God Yes - Religion No

At a local meeting that I attend we sometimes talk about our past religious experiences and beliefs. There seems to be no shortage of people recovering from their Southern Baptist upbringing. I remember the crazy teachings that I was bombarded with growing up in that enviromment. God first, others next, and self last, is one of them. If that doesn't teach one to be co-dependent nothing will.

That kind of thinking taught me to feel guilty anytime I did something, or even wanted something, just for me. It led to a life of deep shame and inadequacy because I cared about me and wanted things for myself. I felt like I was a bad person for having human wants and needs.

In AA we talk about a different understanding of God. Even though some still cling to religious teachings and practices most people simply come to believe in a concept of a loving God who has no need or desire to condemn or judge us. This concept is more healthy and more practical. Let's keep it simple and not mess it up with theology and superstition. God cares for us and loves us. That's as complicated as it needs to be.

Step Eleven

Step Eleven of the AA program of recovery is...

Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

This step says that we are to seek something. We are to seek to improve on our conscious contact with God, and we do that through prayer and meditation. The big kicker in there is that we are not to pray for selfish things - only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

Of course, one cannot improve on something that does not exist. We have to have already established contact with God before we can improve on that relationship. Prayer and meditation - as opposed to the old stinking thinking alcoholics are used to. That is an improvement all by itself.