Posted on by larrypaulbrown

FREE AT LAST

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Having based my recovery from alcoholism on the principle of "God as I understand Him", later into my sobriety time I returned to the Evangelical Christian theology of my familial tradition.  It was familiar and it was comforting.

This election campaigning has become much greater than Republican or Democrat.  It has become deeply personal as I learn that friends and family members with whom I have walked for many years through life's journey, who also describe themselves as Evangelical Christian, within the realm of their Christian ethics somehow can justify  supporting a man who displays none of the values I hold dear.

Am I not Christian?  Are they not Christian?  Are we all playing a game here trying to score points with God by talking the Bible, by going to church, by professing Jesus out one side of the mouth and then revealing out the other side what is truly on our hearts in the political arena?

I find myself wanting to retreat to early sobriety philosophy, "God as I understand Him."  This may be the wisest and most God-honoring choice I have made in many years.  And it frees me to embrace and celebrate without retribution from church and family the great diversity of our world's cultures: Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, white, black, gay, straight.

Maybe that's what Martin Luther King was talking about,  "Free at last."

 

13 Replies to “FREE AT LAST”

      1. Hi Steve, I was referring to the liberal faith as being free to pray to one god of all thus liberated from a particular faith. I enjoyed your post and apologise if I have offended you. Freedom to explore all faith of god.

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      2. No, Balvinder, you did not offend me at all. I’m fine. Seriously. I guess I should have qualified my answer rather than being so blunt. I am okay with whatever you believe faith should be. It seems to me that “liberated from a particular faith” may relate to a particular religion or denomination of faith. I’m good with that.

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  3. Amazing post! Made my day tbh 🙂
    Favorite lines : “Are we all playing a game here trying to score points with God by talking the Bible, by going to church, by professing Jesus out one side of the mouth and then revealing out the other side what is truly on our hearts in the political arena?” & “And it frees me to embrace and celebrate without retribution from church and family the great diversity of our world’s cultures: Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, white, black, gay, straight.”

    I have had a similar feeling. Some religious people (of a lot of religions) that I have been seeing so far in my life, are truly following God’s principles of having a good morality. On the other hand, the other half follow and defy these religious principles as freely as they please and think that following religious rituals would minus their wrong doings. I’m glad to hear a similar thought at last.

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  4. Larry,
    Thanks for the follow. And thank you for such a thought-provoking post. I’m an adult child of an alcoholic and spent years in ACOA and Alanon recovery rooms. And I wonder sometimes about the same things you’ve broached here. For years I was a card-carrying conservative, in the days of Ronald Reagan, the last, in my opinion, true conservative. Now Iam a card-carrying a-political. I wouldn’t give you ten cents for either political party or their standard bearers. I’m truly considering voting for God Almighty as a write in. Are we at the point where we can claim we are truly “Free at last” as MLK spoke? And, given the worldly state of the church today, returning to the concept of God as “God as I understand Him” may be a viable alternative. Thanks again for the follow and I look forward to reading more of your thoughtful posts. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Steven, so happy to hook up with you. I’ve been around the block several times with evangelical and fundamental Christianity always with soul-wrenching disappointment. For an alcoholic, it was a foolish thing to chase after when I had found such a simplistic faith in the tenets of AA. I’m not sure if that’s what MLK meant, but for me, “free at last” means I won’t be going back to religious theology and I no longer fear the religionists’ hell. Thanks for your comment.

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    2. Additionally, I had no intention of filling my blogs with politics. Like you I feel neither one is suitable, but Trump is the absolute antithesis of everything I stand for; I couldn’t help myself. I want to settle down after the election and write about sobriety, spirituality, and civility.

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