July 13: Day 13

STEP TWO CONTINUED: Come to believe that The Divine has no religion, is greater than religion, and can heal us from our hurts.

Instruction: Release the beliefs.

Some of the beliefs that we might want to release include the following:
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• The Divine is responsible for what happened to me. People create the guidelines and rules that make up religion, and people try to enforce them by judging us, condemning us, and sentencing us—not The Divine.
• A loving Creator would not allow this to happen. A loving Creator would give children free choice to do and be whatever they want to be. A loving Creator would allow mistakes to be made and lessons to be learned, just as parents sometimes allow their children to learn from their mistakes.
• I will never be good enough for The Divine. We are divinely made and divinely inspired to be compassionate, loving, and kind. No matter how far we stray, we are creations of The Divine and we have nothing to prove.
• I must try harder, give more, and stop making mistakes. It is man-made religions that put rules and doctrines upon our lives that make us feel weak, unworthy, and unable to be good or right.

We come back again to the concept in Step Two that The Divine has no religion, is greater than religion, and can heal us from our hurts. If we could strip away our religious beliefs and simply ask The Divine as if we were asking a trusted parent what is right, what is wrong, and what direction should I take, I have no doubt The Divine’s answer would not be couched in religious speak. The answers would be simple and uninvolved: Love, forgive, be gentle with yourself and with those you meet, and do something nice, not just for others but also for yourself, because I love you.

Today’s assignment is to release an old belief or religious doctrine that your heart tells you is not of love. In addition, be kind to at least one person and also to yourself.