Twelve-Step recovery groups cannot bring a person into a right relationship with God; for their god is not the God of Scripture, their prayers are to whatever power (or powers) they choose, their bible is not God’s Word, and their salvation is from “addiction,” not sin. Satan, the enemy of our souls, is more than happy to provide sobriety in the place of salvation. Alcoholics Anonymous and recovery movements are false religions, which attempt to lead mankind to a better and happier life, yet bypass the Cross.
Gary E. Gilley and M. Kurt Goedelman, “Twelve Steps in the Wrong Direction: A Biblical Critique of Codependency and Alcoholics Anonymous,” The [PFO] Quarterly Journal, January-March 2016, pg.18.
3 comments:
Thank you. This 12 Step religion has greatly weakened the visible church, but Christians do not want to deal with this reality.
I used to go to a church that swears by Celebrate Recovery (CR). I hear many people (even some that I believe are true believers of Jesus Christ) who testify how great it is...how they see real results, etc...
Just last night, a long time missionary friend of mine messaged me to pray for her, because she is totally "wowed" by CR and while she is on sabbatical, she wants to get involved with CR and get trained so that someday she could take it back to the mission field. I was like: NOOOO!
I was sharing with her to be prayerfully cautious about CR. Since I was strongly against it, "raining on her parade", so to speak, I gave her the option of hearing more about my experience and findings, or not!! Well, she didn't really seem interested...and just said she would ask her pastor tomorrow and see what he knows about CR! I am praying for her and her pastor. I am praying for discernment. Why do Christians think that outward/superficial results automatically means it is God's will and God's truth?! And you are right. They are more concerned about getting over their "addiction" than true salvation according to the scriptures. That is their idol and salvation. I sat through their Bible Study during a regular Monday meeting at my old church auditorium one time, and the speaker said that "character defect is the root problem. And sin is the product." My antenna went up! Shouldn't it be the other way around?
I was there to check it out because of my husband. After the "chips" ceremony and hearing that ridiculous bible study, we were led to a small group. They separated the men and women. We all went around to share our "issues". When I shared about my husband's drinking problem, the leader basically told me that I must have a problem with "co-dependency". I looked at her in total disbelief! Where did she come up with stuff like that?! I felt so sorry for her. She was so deceived.
My missionary friend says that it is so wonderful that CR provides a safe place for women of abuse to open up...because they often feel judged and stuff. Perhaps! But no matter how sincere and compassionate these leaders are, if they are following the CR steps, they are truly not leading these hurting men and women to CHrist - to the recognition of their sinful state, to the fact that we all deserve death and hell and God's wrath, to the true repentance of our sin and disobedience, and finally to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus, who die for us while we were still sinners, rejecting Him, ... All of this sharing of feelings and how people have wronged me, and how I can't function without the affirmation of man...only causes people to become even more self-centered. And that is where Satan wants to keep us! =(
It pains me to see how 12 steps has masked itself in the churches today!
Ms B
Ms B,
Thank you so much for your personal observations. The whole philosophy is based of a faulty premise. And there is no such thing as "co-dependency":
"The literature on codependency is based on assertions, generalizations, and anecdotes. … To start without the slightest shred of scientific evidence and casually label large groups as diseased may be helpful to a few, but it is potentially harmful and exploitive as well. If as the best sellers claim, 'all society is an addict,' and 96% of us are codependents, that leaves precious few of us outside the rehab centers — but at that point the claims become ludicrous at best."
“Codependency,” University of California Berkeley, Wellness Letter, October 1990, pg.7, cited by Gary E. Gilley and M. Kurt Goedelman, “Twelve Steps in the Wrong Direction: A Biblical Critique of Codependency and Alcoholics Anonymous,” The [PFO] Quarterly Journal, January-March 2016, pg.15
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