Carol,
This is James Avery, resident of 1840 Mason Mill Road just down the road from Care and Counseling Center of Georgia.
A while back, we spoke over the telephone; you returning a message I had left for you earlier that same day.
Would you be kind enough to return an email reiterating what we discussed during this phone call? As much details as you can remember would be greatly appreciated. As it was a short phone call, shouldn't be too much trouble.
I'm having problems with the 12 steps programs for the same reason Care and Counseling Center of Georgia most likely would not work out as well, either.
This email, if including our conversation the way I remember it, would help some, hopefully, explaining my plight with our people of faith; this ecumenical spirit.
I've done research on the 12 steps program and have since found out that their emphasis on faith in a higher power, first, limits the universal availability of the 12 steps program of helping others. Also discovered, once you delete the high failure rate from the statistics, the 12 step program mainly benefit the sponsors more than the sponsee in helping them to be more motivated staying "sober". This is strictly survivors bias; nothing more, nothing less. And congeniality bias plays a heavy hand as well. Again, survivors bias; success having nothing to do with a higher power.
Well I believe in a lower power, pale blue dot; the only thing we all have in common. Factor in time, the fourth dimension, and our commonality can be narrowed down even more to the very center of the earth.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
Every time I try explaining my faith, in an attempt weaning out the weak earthed one in order for me to find an appropriate sponsor, I get shut down; and this is very similar to the way Bob and Janet Gary are behaving as well as Congregation Glenn Memorial and Emory University.
I'm even more convinced, John 3:16 is nothing more than a cognitive dissonance/dissonance reduction chant. No wonder Robin Williams the Episcopalian committed suicide!
Same ritual; half the guilt.
I've also discovered through my research on the 12 steps programs, different groups are allowed to alter the wording of the 12 steps. Isn't it interesting that gamblers annoymous deletes all reference to a higher power. However, I'm sure I will be made to feel just as much a deviant stigma among deviant stigmata as I was made to feel by those people of faith within the crytal meths anonymous meetings; as if the hearing impairment wasn't isolating enough.
As roughly 80% of America is made up of our Christians alone, I'm pretty sure this is nothing more and a marketing ploy trying to attract/help that largest majority; nothing more, nothing less.
However, at the Galano Club, they actually do have a 12 steps program for atheist and agnostics; but I had to discover this on my own quite by accident, walking around the building reading everything on the walls one evening. When I went back to the crystal meth meeting in an attempt offering to the female who chairs this one group, what I thought should have been viewed as constructive criticism for not suggesting this atheist group to me in the first place first time around when I pulled her off to the side after the very first meeting I attended at the Galano Club in an attempt explaining my special needs (or any of the meetings since), the unnecessary stress this could have avoid for someone else in the future having a similar predicament, she became upset; walking away from me saying she wasn't going to listen.
I'm guessing, it going against her faith, recommending an atheist group to an atheist?
Then I stayed for an alcoholic anonymous meeting, checking them out. Although I had a nice conversation with an older black man after this meeting, had already decided during this meeting, saving any comments I had for the atheist/agnostic group's once a week meeting coming up the following week.
"Yeah!" I thought after attending this atheist group for the first time. There was one who even had everybody laughing, but me, during his monologue rant about some Christian football player's comment after a game. When I went up to him, after this meeting over, asking him the name of this football player, it wasn't even our miracle baby Tebow; some guy named Manning. Had not a fucking clue who this was, so I shared my gripe, privately, with him about Tebow instead.
He behaved as if we had nothing in common. Not even if he shared my opinion of Tebow or not.
Tried another one. This one behaved somewhat the same way; but not as bad. But he replied when trying to show him some of my collage creations of obvious atheist themes (expressive art therapy), "I'll be glad to sit down with you and look at these when you are sober."
"As if this would make a difference," I said having given up and just leaving, thinking to myself as I did so, "What a dumb fuck! This is alcoholic anonymous, remember?! I am sober! Remember me telling you that alcohol was not a problem of mine? Remember, you asking me if I was high on the crystal meths now? Remember, after I already told you how, after a while, crystal meths becomes only an hour charger? Remember, after me telling you how I went to work everyday under these conditions roughly from 1999 until having to do my own intervention Thanksgiving 2010; starting with the neighbors living across the street from me? Remember, after me telling you some about my Arkansan family? Remember any of this?"
All my life I have been made to feel as if a subculture of a subculture of a subculture; an uber multi-culture identity deviant sigma.
And what the God Damn Fuck is a "seasoned professional Christian educator". Working the same way as opinions do in how they put others of a different opinion in the awkward position of feeling the need expressing their opinions, sounds like another multi-culture identity deviant stigma? Ought to be anyway! I want to meet that wife of James Wagner! She might work?
Trading in one dope for another is definitely not the answer to my problem with the crystal meths. And the dope you push is definitely not the answer to the problems our world faces. Are you aware, because of the Gary's, I'm not even able trying to solicit a support group from within the same church I was raised first eighteen years of my life; the most impressionable years of my life? So much for their purpose being, "LOVING GOD. LOVING NEIGHBOR."
So what...IS...the difference between someone who is a good Christian, someone who is a bad Christian, and someone who is not a Christian? Or what is it they have in common?
$130.00 per hour...maybe?
"Oh we're not that kind of Christian!" said Janet the first day we met as neighbors; Janet crossing over to my side of the street, first, just to tell me all about them having been approached by property developers offering them twice the value of their lot to sell.
And all I said when she was done talking, "Well my name is James Avery. I am a veterinarian who lives in this house. Not only am I gay; I'm atheist as well."
So much for:
VIVA LA ECUMENISM!
Again, a returned email detailing our phone conversation regarding me seeking help for my crystal meths addiction at Care and Counseling Center of Georgia would help some, I hope, explaining my plight with our people of faith.
Sincerely yours,
James E. Avery, DVM
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