This thread is inspired by another: view original post
EDIT: People seem to be missing my point. I'm re-typing this to make it more clear.
I was talking to a former alcoholic today. He told about AA's 12 step plan to cure alcoholism, which relies heavily on turning yourself over to a higher power. They emphasized that one cannot be successful without accepting god. I disagree.
A universal concept of religion is turning yourself over to a higher power. To turn yourself to god's love and care, and through faith, you will find happiness and success.
I can't do that. I don't ask god for help when I feel pain; I go down, deep deep down, beyond exhaustion, beyond pain, deep down into [b][u]myself[/u][/b] to find the strength to continue. I don't believe in "I can't."
Yet many priests and pastors preach that you can't find happiness, love, and success without god. That you are unable to do those things on your own.
Why? Why can't I succeed on my own? I believe in myself, in my dream, and in my vision. I believe that [u][b]I[/u][/b] can reach those goals. But according to so many pastors, that's impossible, that I need god to succeed in life. That's something I disagree with.
To succeed, the only person you should need is yourself. You should look to your own willpower for strength, you don't need to ask god to give you strength.
(I'm Lutheran, by the way. I admire religion's moral codes, strong family values, and sense of community. But this bugs me.)
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4 RepliesI would argue that it's significantly harder to put faith in something larger than myself than just rely on my own willpower. [quote]but turning myself, my success, and my destiny over to someone else? I can't do that. [/quote]It seems like you agree. It's a lifelong effort to reach the point of humility that peoples' faith commands.