James, I, also, was forced to go to Sunday school, and church as a child. It was a Methodist denomination, and there was very little hell, and damnation, talk, but there was also not enough spoken about the acts of Jesus. I continued to try to be a good church going guy, until in my late teens, and early, 20s. I tried out, at least, 12 denominations, and found every one of them lacking in teaching what Jesus asked us to do, and be, as was written in the bible. That is when I rebelled, and lost every ounce of religion that I had ever had, if any.
I cannot blame anyone, or any thing for my trip into the brown bottle. There were circumstances that made me want to get away from the world, and everyone in it, but no one ever forced a drink down my throat. I attribute my drunken years to poor judgements that I made, and my lack of facing life with resolve, and determination.
AA, by itself, did not cause me to stop drinking for any length of time over 6 years, but what is taught there are tools to be used for healing one's self when the time is right for that person. That time came when I was on the brink of hell, and a force, which I feel must have been the Lord, physically grabbed my shoulder, and threw me an undetermined, but long, distance away from the stepping off point.
Humility, sacrifice, making amends, and helping others, may have been said in the bible, but they are rules to live by that can come from any source. I believe that those precepts were adopted by the humans that wrote the bible, who had learned that one must treat others as they would be treated, through experience in life itself.
Frankly, if you consider Brian to be a true friend, you have a problem. He is apt to change his mind, and turn around and bite you in the butt, if he sees any advantage to do so. He is loyal only to himself, and cares only for himself, and his self image of being above others where Christianity is concerned. That is a carry over from his Puritan ways, and he will never change his spots, IMO.
As long as he refrains from trying to shove his version of Christianity down the throats of others, I will avoid him like any snake in the grass, but if he continues in his ways, which repels possible converts to Christianity, I will, verbally, do what I do to any snake that threatens me, or others that I may care about.
I realize that, you seldom, or never, visit other threads on SI. I believe I am known as a person that will be nice to anyone that is nice to me, but will respond to the opposite with vigor, and clearly spoken words. |
