Apparently, Fundamentalists Anonymous has been very helpful to a lot of people who've experienced Christianity-turned-abusive, including some of Robert Hymers' victims.

I was a little turned off by the site's ad for Rational Recovery, since I maintain my ties to the twelve-step world, and it's been my perception in the past that RR was fueled by resentment of AA—that it had a certain negativity driving it. Yet I can see how the wrong group and/or the wrong sponsor could easily turn the twelve-step experience into something profoundly cultlike: the potential for abuse is definitely there. And I certainly think there are plenty of misdiagnoses in AA. I was one of them, for eleven years.

So, yes: practically any good thing can be warped into a compulsive behavior. Including abstinence from compulsive behaviors.

Everything in moderation, Folks. Including moderation.

A lot of my family members live on that ragged edge where Evangelical leanings begin to flirt with Fundamentalism, so when I discuss Scripture with them I try to keep it all in general terms so we don't argue too much. ("So, you do realize I'm a Papist, now, Grandma. Whaddya think? Am I saved, or lost?")

In my own twelve-step-based nonprofit organization I had an exchange recently with the Chairman of the Board. He is my boss when I'm getting along with him. (When I'm not, I inform him tartly that I report directly to the Vice Chair, and he needs to respect chain-of-command. Or at least I think that, really hard.)

This guy told me he really admires me, because even when I'm overwhelmed (usually because I've taken too much on), I simply don't give up.

There is a word for that, of course: compulsion. I wonder if there's a twelve-step program for that?

Posted by: Attila Girl at 11:27 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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