Seek the Beliefs and Groups That Work for You

I was baptised and raised in a Presbyterian church, and continued to attend when I moved away to Idaho and Washington. I don't go anymore. I find the similarities between church and A.A. to be curious.


Going to church and going to A.A. bring people with similar beliefs together with mostly the same goal in mind: To serve and to help others and to find God. There's a fellowship in both, even though attendees come from differing backgrounds. (When I was growing up, our congregation was professional and white, and that includes the college students who walked from nearby. My perception is that churches are more diverse, as A.A. is, these days.)


The big difference I see is that A.A. doesn't tell you what you have to believe in. Churches insist the bible is the word of God, despite various interpretations of scripture. Believe as they do, or your next stop is hell. A.A. says believe in whatever works for you. I like that. I have formed solid beliefs about our spiritual selves, but I keep exploring and remain open to other ideas I may not have thought of yet.

I quoted two days ago from Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith's book, Sacred Rest. Here is another snippet I find apropos: "You can even encounter moments of social rest in brief social interactions where you feel an unusual connection to another because of a shared experience. This is the rest found for many in social groups like Celebrate Recovery (or A.A.). These groups become a safe place for grace to flow and for the healing benefits of social rest to be manifested. There is freedom, peace, joy, hope, love, and mercy available when we find solace in another. These gifts change us and make us better people to be around."

Emphasis added is my own. Seek groups you think "get you." That includes A.A., churches, and innumerable organizations.