be within SR rules and on topic for that forum. I'll read a post there that triggers a response and walk away instead of sharing my experience out respect for the forum and the member's beliefs there.

There are newcomers in the Christian forum with fragile new beliefs that they are holding onto to aid them in their recovery. I could share experience that would possibly harm them right now and shake the foundation they are standing on. Why would I want to do that? If I see someone who I think would be open to the information I have I will send it in a PM.

It seems that the majority of posters in the Biker's forum believe in the principles and traditions of AA and NA and believe that bringing specific religious beliefs into this forum will hurt a fragile newcomer. Not everyone agrees with that, but that is what the majority in this forum believes. Shouldn't we respect that in the same way I show respect on the Christian forum? I can "be right" and share my facts and "be myself" and share my experience, but I choose to keep that to myself and show respect for the majority in the forums here even though I could also post within the rules.

This is just my opinion and the way I handle my beliefs here most of the time. There is not a forum here that allows me to share freely, but there is a Christian forum and a Spirituality forum that allows free expression.

This post is not directed at anyone. I'm just sharing the way I handle the diversity here. I will often quietly read threads in the Biker's forum that brings me to tears. I hate to see that threatened.

[toad]

Originally Posted by Rarly Harley

To answer your question Toad, I don't like what I see here any longer. Using camouflage such as " Share this with me ", to try and cram your religious views down everyone's throat is not something that I will tolerate, let alone accept. I must post a fond farewell

You accuse me of "trying to cram my religious views down everyone's throat."

Maybe you could be more honest and tell me where and when this happened. All I do is share of my own experiences, and just because they don't line up with yours, you think I am wrong.

You're out of line.........and have been since RFL 07. Someday I will share the truth about what really went on last summer when we all met in person. Not now though. I won't miss having to walk on eggshells so as to not offend Rarly............

I started this thread and have found the answers I needed. If the Administrators wish to close it, it is alright with me. I you want to keep it open, that is alright with me also........thank you