Religious Recovery
  • Home
    • Welcome
    • Questions
    • Founders
  • Reviews
  • Meetings
    • Indiana
    • Ohio
  • Steps/Stones
  • Audiobooks
  • Books
    • Every Path Leads Home
    • Strength for the Journey Home
    • Set Your Course
    • Course Corrections
  • Social Media
    • Inspiration
    • Facebook
    • Newsletter Signup
    • YouTube
    • BlogTalk Radio
  • Contact-Donate

February 7: Day 38

2/7/2017

0 Comments

 
STEP SIX CONTINUTED
 
Take inventory of ourselves to discover any way in which we have hurt, disappointed, or abused anyone by our religious beliefs.

Instruction: Go beyond religious abuse.

Some might not believe that Step Six applies to them, because they did not grow up in a religious atmosphere. They believe this Step can be overlooked. Many of our biases have roots that were formed in a religious belief system. The Ten Commandments of Judaism and Christianity have formed a major portion of many people’s moral code. Although the first four (having no other gods, no idols, not taking God’s name in vain, and keeping the Sabbath holy) speak more directly to religion, the last six (honoring parents, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, and do not covet) seem to be more societal in nature and can apply to most cultures. Even though we might consider some of these commandments a moral or societal standard, the fact is that they are also a religious standard by which some religions base what is good and what is evil.

Based on this consideration, when Step Six says to take inventory of ways we have hurt people in the name of religion, we can see that using a moral code to judge and condemn people could be considered a form of religious abuse, especially if our approach is rigid and unbending. When we obey the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law, we open ourselves to the possibility of religious abuse. For instance, a police officer who gave an individual a ticket for going one mile per hour over the posted speed limit would be in keeping with the letter of the law but not necessarily with the spirit of the law, which is basically for drivers to operate their vehicles at a safe speed. Speed limits are not posted by doing exact measuring of traffic and road conditions, but are posted in increments of five (35 mph, 40 mph, and so on). By the same measure, an officer might be within their rights to ticket someone who was driving the posted speed limit if weather, such as a hail storm or heavy snow dictated that they were operating their vehicle in an unsafe manner. This would be following the spirit of the law. When considering Step Six, it is smart to consider ways in which we have been rigid in our dealings with other people and have overlooked the spirit of the law.

Today’s Assignment is to consider what it means in your world to follow the spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law. It is not reasonable to assume a law can be written to cover every detail of a given situation. Although with all the laws in place, it seems as if we have tried to cover every conceivable outcome. The next time you encounter a situation and you wonder, What is the right thing to do, consider the situation from the viewpoint of the spirit of the law.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Note: You might need to refresh your screen to see the current day's Inspiration.

    Religious Recovery

    Our purpose is to help individuals to heal who have been injured by religion or the religious. We welcome your comments and questions.

    Archives

    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
    • Welcome
    • Questions
    • Founders
  • Reviews
  • Meetings
    • Indiana
    • Ohio
  • Steps/Stones
  • Audiobooks
  • Books
    • Every Path Leads Home
    • Strength for the Journey Home
    • Set Your Course
    • Course Corrections
  • Social Media
    • Inspiration
    • Facebook
    • Newsletter Signup
    • YouTube
    • BlogTalk Radio
  • Contact-Donate