Few churches share God's love and wisdom for gay people with every person before puberty to prevent the wounds of the closet. Few churches invite straight Christians to consider the lifetime singleness of Jesus and Paul, encourage marriages to be open to the kingdom work of raising children, or take seriously what the Bible has to say about unbiblical divorce and remarriage (protecting gay Christians from experiencing the indignity of discrimination, which can result in an unhealthy victim mentality). Few churches are places where kingdom singles can find permanent lived-in family in the body of Christ, regardless of sexual orientation. If churches claim that a traditional sexual ethic is both true and good for gay Christians, they must take the steps necessary to become places where gay people bear good and beautiful fruit with reasonable effort.
What addiction and recovery taught me about “believing in God”
These questions are easy to follow, understand, and answer from my heart. This guide has brought me back to my faith, and taught me that I am worthy of recovery. The faith I had lost has been restored; and I have been brought home to the Church. My past no longer defines me. This has been my gateway to freedom. I highly recommend this guide to anyone seeking spiritual growth.
Wow! From the opening prayer in Step One to the closing prayers of Step Twelve, this elegant workbook embodies hope, support and inspiration for life beyond addiction. Angela has interwoven Bible verses with the recovery principles of the 12 Steps in a relatable way, creating a practical workbook with an uplifting format. I recommend it to anyone seeking to develop and clarify their path to sobriety through Christ Jesus.
If this is a step you are ready to take or have questions about what all this means for you, connect with one of our mentors and let them know. They would love to help you know more about this Jesus whose infinite perfection has made a way for you to be free from your sin.
In the rooms of recovery and most 12 Step Fellowships there is a lot said about God. Some groups of individuals believe having a God is essential to building solid sobriety, while others think that the concept of God is one that should be left out of the conversation because they have no desire for a relationship with an omnipotent being, or they have given up on trying to understand any such relationship. I will refer to the concept of a higher power throughout this article by many names because if I were to try and spell out my personal concept every time this article mentions God it would be the longest article ever posted. The idea of a Divine Entity, or a singular conscious being and creator is not always a popular topic for everyone. Dogmatic religion sometimes even carries resentment for people with a history of unsatisfying past experiences.
I have close friends who genuinely believe that whatever a higher power may be, it speaks to them through others, and those other people always provide the safety, the knowledge, or just the support they need to preserver through any situation holding them back or tempting their recovery. Faith in the strength of united men and women with a common problem and a common purpose is good enough of a power greater than the one individual, and believing in that fellowship and its ability to provide you with experience and hope to overcome is a great solution to the God dilemma.
I find most people fit into this category, even if they commonly call their higher power God, it is not because they believe in God as depicted by any specific religion or archetype. It does not have to be a concept confined to a particular denomination, as explained in most 12 Step literature. The word God can simply be a pseudonym for whatever spiritual code you put your faith in. The beautiful part of 12 Step fellowships and most recovery programs that bring up God is that they allow you to develop your own understanding of what it means when you read it, say it, and apply it to your recovery.
So I believe in the right for people to not believe in God, I also think no one should have anything to say about my concept of the Divine or my relationship with my God, because it is none of their business. For those who do not have the type of conception I do, you have several opportunities to create whatever kind of belief system you want, THAT is the beauty of the program. NO ONE can tell you that your conception of a higher power is wrong! NO ONE can tell you what to believe in, or if it will keep you clean and sober. In a program of acceptance, unity, and principles NO ONE has the right to judge you based on your concept of God, or lack there of. You are the only person who gets to decide.
Any person in any fellowship who tries to ridicule or belittle your concept of a power greater than yourself, or your right to not believe at all, is obviously missing the point entirely. It can be difficult on both ends to accept others, especially when someone speaks down on what you believe as your truth. We are not here to convert each other, and we are definitely not here to judge each other. We are here to share our experiences and to love each other, and to stay clean and sober by practicing the principles and carrying the message. What you believe about God, or science, or humanity is your own business. Believe it or not, it works!
The difference between God, spirituality, and scientific principles are pretty obvious, but all of these belief systems can support you in your recovery based on how willing you are to commit yourself to living by the standards of that faith system. Staying clean and sober is possible for anyone who believes in anything, as long as they commit to developing as a human being based off of the principles of their philosophy. Recovery is possible, and whether you believe in God or not, have the faith in you sobriety necessary to save your life. If you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call toll-free 1-800-951-6135
Another man, Bob Cooney, had been serving in a recovery ministry at a California Calvary when prescription opioid addiction forced him to stop serving. Now free, he reaches out to others at Calvary Chapel Reno, NV.
In Reno, NV, the Lord provided a place for them to live and a new church family. For the past six years, Bob has been free from addiction and helps in a recovery ministry at CC Reno. Though he frequently has severe back pain, he now prays through it and refuses to take any pain medicine.
The cornerstone of my life today is honesty. It is the quality I most desire in my life because I believe that with honesty comes a knowledge of God, self and relationships. It is the key to my recovery from addiction. It is the key to the meaning of spirituality. Honesty affords me hope for tomorrow.
As an alcoholic I was a dishonest man. I was not just dishonest because I told lies and manipulated the truth, I was dishonest because I refused to risk the journey into self. My dishonesty was not about what I said but what I did not say! Not so much about what I did but what I did not do. My dishonesty stopped me from discovering my God-given dignity.
Our thanks to Bob, Rannie and the other members of the congregations who sacrificially parented this new church. You have faithfully followed where the Spirit led. We are excited to think about what God will yet do in and through the Attalla church.
It was my own karma that brought me to my first AA meeting, and although I ultimately had to get sober for myself, I somehow knew that I could not get sober by myself. As a Buddhist I go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Buddha as both the historical enlightened person, but also my own potential Buddhahood. Dharma is the teaching. Sangha is the spiritual community. In a somewhat similiar but more simplistic way my concept of other power in recovery is not God, but rather an extension of my going for refuge. Buddha also becomes a trust and faith in my teachers (those further along the path of recovery) and my own inate capacity for recovery, Dharma extends to incorporate the 12-step program itself, and Sangha includes the fellowship. Going for refuge means a direct and continued engagement in all these areas.
Posted in 12 Steps - Original and Alternative Versions, Atheism/Recovery for Atheists-Agnostics Tags: 12 step recovery for athiests, AA, addict, addiction, addictive thinking, Alcoholics anonymous, atheism, Atheism/Recovery for Atheists-Agnostics, athiest, Buddhism, buddhist 12 steps, Buddhist meditation, choices, Christian, denial, Life
With a combination of traditional drug rehab and a spiritual approach to addiction, faith-based recovery is helpful for those struggling with addiction. It does this while supporting and strengthening our faith. For so many, this combination leads to a better chance of full recovery.
One common factor is the way that the spiritual and religious elements are presented to those participating in addiction recovery. Most are taught is a loving and positive way. Faith and spiritually based programs, with a focus on providing support and nurturing, have the best outcomes.
A religious recovery center is a drug treatment facility that approaches the problem of addiction from a spiritual point of view. The facilitators and clinicians at these facilities believe that a person turns to addictive behavior to try to fill the void left by a lack of spirituality in his or her life.
One thing that can set a faith-based recovery program apart from other programs is the fact that they often combine addictive behaviors as things that can be cured with the help of treatment combined with religious faith. While drugs and alcohol are the most common addictions treated in recovery, you will commonly get help if you struggle with other types of issues such as the following:
Medical conditions are treated as part of the recovery process. Therapists, counselors, and doctors are trained to help with this kind of dual-diagnosis. Because the faith-based recovery center will work to fill the spiritual voids in your life, similar spiritual counseling will also be used to provide support for these addictions. 2ff7e9595c
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