Why do many Catholics, who go to coffee and donuts after their mass, rarely talk to newcomers, while agnostic-atheist Alcoholics seek out newcomers in their meetings? One of the reasons might be that many Catholics seek safety in being part of the right religion. They go to the coffee after mass to see their friends, who don't really challenge them to think beyond their comfort zone. Strangers don't fit in here. In AA the members are taught from early on that they have to reach out to the newcomer. As a Catholic, I was never brought up that way. Religion is private. You do what you do and I do what I do. It is between me and God. No outsiders fit this equation. Newcomers, whether in a church or AA meeting, feel like outsiders when they go into a group setting. The newcomer did not go to the coffee and donuts to talk to God or just have a donut. They are waiting to see if this "community" is open or closed. The AA meeting that does not welcome newcomers is a failure.
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I'm thankful that AA encourages us to reach out to everyone, new comers to old timers. If every community was that willing to welcome 'outsiders ', imagine how wonderfully caring the world could be and how large the Love shared.
ReplyDeleteAs is the church
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