Most alcoholics are a contrary bunch and often don't agree with one another. A good example of that is when the the topics of spirituality and religion comes up.
Many members said they nearly didn't get into the 12 step programs because they believed it was a religion or even a cult. The Oxford Dictionary defines spirituality as:
- "The quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.This shift in priorities allows us to embrace our spirituality in a more profound way."
When many of us came into the program a lot of what we focused on was a plan to get "our stuff" back.
Most of us had nothing when we arrived. We'd lost our car, our jobs, our wives and other family members. We were suffering and at the bottom rung of the ladder.
No one respected us any more, often to the point of even wanting to talk to or associate with us. The reason we stayed with AA or other 12 step programs is because no one tried to pump us full of dogma or tell us we should believe in mythological or spiritual beings that supposedly existed ages ago and sent us instructions about how to live or believe today.
No one told us we were going to hell. And most of us understood hell because our lives before we became sober was a hell on earth.
Now please don't think that I'm anti-religion. Because some religions do much good in their communities. What I take exception to is when a church teaches that if you don't follow their dogma to the letter then you don't have much chance in the afterlife. That you're only good if you do things the way they teach them.
In AA, in our home group, we seldom discuss religion as a subject, though we do say the Lord's Prayer at the closing of the meeting.
I personally like the Oxford dictionary definition of spirituality because I can choose a higher power and better way of life. It's easy to be kind and generous and compassionate. And if one regularly practices some version of these things their life may become better.
I believe in a higher power but I can't define it. I do believe that the stars in the sky didn't just magically appear all of sudden and that the cycles of life on our planet probably didn't create themselves. There's a force behind all of our lives that I don't understand - but it's more powerful than all of us.
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