{"id":3976,"date":"2013-11-26T23:43:38","date_gmt":"2013-11-27T05:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/member\/?page_id=3976"},"modified":"2013-11-26T23:43:38","modified_gmt":"2013-11-27T05:43:38","slug":"9-entitlement-worship-idolatry","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/member\/9-entitlement-worship-idolatry","title":{"rendered":"9. Entitlement + Worship = Idolatry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ultimately,\u00a0MEdom is my addiction to me. At the core of all addiction is worship. What exactly does the word ‘worship’ mean, and why is being used here?<\/span><\/p>\n

Mirriam-Webster defines ‘worship’ as, “extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem… a person of importance.” This is the bottom line of the MEdom condition. Whether we are willing to admit it or not. There are so many who read this and feel the last person they respect, admire, and have high esteem for is themselves. Yet, the value they place on their pain, their struggle, their loneliness, their unworthiness, and so many more things in deep dark places, is central to their well-being and livelihood. Pain and overall discomfort is of prime importance and the object of utmost esteem.\u00a0Even though\u00a0a victim of perhaps abuse and neglect and other horrible life experiences, the reality is that the feelings, thoughts, and beliefs derived from a history of life experience belongs to them.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are all owners of our thoughts, feelings, and desires. Those paralyzed by the\u00a0pain of perilous memories\u00a0remain stuck\u00a0because they will not let go and choose to hold on to the burden of the past. Then there are those paralyzed by the drive of selfish ambition and pride, lust, and greed. They can never be satisfied with who they are and what they have. They strive to possess what they do not have, and to possess more of what they do have. Then there are those that may not be so much into material wealth but are determined to have their way and be in control. Then there is everyone else in the midst of these human conditions whose selfishness may not always be as obvious to others, or even to themselves, but are in fact selfish to one degree or another with the potential for harm to oneself and others.<\/span><\/p>\n

MEdom is rooted in one’s core belief of entitlement, which is at the root of all selfish sin. Think about what you need and what you want. Perhaps write out a complete list of your needs and wants. Then be as honest with yourself as humanly possible and sort through your list and write down what you believe you deserve. Even if you are languishing in shame and despair might not feel they deserve a single thing. But you will hide in the brush of fear. You might use alcohol, drugs, sex, food, and\/or a myriad of addictive alternatives as escape routes and remedies for pain and suffering. At the very least you deserve escape and remedy for relief as fleeting as it may be.<\/p>\n

The scope of entitlement ranges from merely living to survive, to living to have it all. Wherever\u00a0you fit\u00a0within that scope,\u00a0you are the most important person in\u00a0your world. It started\u00a0the moment you were born hungry\u00a0and desperate to be fed, and you let that know\u00a0to whoever happens to be listening. The truth is that we idolize self, whether by way of indulgence or self-loathing\u00a0behavior. Either way, we do and say what we have to in order to minimize discomfort and reduce\u00a0anxiety.<\/span><\/p>\n

This lesson takes an inside look at the self-worship and idolization in Isaiah 57:1-13 and participants shall be challenged to respond to questions that are intended to bring even greater awareness into their MEdom problem in need of recovery. Once again, the objective of this exercise is to help folks to realize how their intentions are selfish and values and motives compromised by an inert drive to be and remain protected and comfortable. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Ultimately,\u00a0MEdom is my addiction to me. At the core of all addiction is worship. What exactly does the word ‘worship’ mean, and why is being used here? Mirriam-Webster defines ‘worship’ as, “extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3976","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3976"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3977,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3976\/revisions\/3977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}