Language of Letting Go - Jan. 30 - Religious Freedom
Nature Girl
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: By The Lake
Posts: 60,328
Language of Letting Go - Jan. 30 - Religious Freedom
You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go
Religious Freedom
"...a Power greater than ourselves...." "God as we understood Him." These words introduce spirituality in the Twelve Steps. They are the first two references to God, and they are worded that way for a reason.
We each have the freedom to define, and understand, our Higher Power - God - as we choose.
That means we do not bring our religious affiliation into our recovery groups. It means that we do not try to impose our religious beliefs, or our understanding of God, on anyone else. We do not use our groups or meetings as a soapbox to gain religious converts. We do not try to force the particulars of our religious beliefs on others.
We give each person, the right to a personal understanding of a Higher Power and ourselves.
Today, I will respect other people's understanding of God, as well as my own. I will not allow others' judgment of my beliefs to cause me anxiety and distress. I will seek to grow spiritually in recovery, with or without the assistance of a particular religion or denomination.
From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.
Religious Freedom
"...a Power greater than ourselves...." "God as we understood Him." These words introduce spirituality in the Twelve Steps. They are the first two references to God, and they are worded that way for a reason.
We each have the freedom to define, and understand, our Higher Power - God - as we choose.
That means we do not bring our religious affiliation into our recovery groups. It means that we do not try to impose our religious beliefs, or our understanding of God, on anyone else. We do not use our groups or meetings as a soapbox to gain religious converts. We do not try to force the particulars of our religious beliefs on others.
We give each person, the right to a personal understanding of a Higher Power and ourselves.
Today, I will respect other people's understanding of God, as well as my own. I will not allow others' judgment of my beliefs to cause me anxiety and distress. I will seek to grow spiritually in recovery, with or without the assistance of a particular religion or denomination.
From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.
Nature Girl
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: By The Lake
Posts: 60,328
Through recovery I was able to rediscover my personal vision of a Higher Power, who I choose to call God. The God I know today is loving and forgiving and loves all His children, including His addicted ones.
My relationship is personal, includes (for me) His son Jesus, and yet my spirituality embraces the best of many "religions". I no longer involve myself in church doctrines, but instead find goodness and comfort from many sources and many faiths. Non-denominational? Multi-denominational? It doesn't matter what anyone calls it, it is my personal relationship that matters.
Not long ago I had a conversation with someone who was struggling to embrace the concept of any kind of Higher Power. He only believed what he could see, or prove. I asked him if he believed in love, the kind of love he had for his children, and he said that he did indeed. I suggested that perhaps he use that as something he cannot "see", or "prove" or even define completely as a starting point. God is Love. This worked for him.
I don't think we need to try too hard to define or perfect what our spirits believe. I think if we just start with "a power greater than ourselves" and then let that power evolve through faith and time. it will become clearer to us. Nature's beauty has always shown me that we are no cosmic accident, and connects me to my higher power that I choose to call God.
And most of all, I think we need to respect other people's beliefs, whether we agree with them or not. Respecting our differences and embracing our diversity is part of what makes this program work.
Hugs
My relationship is personal, includes (for me) His son Jesus, and yet my spirituality embraces the best of many "religions". I no longer involve myself in church doctrines, but instead find goodness and comfort from many sources and many faiths. Non-denominational? Multi-denominational? It doesn't matter what anyone calls it, it is my personal relationship that matters.
Not long ago I had a conversation with someone who was struggling to embrace the concept of any kind of Higher Power. He only believed what he could see, or prove. I asked him if he believed in love, the kind of love he had for his children, and he said that he did indeed. I suggested that perhaps he use that as something he cannot "see", or "prove" or even define completely as a starting point. God is Love. This worked for him.
I don't think we need to try too hard to define or perfect what our spirits believe. I think if we just start with "a power greater than ourselves" and then let that power evolve through faith and time. it will become clearer to us. Nature's beauty has always shown me that we are no cosmic accident, and connects me to my higher power that I choose to call God.
And most of all, I think we need to respect other people's beliefs, whether we agree with them or not. Respecting our differences and embracing our diversity is part of what makes this program work.
Hugs
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