Thanks Meg - it helps me to talk about it too sometimes.
And Fatcat - about the religious views on codependency....
There are many who could quote both side of this, some say that the Bible says that the woman is to serve her man and always stay with him, others (like me) feel that God didn't ever say that anyone should stay in an abusive relationship, nor that by serving each other with love and comfort that we had to be subservient. I like Gabe's reply.
Our program speaks of "God as we understand him", and the God I understand today is a loving, forgiving God who loves us all unconditionally, who knows our sins and has already forgiven us through his Son, and who I know is with me every moment.
I consider myself a Christian too, but I worship at a variety of church denominations...Catholic, Pentacostal, Salvation Army and Baptist. I consider my relationship with God personal and Spititual and feel that inidivually and collectively these churches are the house of God. Anywhere I can go to pray, meditate and feel the presence of God is his House to me. And I consider my Jewish friends and friends that are not "Christian" in faith to be every bit as much a blessed child of God. To me it is about a Higher Power, and what we choose to call him or how we choose to worship him, I do believe it is all the same Power.