CAN I OR WE BELIEVE IN GOD?? Of my understanding or Sandiee's??
RELIGON??
IS THE CATHOLIC GOD ANY DIFFERENT THEN THE METHODIST, PRESYPERTERIAN, ETC
If you want to believe in a chair or a car who am I to tell you differetly??
And who are you to tell me what god to believe in?
Our book is meant to be suggestive only. We realize that we only know a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning mediation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come if your own house is in order. But obviously you cannot transmit something that you haven't got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us.
Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny, May God bless you and keep[ you-----until then.
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance--that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer
You beat me to it, Rick. AWESOME post..... Thanks.
Doll
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* We eventually realize that just as the pains of alcoholism had to come before sobriety, emotional turmoil comes before serenity. *
I think that banning and/or censorship of others should never be taken lightly. We should be all able discuss our beliefs, and be able to allow someone else to think differently than ourselves, without feeling threatened. If a person is only expressing what God means to them, and not saying, "This is how you should think also.", we are truly not with the program ourselves if we feel threatened by that.
Isn't one of the AA slogans, "Live and let live"?
And another, "Easy does it"?
AA is a spiritual program. It is also about getting past the "I" - "me" syndrome, and not being judgemental of others.
Thanks Rick, The quotes from the Big Book always bring things home. If it is a closed board, guess it needs to be stated as such...We have always had wives, al-anons and others drop by, to get our perspectives on the alcoholic life.
In my home group it is just an unspoken that any time a spouse comes with an alcoholic and they don't feel comfortable going into Al-anon, or the alcoholic needs their moral support, they are welcomed with open arms.
We are in a small town and we have preachers drop by all the time just to sit in and see how they too might be able to help people in their congregations, Doctors drop in, we had a judge one night, all are welcome. We have cards on the table about anonymity, and I believe it is understood.
I feel we get in a danger zone when we start to censor what other say and do.What's best for the whole group.
I know you have all heard the saying"Take what you like and leave the rest."That statement has helped me in all my affairs.I guess it to boils down to "how important is it" ?
Unless the group determines to make it otherwise, this is a open forum. However, we need to be a bit careful as to how open we become or we will set ourselves up with an environment that distorts and confuses the message of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
