On "the God thing"....
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 8,637
On "the God thing"....
It comes up a lot. Again and again.
I understand, because throughout my life I've also had struggles with 'The God Thing'. On the one hand, I have faith... I have spirituality... I have a core sense that we're all connected, all the universe is, and that we can interact with a force greater than ourselves. Perhaps it's just science. Perhaps it's just a placebo effect. But I have felt... something.
Yet I've held disdain for religion and I've generally felt uncomfortable with "The God Thing" because it seemed invariably tied to myths and stories and expectations and judgments that felt - to me - dubious at best, wildly-ridiculous means of control and manipulation at worst.
So, in AA - I had to reconcile that for myself. For me, I was able to come to terms with my own sense of 'Higher Power' and to accept the word 'God' and "The God Thing" in recovery context by letting go and realizing that it didn't have to apply to me the same way that it might to a Christian.
Yet that sometimes left me with nowhere to turn in being with others spiritually.
In an effort to expose my children to other alternatives of faith (their mother is heavily working to indoctrinate them as Christian - which is now backfiring and they want to understand other perspectives), I took them to a Unitarian Universalist service.
I found in that experience a really refreshing thing; there is a place to go and to be in community with others, in celebration of hope and joy and faith and gratitude. There is a place to bring in wisdom from across the spectrum of human beliefs, allow it to mingle with science and with the belief in the power of nature, and to swirl that all through with a core belief in Love and compassion - without ever having to say the word "God".
I was really moved by this experience and found myself realizing that even though I didn't see "Higher Power" the way that a Christian might or another religious adherent might - still I have within me an innate yearning to be in community with other human beings who have a faith in.... something.
What I discovered in a UU service is that there exists a community who celebrates that notion of faith in something in a way that is accepting of all sorts of definitions of what that something means and is.
I wanted to share it here, because I became aware today that this yearning is probably shared by many, perhaps all humans. Yet for those of us who have been challenged with our experience of religion, we are left with no obvious place to turn to fulfill that yearning. I can tell you that it is a healing feeling to spend an hour with people who have come together in community with the shared sense of making the world better, being positive, being loving, believing in goodness, celebrating gratitude and sharing their perspectives on all of that in a non-religious way without the mention of "God".
So - maybe for some of you who have had similar challenges with "The God Thing", a UU congregation could be a positive community and a support in your sobriety toolkit.
I understand, because throughout my life I've also had struggles with 'The God Thing'. On the one hand, I have faith... I have spirituality... I have a core sense that we're all connected, all the universe is, and that we can interact with a force greater than ourselves. Perhaps it's just science. Perhaps it's just a placebo effect. But I have felt... something.
Yet I've held disdain for religion and I've generally felt uncomfortable with "The God Thing" because it seemed invariably tied to myths and stories and expectations and judgments that felt - to me - dubious at best, wildly-ridiculous means of control and manipulation at worst.
So, in AA - I had to reconcile that for myself. For me, I was able to come to terms with my own sense of 'Higher Power' and to accept the word 'God' and "The God Thing" in recovery context by letting go and realizing that it didn't have to apply to me the same way that it might to a Christian.
Yet that sometimes left me with nowhere to turn in being with others spiritually.
In an effort to expose my children to other alternatives of faith (their mother is heavily working to indoctrinate them as Christian - which is now backfiring and they want to understand other perspectives), I took them to a Unitarian Universalist service.
I found in that experience a really refreshing thing; there is a place to go and to be in community with others, in celebration of hope and joy and faith and gratitude. There is a place to bring in wisdom from across the spectrum of human beliefs, allow it to mingle with science and with the belief in the power of nature, and to swirl that all through with a core belief in Love and compassion - without ever having to say the word "God".
I was really moved by this experience and found myself realizing that even though I didn't see "Higher Power" the way that a Christian might or another religious adherent might - still I have within me an innate yearning to be in community with other human beings who have a faith in.... something.
What I discovered in a UU service is that there exists a community who celebrates that notion of faith in something in a way that is accepting of all sorts of definitions of what that something means and is.
I wanted to share it here, because I became aware today that this yearning is probably shared by many, perhaps all humans. Yet for those of us who have been challenged with our experience of religion, we are left with no obvious place to turn to fulfill that yearning. I can tell you that it is a healing feeling to spend an hour with people who have come together in community with the shared sense of making the world better, being positive, being loving, believing in goodness, celebrating gratitude and sharing their perspectives on all of that in a non-religious way without the mention of "God".
So - maybe for some of you who have had similar challenges with "The God Thing", a UU congregation could be a positive community and a support in your sobriety toolkit.
You can have reasons, or you can have results, but you can't have both.
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Syracuse, NY
Posts: 1,232
I came to my faith rather late in life. Wasn't raised in it, for sure. I'm a Born-Again Christian.
AA was a poor fit for me and people often assume that means I'm an atheist. Nope. Christian.
I would never suggest that theism is a prerequisite of sobriety. If that were true, no atheists would ever recover. And of course they do!
I honestly believe recovery is possible without spirituality, religion, or a Higher Power. It's okay to be 100% atheist and secular. Addiction is a small world, but recovery and life are large, with more than enough room for us all!
AA was a poor fit for me and people often assume that means I'm an atheist. Nope. Christian.
I would never suggest that theism is a prerequisite of sobriety. If that were true, no atheists would ever recover. And of course they do!
I honestly believe recovery is possible without spirituality, religion, or a Higher Power. It's okay to be 100% atheist and secular. Addiction is a small world, but recovery and life are large, with more than enough room for us all!
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: U.S.A
Posts: 236
I don't believe in God ..people tell me to get a higher power .. (my father) says it can be anything .. doesn't work for me personally. I need evidence. If I'm going to ask a higher power to help me with my drinking .. I need proof it is there and actually cares whether I drink or not.
Have to admit it'd be a LOT easier for me if I believed in God .. then the 12 steps would make perfect sense to me. Sort of envy those who can just do the program without having to question everything.
But that's me.. things need to make sense to me.
Have to admit it'd be a LOT easier for me if I believed in God .. then the 12 steps would make perfect sense to me. Sort of envy those who can just do the program without having to question everything.
But that's me.. things need to make sense to me.
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 8,637
that's one of the refreshing things about the UU perspective. It's rational. It's evidence-based. It's people who are grateful and joyful and who also believe in making a difference.... it's like the congregation itself becomes the "higher power".
The evidence of faith in a setting like that is personal experience. Sitting with others for an hour, people sharing in gratitude and goodness and intention - one walks away feeling uplifted. Evidence. On a personal level.
Anyway, just wanted to share because maybe someone out there will be helped by it.
The evidence of faith in a setting like that is personal experience. Sitting with others for an hour, people sharing in gratitude and goodness and intention - one walks away feeling uplifted. Evidence. On a personal level.
Anyway, just wanted to share because maybe someone out there will be helped by it.
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,431
Originally Posted by SoberInSyracuse
I would never suggest that theism is a prerequisite of sobriety. If that were true, no atheists would ever recover. And of course they do!
I honestly believe recovery is possible without spirituality, religion, or a Higher Power. It's okay to be 100% atheist and secular. Addiction is a small world, but recovery and life are large, with more than enough room for us all!
I honestly believe recovery is possible without spirituality, religion, or a Higher Power. It's okay to be 100% atheist and secular. Addiction is a small world, but recovery and life are large, with more than enough room for us all!
There's some links to some of the main players, including but not limited to AA:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...formation.html
I recommend you visit the Secular Connections forum if you think you may benefit from a non 12 step approach like Rational Recovery, SMART, LifeRing etc.
D
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