Pro-life vid of day: Former pastor finds freedom from sex addiction
by LauraLoo
Topic not suitable for children.
As featured during Family Life Today (part 1 and part 2)…
Former pastor Tom Ryan tells of his descent into the world of sexual addiction. Beginning with sexual exploration in early adolescence, his behavior quickly became compulsive and continued into marriage, much to his dismay. Tom recalls warring against his faith and praying to God for deliverance from his sin.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjN2pNVNzHw[/youtube]
Tom is also the author of Ashamed No More: A Pastor’s Journey Through Sex Addiction.
Email dailyvid@jillstanek.com with your video suggestions.
Jul.29, 2013 12:00 pm |
Video of the day |
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
I really get annoyed with people saying it’s impossible to heal from addiction without God. From my personal experiences I think that’s incredibly damaging.
Hi Jack ~ Any true Christian believes it’s impossible to be healed from any of life’s difficulties and our sins without God. It’s practically redundant for a person to call themselves a Christian and say that we need God to be free and healed.
I get that, I just think it’s damaging. When I was in rehab I needed to feel as though I had the ability to handle my addiction myself, I didn’t need to hear I was hopeless without God, because I couldn’t force myself to believe what I didn’t. Some addicts find healing with religion, and I’m not knocking it, but it doesn’t work for everyone.
I should have clarified with my first comment and said I think it can be damaging for certain people. For some people it seems to help.
I understand your general sentiment, Jack. But if you don’t believe that to be true of God’s existence and His healing and freeing nature, then how could you believe it to be true that you needed Him to be healed and freed?
“But if you don’t believe that to be true of God’s existence and His healing and freeing nature, then how could you believe it to be true that you needed Him to be healed and freed?”
I don’t know what you mean? It’s just a damaging thing to be told. What helped me was being told I had the power to change my behavior and be free from heroin on my own, it was damaging to hear that I had no prayer of staying clean if I couldn’t force myself to believe in something more than myself. I needed to hear I wasn’t helpless and worthless.
Well, you certainly should have heard that you weren’t “helpless and worthless” from the Christian perspective as well. Glad you found something that worked for you. I, for one, am also glad that we have not yet arrived at the time when Christians are compelled to either lie to people or stay home.
“I, for one, am also glad that we have not yet arrived at the time when Christians are compelled to either lie to people or stay home.”
Where did you get I was implying anything like this at all? I don’t have a problem with Christians starting rehab centers, or sharing their viewpoints on how to best heal from addiction (though I do hope they use knowledge from studies about addiction along with their faith). I am just saying I found it damaging for myself, and for some other people I think it’s damaging. Like I said, some addicts find religion quite helpful in getting clean, but I don’t believe it’s for everyone.
If your description about how annoying and damaging, to some, Christian-based rehab can be, was just a simple observation, then perhaps I take your words too seriously. At least it seems that the right to not be annoyed is not usually regulated. =)
Well I’m allowed opinions too!
The only thing I would like “regulated” is that people who are court-ordered into rehab should have a choice between a religious-type of program (like AA or faith-based rehabs) and a secular program. I don’t think it’s right to court order something if it goes against your faith.
And I am perfectly happy to hear your opinions, Jack, or I wouldn’t read them. =) Please tell other secularists that secularism is a faith. They never seem to believe me! =)
Atheism/agnosticism isn’t a faith, atheists can certainly be as dogmatic as religious people though, considering the recent arguments I’ve had on Twitter with people who apparently think being pro-choice is required to be non-religious.
I would agree that “humanism” in this country tends toward religion.
“Please tell other secularists that secularism is a faith. They never seem to believe me! =)” – that would be because it’s not true :-)
Secularism is not a religion. A religion has some awareness of a spiritual realm beyond the physical realm, and understands that there are certain relations and duties that we owe to the higher beings who dwell there.
Secularism is a “faith” — that is, it is a tradition of belief that is handed down to the believer by a trusted witness.
However, there are secular zealots who seek to persecute people of faith with puritanical conviction. They desire to use the Laws of our nation to impose secularism as the only established system of belief that can be lived outside of the safe-walls of a church.
“Secularism is a “faith” — that is, it is a tradition of belief that is handed down to the believer by a trusted witness.” – unless you can come up with a convincing and evidential precis for this you will understand that I find it to be unmitigated nonsense.
“However, there are secular zealots who seek to persecute people of faith with puritanical conviction.” – stopping you from imposing your ‘puritanical conviction’ on others and their lives does not constitute persecution.
“They desire to use the Laws of our nation to impose secularism as the only established system of belief” – apart from the fact that secularism is not a system of belief it is a case, yet again, where preventing you from imposing your faith-based laws on society at large is not of itself, imposing secularism on you.
“that can be lived outside of the safe-walls of a church.” – and at home.
I’ll leave it up to you Del, but perhaps you might like to start by demonstrating how ‘faith’ is a “tradition of belief that is handed down to the believer by a trusted witness.”
I’m guessing Satan or Obama. Sabama?
In all seriousness, though, simply not believing in a religion/God isn’t a faith. Some non-believers get involved in dogmatic beliefs and such, and have faith in that weirdness, but that doesn’t mean their non-belief is a faith.
Unless not believing in the tooth fairy is suddenly a ‘faith’ Jack?
I do think it’s a bit rude to compare people’s religious beliefs to fairy tales, just imo.
I suppose not believing in God could be considered faith if you stretch the definition. One of the definitions for “faith” according to Merriam-Webster is “something that is believed especially with strong conviction”, which can fit some non-believers, who really truly believe that there is no God with a strong conviction. I lean more “I don’t know”, so I don’t think I’d categorize my non-belief as faith. If I’m completely honest I really, really wish that I could believe in some type of deity, because it seems pretty comforting.
But yeah, Del’s definition doesn’t fit any non-believer that I know of. Unless someone like, worships Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens (I loved Hitch!) and agrees with every viewpoint of theirs.
Speaking of Hitch, here’s something for you Reality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFRN3kp4MiA
That ‘strong conviction’ is borne of evidence Jack. Faith is belief without evidence.
“I really, really wish that I could believe in some type of deity, because it seems pretty comforting.” – well summarized Jack ;-)
I think Hitchens also supported the war in Iraq. Not me.
But it does demonstrate that the ‘worshipping’ of dawkins or hitchens is unlikely.
“That ‘strong conviction’ is borne of evidence Jack. Faith is belief without evidence.”
That’s the general definition, yes. Merriam-Webster has the other definition I posted as well, which doesn’t mention evidence so I suppose it could fit for some non-believers.
I wish Hitchens would keep his rosaries off my ovaries! Oh wait …
(paraphrased from NewWaveFeminists)
Well- played, Jack!
” But it does demonstrate that the ‘worshipping’ of dawkins or hitchens is unlikely.”
Lol well I have met a couple teenagers who have read The God Delusion or God is Not Great and run around gushing and parroting it, but I think that’s usually just a phase when people de-convert.
“I wish Hitchens would keep his rosaries off my ovaries! Oh wait …
(paraphrased from NewWaveFeminists)”
Lol. :)
“I wish Hitchens would keep his rosaries off my ovaries!” – did he use a religious argument? Oh wait …
While we are on the subject, I recommend reading Fides Et Ratio. (That is Faith and Reason for those of you who are non-versed in Latin.)