Hi nandm, couldn't resist a comment on your last post! You say that alot of Christians use their religion to justify their feeling superior. I thought the Catholic Church was a church for sinners! - thats why I go. I find it uplifting because in church you get your sins forgiven, you are encouraged to hand over your problems, to let go. And you can do that everytime you go, hopefully so that things don't build up and then you can go and try again. I am lucky of course, our local church has a great priest who to me is a very good example of what a human being can be (no doubt if he was an alcoholic in AA I would think the same thing). Its funny really, because I find AA has a similar affect on me as christianity does on you. I feel that all the AA people are looking down on me - standing poised and ready to attack should I say anything derogatory about AA and ready to come out with things like, you are not being honest with yourself, you haven't got it, its your sickness talking... its like some of them can't wait to point out that I haven't been sober for long and therefore haven't anything of any value to say, or if I say something they don't like then obviously I'm heading for a drink. I don't like talking about non-alcoholics as 'normal', as I consider myself as normal and don't want to belong to some elite and 'special' group even if it is supportive.
I know the bible has undergone many translations, but I don't take it literally, but tend to look for what I feel is a truth that runs through it. How I enterpret it is up to me, I look for the God that is within me, I look for what feels right, ok I don't always do it but I try and need to keep reminding myself to do that. Its more of a guidance for me and religion just provides some structure for my spirituality. I don't even know the nature of God really, its an on going quest.
Sorry to have gone on so long, I'm reacting again and being oversensitive, paranoid and thinking everyone hates me. I'm trying to cope with these feelings, probably not very well.