Scratch an addiction, and you...
Illustration
Object:
Scratch an addiction, and you will reveal an idol, hiding underneath. The psychologist,
Gerald May, has written extensively on addictive behaviors from the standpoint of
religious faith. He challenges the purely medical model of addiction, that sees it as a
physical disorder to be treated, quite apart from any spiritual issues. "Addiction," May
writes, "is the most powerful psychic enemy of humanity's desire for God." For many of
us, it's the principle distraction on the way to a life of true spiritual freedom.
Putting this insight even more bluntly is the novelist, Bruce Smith. In his 1945 novel, The World, The Flesh, and Father Smith, he writes, "The young man who rings the bell at the brothel is unconsciously looking for God" (p. 10).
Such is the power of addiction: the vain attempt to substitute pleasure for joy. It matters little what the object of the addiction may be. The very nature of addiction is to be a parasite. It attaches itself to our native desire for inner, spiritual fulfillment -- for communion with God -- and if there's no intervention, in the end it pulls us down every time. It becomes, in the words of Jonathan Edwards, "like a viper, hissing and spitting at God" -- and at ourselves, as well, if we try to restrain it. It is, as Jeremiah says, "a cracked cistern that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13).
Putting this insight even more bluntly is the novelist, Bruce Smith. In his 1945 novel, The World, The Flesh, and Father Smith, he writes, "The young man who rings the bell at the brothel is unconsciously looking for God" (p. 10).
Such is the power of addiction: the vain attempt to substitute pleasure for joy. It matters little what the object of the addiction may be. The very nature of addiction is to be a parasite. It attaches itself to our native desire for inner, spiritual fulfillment -- for communion with God -- and if there's no intervention, in the end it pulls us down every time. It becomes, in the words of Jonathan Edwards, "like a viper, hissing and spitting at God" -- and at ourselves, as well, if we try to restrain it. It is, as Jeremiah says, "a cracked cistern that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13).
