Weekly Newsletter: Autonomy

      One of the concepts of the Religious Recovery meetings is for each group to be autonomous. Each group is to be independent and self-governing. Of course, we have created some basic guidelines for the organizing and running of each group, but these are not mandatory. The belief in autonomy comes out of the 12-step background, but it is also intrinsic to the Steps and Stones of the Religious Recovery program.
      Religious Recovery seeks to help people become autonomous in their spiritual path — to make choices and decisions based on the Inner Voice, trusting that they are — or can be — connected to The Divine. For those who want to follow a particular religion, Religious Recovery’s teaching on autonomy can help an individual determine which religion works best for them and when it is time to leave or stay, when to look for another, when it is time to abandon all religious paths, and when — if ever — it is time to return to religion.
     The concept of autonomy is also discovered in Stones Three and Four which encourage us to question and discern. And, especially in stone One where we find the autonomous belief that we — and no one else — are responsible for our own spiritual path. We can’t blame another person or a religious belief system if we have refused to question and take control of our own path.