We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, of all that is seen and unseen..
That's the starting point.The rest of what I want to write about this is based on the Nicene Creed, one of the creeds of the early Church. The creeds were written to reply to contrary positions that some had taken. The form of theological debate was frequently a bit different than what we're used to. One group, holding to one position, would show up at a council with as many longshoremen as they could round up. Another group, maintaining a different position, would show up with their longshoremen.
Definition of a heretic: the guy with the weaker longshoremen.
One of the heresies in the early history of the church was that a good God could not have been the creator of an existence with so much evil. Today's exercise in theology: Go to Genesis 1 and see how many times the phrase "And God saw that it was good" is repeated. This apparently was unconvincing to the folks who maintained that, since a good God could not have created such an evil world, then the creation must have been the work of some other being, some demon. The position of the Church catholic (the word "catholic" - small "c" - means "universal") is and has been that the Creator made a good creation, and was, in fact, the same God that we came to know in the Hebrew scriptures, the same God that was the Father of Jesus Christ, the same God that sent his Son to redeem that creation. I believe in God - one God - the Father Almighty, maker of all that is seen and unseen - every atom, every molecule, every cell of your being and mine.
The second step of Alcoholics Anonymous is, "Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." That's a terribly tough sticking point for many, for two reasons. This is the step that frequently separates the "want tos" from the "want to want tos". One of the reasons has to do with that word "sanity". Do you mean to suggest that we're insane? But an AA definition of insanity sheds much light. Insanity is repeating the same action, expecting a different result. If I know that every time I start to drink I wind up drunk, then isn't it insanity for me to start drinking, thinking that it will be different this time? And so the disease and the chemical kill us. Usually slowly and painfully. Usually taking away everything we'd thought dear before it kills us.
With that, how can you believe in any kind of God? The second reason that step 2 is so problematic has to do with that Higher Power. Our thinking gets so overblown, so egotistical, we start to think there could be no power higher than us. But, that Higher Power is what will restore you to sanity.
Does God still work in lives? Does God still work miracles?
I'll take you to any open AA meeting and show you ten of them. Miracles. Walking, talking, breathing. Living lives they've gotten back.
We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, of all that is seen and unseen..
There is a Jewish translation of Genesis 1:1 that I find interesting. It's a little different from the translation we're used to seeing: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," or "In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth." But the Jewish translation reads, "When God began to create the heavens and the earth. . ." I like the suggestion that God's creation isn't finished; it's still ongoing. God keeps on creating me, and you, and all the earth. And so I, Rick, alcoholic, last had a drink in 1985. Trust me, it took more than a little of God's grace, but God's grace has been there.
We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, of all that is seen and unseen..
And I love Him dearly.
More later. Thanks for hanging out for a few!
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