I know people with addictive personalities. Not to say that those people are impossible to resist, rather, that they find themselves susceptible to addiction. I've know alcoholics, I've known compulsive gamblers, I've known people addicted to illicit and prescription drugs. Lately though, I'm increasingly running into people who need to "pray about it" before making even the most inconsequential decision.
Up to my elbows in dirt and weeds this week, I've had time to ponder. Perhaps it was the Depeche Mode or the New Order, perhaps a conversation I replayed in my head. Either way. It seems to me that there are people who just can't summon the courage, the faith in their own self to make a decision without fortification. They drink their courage, they smoke it, they bet on it, or pray to it.
I'm not a religious person. As I've said before, I do not believe in the God of Christianity, or Islam, Judaism, or Hinduism, or any other ism you can throw out there. My spirituality comes from the spirit that is me. And when the car stops, the ride's over. That isn't to say there's not another ride. But I digress... Seeking power from outside the well that is within me seems contradictory, an admission that I doubt the depths of my own strength.
Many, perhaps most of the people in my life do not share my views with regard to religion. They go to church, they offer thanks and bargain the big decisions with their God. Like social drinkers, occasional tokers, those who pick up a PowerBall when the payoff is high, most who practice their chosen religion do so with a firm grasp on reason, supplemented by faith. Can it go farther? Too far? Can religion become an addiction? A few people I've met lately have got me seriously wondering.
9 comments:
I think religion is an addiction for some. It's the opiate of the masses, after all.
Every.single.day. I understand why I keep coming back for another dose of Dorothy.
yes, i think one can be addicted to it. at least for awhile. they can let it consume their every moment. they can hurt their family. luckily they can change back to someone a little less freakie.
I believe God is love, not a person, place, or thing. I do pray, but I am not a member of any organized religion.
I have had family members that have been over the top as far as religion goes. I believe in God. When I nearly died, I had an experience that at the time filled me with a sense of peace that never left me. I am no longer a part of a church because I don't want to be told what I should believe. I have seen too many so called people of faith that are intolerant. I do not think it is our place to judge someone elses heart. I believe that there is right and wrong. But I don't think it is my place to judge someone for their decisions. I read the bible daily, and my faith continues to give me a sense of peace, and I no longer live in fear of anything. If it turns out I believed for nothing I don't guess it will matter, but for the time I am here it is a comfort.
Ok, I admit it. I pray. But I think of praying as a way of thinking about things. I don't know that I am necessarily looking for answers from above. It is more like I am just thinking things through.
I pray too,for others mainly. Rarely for guidance over some trivial matter.My family and friend's safety/health is important enough to pray about.The day to day stuff I handle on my own.
Believing in Christ brings a sense of peace and order to my life, that as I get older I realize I need.
I also am not a religious person and the religious fervour of some makes me very uncomfortable. I think there are plenty of people out there for whom religion is simply a crutch - a way of avoiding dealing with the world or having to think about things or form your own opinions. I am also sure that there are those whose relationship with religion is very different, and I'm sure that those people and I would get on just fine, while the addicts and I would almost certainly not...
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