DETOXIFICATION
Once inoculated with religion, it is really hard to get it out of your system. Just when you think you might be free from it, you will be surprised, shocked and dismayed to find a residue of religious behavior or thinking in your life. Common indicators of the residual effects of religious intoxication include the following:
Desire to access the good feelings that come from religious music.
Look for a human person who can teach you about God.
Having a sense of lack of direction and cohesiveness in your life outside of family and work.
You find yourself using religious language.
You don’t know what to do during those times when you practiced religion.
You find yourself praying like you prayed when you were religious.
You feel like you are robbing God because you don’t give tithes and offerings any more.
These thoughts, feelings and practices do not go away easily and they can be bothersome to bear. And some of them may not go away at all — even if you never go to a religious gathering. But these facts testify to the toxic power of religion. They are all part of the death and resurrection, and new life process in which God sets us apart (i.e. holy) to himself.
But the detoxification process is worth going through because it these profound upside effects:
You become increasingly comfortable with being set-apart for God.
We will have even more compassion for those who are still intoxicated with religion.
Mindful of how your religiosity has adversely affected others, you may want to apologize to people who have had to endure the distaste and maybe even pain of our public religious speech and behaviors.