The reasons proffered by three women (Oct. 21), whose “deep belief in God and Christian teachings” governs their civil vote on marriage equality, brought to mind the writings of Father Leo Booth in his landmark study, “When God Becomes a Drug.”
“The fantasy of religious addiction is that they are supposed to be happy in the Lord,” writes Fr. Booth. He explains that religious addiction has very little to do with God or spirituality, as alcoholism has little to do with alcohol and more with the way it is abused.
“The denial of religious addicts is the most delusional denial of all addiction,” adds John Bradshaw, author of “Reclaiming the Inner Child.” “They live with a barrage of thought-terminating cliches.”
While the symptoms of this illness, including “uncompromising, judgmental attitudes,” have been explored by many researchers, perhaps saddest of all is the realization expressed by addiction researcher Anne Wilson Schaef that, like all addictions, religious addiction is both progressive and fatal.
Perhaps Dr. Robert Minor had just this type of article in mind when he wrote, “The mainstream media aren’t going to do anything but enable the addicted … they are still trying to portray them as having legitimate grievances.”
In understanding and breaking the chains of my own Catholic addiction, I found solace in Dr. Minor’s advice about confronting the frustrations of religious fanaticism: “Arguing about the Bible or tradition is like arguing with the alcoholic about whether whiskey or tequila is better for them.”
Lew Alessio, Greene
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