Well, you’ve probably heard of the trouble some people get into when they drink too much and start driving their cars. This is known as reckless drinking and driving and it can be dangerous for your health but more dangerous for your pocketbook. Overdosing on drugs, spending too much money shopping, gambling excessively, and last but not least, spending too much time at your place of worship can be dangerous to others. Over time, our loved ones seem to suffer the most from our excesses.
I suggest that most people use religion responsibly and try not to overindulge in their spiritual practice. Like an alcoholic who drinks until he feels good, only to wake up feeling bad the next morning. And then start the whole process the next day.
Now the big question, “Are you a religion addict?” Do you spend too much time in church? Do you surround yourself exclusively with people who share your same religious beliefs?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you are most likely a religious addict. Like alcoholics and drug addicts, there is help for you, once you have identified your problem, we can help you. We call it our 5-step program. Alcoholics Anonymous has a 12-step recovery program, but we’ve eliminated a couple and reorganized others in hopes of faster recovery.
Religiosity is no laughing matter and should be handled with the utmost delicacy. Start with the first step and work your way down the list and within a short time you should find yourself free from the religious tyranny of your institutionalized religion.
Step 1. The biggest problem you are going to have during your recovery will be the temptation of religious followers who want you to come back. As a drug addict, saying no to drugs is difficult, here you will have to be strong. Learn to say no to organized religion and yes to religious freedom.
Step 2. Instead of reading the scriptures, start reading about other religions around the world. You will find some strange things and new ideas, but the bottom line here is that you will be able to see some similarities and nonsense between the religions.
Step 3. You can still spend time praying, just spend more time praying about how grateful you are, instead of praying about something you want, start spending a little more time thanking God for the things you already have in your life. I’ve spent a lot of time praying for things I never had. When I stopped praying for the things I thought I needed, I started getting the things I really needed.
Step 4. Start spending a little more time believing in yourself, some religions seem to give all the glory and credit to their gods and very little to the people who are actually making the sacrifices. I have also noticed that when something goes wrong, some religious followers tend to punish themselves and it just doesn’t seem fair. God takes all the credit when things go right and you blame yourself when things go wrong.
Step 5. Start showing a little more compassion towards people who don’t think the same way you do or don’t believe in your religion. Love and compassion are the true acts of a religious believer. I think he will find that in all the religious scriptures…somewhere.
Sometimes we get a little carried away by our beliefs and tend to beat up other people who don’t share them with us. If you are part of a religion that discriminates, shows bigotry, bigotry or prejudice towards other non-believers, this may not be the religion you think it should be.
Dalai Lama: “All the main religious traditions basically convey the same message, that is, love, compassion and forgiveness, the important thing is that they should be part of our daily lives.”