Religious Anonymous

I would like to start a new program for people recovering from religion.

This would be very similar to "Alcoholics Anonyous" or "Gamblers Anonymous."

And the story people would tell at those meetings might sound something like this:

"Hi, my name is Johannes and I'm a religious person.

I've been religious my whole life. You mgiht say I was born religious.

I went to church...a lot. I still go to church a lot.

I went to religious services and relgious events and spent much of my life in religious schools.

And I have lived my life wanting to all the right "religious" things.

I wanted to live for God and do things for God.

I thought that religion was the way to be a "good person."

I thought being religious would make God happy with me.

I thought being religous would be my ticket to heaven.

But I have come to see that being religious is a wrong way to live and think and be.

Jesus showed me that.

I have come to realize through the story of Jesus that life is not about me doing things for God.

God doesn't need me to do things for Him!

Rather, the Story of Jesus tells me that God has done great and amazing things for me through Jesus Christ.

And through this discovery Jesus is setting me free to live a new kind of life--not based on "religion" and being "religious" but rather a life based on the gospel--the good news of all God has done for me.

A life not based doing for God but rather based receiving all that God has done for me and then living my life for others.

And Jesus can do the same thing for you."