WHY is it that contemporary Christians seem to be Bible Addicts - addicted to bible reading and bible quoting?Christians must be addicted to the Bible. ~ Edmund Clowney
Bible addicts have the same characteristics as other addicts:
- Continued use despite negative consequences
- Loss of control, as in more use than planned (broken limits)
- Unpredictability, as in use despite plan not to use (broken promises)
- Compulsivity/preoccupation in thinking
- Denial; Use of defenses to maintain denial
- Build up of (or "break" in) tolerance
- Memory loss, mental confusion, irrational thinking
- Withdrawal discomfort (mental, emotional, and/or psychological).
There are also these other effects:
•Tolerance - the need to engage in the addictive bible reading and bible quoting more and more to get the desired effect
•Withdrawal happens when the person does not read or quote the bible, and they experience unpleasant symptoms, which are often the opposite of the effects of the addictive behavior
•Difficulty cutting down or controlling the addictive bible reading and bible quoting
•Social, occupational or recreational activities becoming more focused around the addiction of bible reading and quoting, and important social and occupational roles being jeopardized
•The person becoming preoccupied with the addiction of bible reading and bible quoting, spending a lot of time on planning, engaging in, and recovering from the addictive behavior
To test whether you are a Bible Addict, don't read the bible for a full month. If you crave a fix anytime during that period then you are addicted. Seek help. The cure for addiction to the Bible involves using one's mind.
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Fundamentalists Anonymous: Twelve Steps to Sanity
by Lee Adams Young
All who have chosen to walk away from biblical fundamentalism are welcome to join Fundamentalists Anonymous, and to consider embracing the following Twelve Steps:
1. I realize that I had turned control of my mind over to another person or group, who had assumed power over my thinking.
2. That person or group persuaded me of the inerrancy of the Bible, in spite of its many internal contradictions.
3. I became addicted to the Bible as the supreme focus of my faith, in spite of the commandment that God should come first.
4. I admit to God, to myself and to another person the shortcomings of my belief in the unbelievable.
5. I have made an inventory of my false claims about the Bible.
6. I have made a list of those whom I led into confusion about the Bible.
7. I am willing to make amends to all those whom I may have led astray.
8. I realize that I have the inner power to restore sanity to my life and to search Scripture for the truth.
9. I will reach out to friends who can help me clarify my thinking about the Bible, God and Jesus.
10. I confess that only with God's help can my mind grasp the truth.
11. I will seek through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with God, praying for knowledge of God's will for me and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these twelve steps, I will offer these steps to other former biblical fundamentalists.
These 12 steps are adapted from those of Alchoholics Anonymous.
from http://www.geocities.com/church_of_hank/fundamentalists_anonymous.html
