This is http://www.essayz.com/a9003021.htm Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay Click HERE on this line to find essays via Your-Key-Words. {Most frequent wordstarts of each essay will be put here.} ========================================================== %JESUS CHRIST TRUTH GOSPEL COLLUSION ADDICT DEPEND 900302 Jesus was crucified by the political and religious leaders of his community who were into collusive, addictive and codependent processes. Jesus revealed their misleading processes through the light of open and honest descriptions of the issues of daily life. Jesus threatened their manipulative way of life, their coercive advantages, their misleading games of mutual self deception. The addictive leaders took steps to silence the one who spoke the truth which might liberate the victims of their deceptions; including themselves. The gospel is the good news that the truth which threatens collusions, addictions and codependencies sets their victims free to enjoy integrative healing. Participants in collusions, addictions and their networks of codependent supporters find ways to conceal the good news in misleading doctrines, rituals, and institutional practices. They seek to appear to tell the truth, and avoid the embarrassment which it brings. They try to make the truth about sinful processes appear respectable and non-threatening to participants in collusions, addictions and codependent support networks; and to be impotent. Leaders of religious institutions all too often seek to be successful. In their confusion they lose track of the nature of the success which could be honestly supported in the light of the truths which are the core of the gospel. Success comes to be measured in dollars, buildings, memberships, respectability, prestige, and exclusive country club settings populated by participants in misleading processes. People who are most successful in counting how many souls they have saved tend to be into coercive, manipulative, controlling and misleading processes; processes which are characteristic of addicts and their codependent supporters. They are alienated from themselves and each other, and do not know it. The gospel is the good news that they are alienated, AND that by acknowledging that truth authentic healing can begin and integrity enjoyed. Addicts and codependents find that good news exceedingly hard to accept, believe and live by. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================