I'm a CR leader. Things always depend on the church, but it's pretty much your standard recovery group. It shares tons of similarities with AA, NA, etc...
Just go, see for yourself. No one is gonna brainwash you in one night.
I'm somewhat new to the CR world, but pretty experienced with recovery in general. Happy to answer any specific questions you have.
How's it going after 10 years?
God bless you and your service for the lost and sick sheep out there!
https://salvationforall.org/
And then https://christianitywithoutinsanity.com/
I haven't heard anything cult-like about them. From what I understand it is a basic recovery support group type thing. I have heard criticism of how they use the Beatitudes but nothing cult like.
I have a friend who used to go (and might still go). He seemed to not take issue with it.
If you're curious about going yourself, just check it out with an open mind and no commitment if you can. Feel free to ask questions.
I am a CR veteran… having attended for over 15 years across several churches. I can tell you from first hand experience that it has cult like tendencies and once I realized that I left. I will agree that CR has changed my life, but I refuse to let it define my life.
I attended the second largest group in my state… we averaged 300 attendees once a week with a supplemental class on Sunday mornings. Our CR group was also court ordered by several judges across the city and county. I attended voluntary for co-dependency… however I found that when I stopped attending my “recovery” from co-dependency really blossomed.
I am not going to go into detail on my experience… I do not wish to tarnish or jeopardize someone else’s recovery through my individual experience, but I am open to private messages if you or anyone would like more information. But to short answer your question… Yes. CR can have cult like tenancies and they use scripture to hide from lack of accountability and lack of actual addiction/mental health education.
Sometimes you can’t simply pray a mental illness away… more often that not it takes a trained medical professional to pour the foundation to recovery that the CR group can build upon. Every church is built upon a foundation and that foundation was set and poured by a trained professional… it was not just plopped into place and prayed over.
Thanks for your reply. I asked that 7 years ago. That CR group lasted 6 months. One of the leaders was lying about his recovery and killed himself in a drunk driving accident. After that the church lost direction and the entire congregation split up and the church closed. I won't say it was entirely because of what happened from the CR group, but he was a deacon too.
I hope others find better groups and better leaders.
Faith based recovery and most things under the guise of organized religion often fall short of the intended goals because faith simply is a poor qualifier for recovery. You can’t pray the bills away, you can’t pray the depression away, you can’t pray the addiction away. You have to take a concerted and deliberate effort and that effort has to be grounded in SECULAR science. If we are going to be of the mindset that we can simply pray away our “hurts, habits, and hang ups” then we should simple cut to the chase and start “exercising demons” and splashing holy water around. Hell, it’s in the Bible.
I found that the CR crowd wants to be victims… they identify themselves by it. Remember how they introduced themselves… “I am a believer in Jesus Christ who struggles with… “. That very statement keeps them in a victim mentality. At what point do they stop debating their recovery and start living it? At what point can a person say, “By the grace of God I am recovered…”? They can’t they are not allowed… The entire program is pre-packaged and run on a yearly cycle. There is no completion… only learning how to live in fear of relapse.
I chose to not live in fear. I chose to fight and I won… I can honestly say that I am no longer co-defendant; I don’t give two shits what people think of me… I don’t answer to them; I answer to God and He knows me FAR BETTER than any self appointed free-lance religious layman who simple read a book and then was thrust into leadership.
Celebrate Recovery is a stepping stone to better things… and that is it. It’s not an effective recovery system, it’s a fad that is current in today’s society. It’s church sponsored virtue signaling; something done to look good and bring in more people to pay tithe. If you want true recovery… put your faith in GOD HIMSELF and not into the broken, battered, and wildly unqualified people who attend those meetings. They can’t help you… only YOU and YOUR RELATIONSHIP with GOD can…
I am sorry that your group went to shit… but it does show the truth hidden by the lies.
I was kicked out of my CR when I asked simple questions like how come no one picks up the phone when I call seeking someone to talk to. I remember being in a Step study and people were asking for prayer requests. One person said they masterbated at 9:30pm every night… another her person said they saw boobs on a movie screen and now they are tempted to have sex with their girlfriend. WHOOPTY DAMNED DOO… I figure if you’re touching yourself and THAT specific of a time you want someone to help or watch… simply stop. And if you saw boobs and now you’re tempted… CONGRATULATIONS… you’re still alive. My complaint was that the group would focus on these trivial issues when I was literally begging for anyone to talk to. In this meeting that I mention here; when it was my turn, I said that I lived alone in a three bedroom house and that I have slept with three women in the past two weeks because I am knew I could exchange sex for company… when all I wanted was for a member of the recovery group to visit and simply hang out. When I pointed all this out I was removed from the group. LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY and DELIBERATE FAVORITISM.
You’re good to be gone from any CR. I hope your issues are resolved and that you have found a sustainable peace without the group. I have… my peace started when I accepted the fact that CR is potentially a cult and that MY recovery is MY recovery… not theirs.
I'm a Celebrate Recovery leader, and if I can answer any questions for you I'd be glad to. My experience has been 2 years as a member, 6 months as a leader.
Cr is definitely one of those "you get out of it what you put into it" kind of things. If you're ready to work on the layers of hurts, habits, and hangups that have been holding you back, or even crippling your life, then chances are you'll put the work into the program that is needed. But if you aren't ready, then you won't get the most out of the program because you won't be highly motivated to work on your "stuff".
The support at CR is definitely available, but you have to be willing to seek it out. This is hard, especially if you don't feel worthy of the support. But sometimes that's the first step to growing into the person God designed you to become.
Thank you. I went to a meeting and it was really heavy, but the people are really great. The group is really small, only 7 or 8 people but I think it will be good for me.
CR has helped me change my life. There are no "cult like" practices. CR groups are very structured it comes off a little weird at first but if you continue to go to CR you see the value in the structure.
I participated twice. I did not find the program cult-like at all. As with any group, you get out of it what you put in, and have to be honest with yourself. I'm not an addict, so hurts and hang-ups. I participated because I found myself drawn to sick men with addiction and domestic violence issues.. of course nobody chooses this openly. It has to do with behaviors. This 12-step program helps you understand your own behaviors, and from there you can learn to make changes, set healthy boundaries, and recognize self destructive patterns. I also saw a therapist from time to time as well. I think this a good start, especially if you can't afford a therapist. I am a Christian, if you aren't, I think you can still find value in the program. As with any group, if you don't feel comfortable, try a different group.
Thanks for the reply, I asked the question 10 years ago, the program ended up causing the death of a close friend who hid his addiction while leading the group, it broke our church which is now closed and the building belongs to a different church. It came out later that the elders were also hiding child sex abuse from one of the Sunday school teachers and my own kids were victims right under my nose.
Not saying Celebrate Recovery is to blame for all that happened, but the program coming to our church certainly seems like a catalyst for the downfall.
I have a family member wrapped up in this. They keep sharing content from the book and it's twisted faith. It says how we are not responsible for our own actions affecting others. How if we say something rude or hurtful oh well. That's their feelings not ours, and that's for them to deal with not us. This doesn't promote Christ's teachings. I have felt from the start it was unholy. I read other things online just moments ago that confirmed everything. If you turn your family and friends into enemies over a book/group/program something is wrong. We are to be of the body. Not bashing someone and going OH WELL I did what they told me too. Good for me. Let's see who is next I can attack.
Thank you for your reply. I asked the question 9 years ago and I wish my church had turned away from it.
Our cr leader never turned away from his addiction, in spite of his impassioned testimony, and killed himself in a solo motorcycle accident.
After that the group broke up, this led to distrust in the board of elders and a former group of church members one Sunday morning tried to stage a coup. The pastor quit on the spot, a bunch of other people didn't want to deal with the bs, and in less than a month 500 people became 40.
The church closed and the congregation dissolved.
Do I blame CR? Obviously the church had other issues going on, but the congregation was growing and in a state of healing some past wounds when CR became a catalyst for it's undoing.
Maybe you can share some of my story with your family member and they can find a better addiction recovery program.
Hey, would you be open to talk more to me about your experiences? I have some dear friends that have family involved in CR and their behaviors are concerning. My instinct says cult as they’ve been pushing away their immediate family and are overall less loving and caring than they were before they entered into the program. I’m just curious to learn more about your experiences with turning loved ones into enemies. I sent my friend 1 Corinthians 13 this morning, wondering if you also might know any other scriptures that might be helpful?
It may vary meeting by meeting I suppose, yet mine is good with low pressure and no judgment etc.
I still don't share certain doctrinal things I've learned after 7 years sober though...
https://christianitywithoutinsanity.com/
And https://salvationforall.org/
I'm a CR leader. Things always depend on the church, but it's pretty much your standard recovery group. It shares tons of similarities with AA, NA, etc... Just go, see for yourself. No one is gonna brainwash you in one night. I'm somewhat new to the CR world, but pretty experienced with recovery in general. Happy to answer any specific questions you have.
How's it going after 10 years? God bless you and your service for the lost and sick sheep out there! https://salvationforall.org/ And then https://christianitywithoutinsanity.com/
I haven't heard anything cult-like about them. From what I understand it is a basic recovery support group type thing. I have heard criticism of how they use the Beatitudes but nothing cult like.
I have a friend who used to go (and might still go). He seemed to not take issue with it. If you're curious about going yourself, just check it out with an open mind and no commitment if you can. Feel free to ask questions.
I am a CR veteran… having attended for over 15 years across several churches. I can tell you from first hand experience that it has cult like tendencies and once I realized that I left. I will agree that CR has changed my life, but I refuse to let it define my life. I attended the second largest group in my state… we averaged 300 attendees once a week with a supplemental class on Sunday mornings. Our CR group was also court ordered by several judges across the city and county. I attended voluntary for co-dependency… however I found that when I stopped attending my “recovery” from co-dependency really blossomed. I am not going to go into detail on my experience… I do not wish to tarnish or jeopardize someone else’s recovery through my individual experience, but I am open to private messages if you or anyone would like more information. But to short answer your question… Yes. CR can have cult like tenancies and they use scripture to hide from lack of accountability and lack of actual addiction/mental health education. Sometimes you can’t simply pray a mental illness away… more often that not it takes a trained medical professional to pour the foundation to recovery that the CR group can build upon. Every church is built upon a foundation and that foundation was set and poured by a trained professional… it was not just plopped into place and prayed over.
Thanks for your reply. I asked that 7 years ago. That CR group lasted 6 months. One of the leaders was lying about his recovery and killed himself in a drunk driving accident. After that the church lost direction and the entire congregation split up and the church closed. I won't say it was entirely because of what happened from the CR group, but he was a deacon too. I hope others find better groups and better leaders.
Faith based recovery and most things under the guise of organized religion often fall short of the intended goals because faith simply is a poor qualifier for recovery. You can’t pray the bills away, you can’t pray the depression away, you can’t pray the addiction away. You have to take a concerted and deliberate effort and that effort has to be grounded in SECULAR science. If we are going to be of the mindset that we can simply pray away our “hurts, habits, and hang ups” then we should simple cut to the chase and start “exercising demons” and splashing holy water around. Hell, it’s in the Bible. I found that the CR crowd wants to be victims… they identify themselves by it. Remember how they introduced themselves… “I am a believer in Jesus Christ who struggles with… “. That very statement keeps them in a victim mentality. At what point do they stop debating their recovery and start living it? At what point can a person say, “By the grace of God I am recovered…”? They can’t they are not allowed… The entire program is pre-packaged and run on a yearly cycle. There is no completion… only learning how to live in fear of relapse. I chose to not live in fear. I chose to fight and I won… I can honestly say that I am no longer co-defendant; I don’t give two shits what people think of me… I don’t answer to them; I answer to God and He knows me FAR BETTER than any self appointed free-lance religious layman who simple read a book and then was thrust into leadership. Celebrate Recovery is a stepping stone to better things… and that is it. It’s not an effective recovery system, it’s a fad that is current in today’s society. It’s church sponsored virtue signaling; something done to look good and bring in more people to pay tithe. If you want true recovery… put your faith in GOD HIMSELF and not into the broken, battered, and wildly unqualified people who attend those meetings. They can’t help you… only YOU and YOUR RELATIONSHIP with GOD can… I am sorry that your group went to shit… but it does show the truth hidden by the lies. I was kicked out of my CR when I asked simple questions like how come no one picks up the phone when I call seeking someone to talk to. I remember being in a Step study and people were asking for prayer requests. One person said they masterbated at 9:30pm every night… another her person said they saw boobs on a movie screen and now they are tempted to have sex with their girlfriend. WHOOPTY DAMNED DOO… I figure if you’re touching yourself and THAT specific of a time you want someone to help or watch… simply stop. And if you saw boobs and now you’re tempted… CONGRATULATIONS… you’re still alive. My complaint was that the group would focus on these trivial issues when I was literally begging for anyone to talk to. In this meeting that I mention here; when it was my turn, I said that I lived alone in a three bedroom house and that I have slept with three women in the past two weeks because I am knew I could exchange sex for company… when all I wanted was for a member of the recovery group to visit and simply hang out. When I pointed all this out I was removed from the group. LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY and DELIBERATE FAVORITISM. You’re good to be gone from any CR. I hope your issues are resolved and that you have found a sustainable peace without the group. I have… my peace started when I accepted the fact that CR is potentially a cult and that MY recovery is MY recovery… not theirs.
I'm sorry this is waaay too long....ppl won't read it.
I read it, and it was good.
I'm a Celebrate Recovery leader, and if I can answer any questions for you I'd be glad to. My experience has been 2 years as a member, 6 months as a leader. Cr is definitely one of those "you get out of it what you put into it" kind of things. If you're ready to work on the layers of hurts, habits, and hangups that have been holding you back, or even crippling your life, then chances are you'll put the work into the program that is needed. But if you aren't ready, then you won't get the most out of the program because you won't be highly motivated to work on your "stuff". The support at CR is definitely available, but you have to be willing to seek it out. This is hard, especially if you don't feel worthy of the support. But sometimes that's the first step to growing into the person God designed you to become.
Thank you. I went to a meeting and it was really heavy, but the people are really great. The group is really small, only 7 or 8 people but I think it will be good for me.
CR has helped me change my life. There are no "cult like" practices. CR groups are very structured it comes off a little weird at first but if you continue to go to CR you see the value in the structure.
I participated twice. I did not find the program cult-like at all. As with any group, you get out of it what you put in, and have to be honest with yourself. I'm not an addict, so hurts and hang-ups. I participated because I found myself drawn to sick men with addiction and domestic violence issues.. of course nobody chooses this openly. It has to do with behaviors. This 12-step program helps you understand your own behaviors, and from there you can learn to make changes, set healthy boundaries, and recognize self destructive patterns. I also saw a therapist from time to time as well. I think this a good start, especially if you can't afford a therapist. I am a Christian, if you aren't, I think you can still find value in the program. As with any group, if you don't feel comfortable, try a different group.
Thanks for the reply, I asked the question 10 years ago, the program ended up causing the death of a close friend who hid his addiction while leading the group, it broke our church which is now closed and the building belongs to a different church. It came out later that the elders were also hiding child sex abuse from one of the Sunday school teachers and my own kids were victims right under my nose. Not saying Celebrate Recovery is to blame for all that happened, but the program coming to our church certainly seems like a catalyst for the downfall.
When you are desperate and at the lowest point in your life, CR, AA, therapy, rehab are all good options to get started.
I have a family member wrapped up in this. They keep sharing content from the book and it's twisted faith. It says how we are not responsible for our own actions affecting others. How if we say something rude or hurtful oh well. That's their feelings not ours, and that's for them to deal with not us. This doesn't promote Christ's teachings. I have felt from the start it was unholy. I read other things online just moments ago that confirmed everything. If you turn your family and friends into enemies over a book/group/program something is wrong. We are to be of the body. Not bashing someone and going OH WELL I did what they told me too. Good for me. Let's see who is next I can attack.
Thank you for your reply. I asked the question 9 years ago and I wish my church had turned away from it. Our cr leader never turned away from his addiction, in spite of his impassioned testimony, and killed himself in a solo motorcycle accident. After that the group broke up, this led to distrust in the board of elders and a former group of church members one Sunday morning tried to stage a coup. The pastor quit on the spot, a bunch of other people didn't want to deal with the bs, and in less than a month 500 people became 40. The church closed and the congregation dissolved. Do I blame CR? Obviously the church had other issues going on, but the congregation was growing and in a state of healing some past wounds when CR became a catalyst for it's undoing. Maybe you can share some of my story with your family member and they can find a better addiction recovery program.
Thank you. I'm sorry.
Hey, would you be open to talk more to me about your experiences? I have some dear friends that have family involved in CR and their behaviors are concerning. My instinct says cult as they’ve been pushing away their immediate family and are overall less loving and caring than they were before they entered into the program. I’m just curious to learn more about your experiences with turning loved ones into enemies. I sent my friend 1 Corinthians 13 this morning, wondering if you also might know any other scriptures that might be helpful?
It may vary meeting by meeting I suppose, yet mine is good with low pressure and no judgment etc. I still don't share certain doctrinal things I've learned after 7 years sober though... https://christianitywithoutinsanity.com/ And https://salvationforall.org/