In The Search for Significance by Robert McGee, I read the following passage: “We can do nothing to contribute to Christ’s free gift of salvation . . . We are the sinners, the depraved, the wretched, and the helpless.” Does that sound like a healthy attitude? That type of thinking about oneself is at the very core of codependency. Fighting codependency with Christianity is like throwing grease on a fire. McGee goes on to write, “So then, our worth lies in the fact that Christ’s blood has paid for our sins; therefore, we are reconciled to God. We are accepted on that basis alone” (77). This means that God does not accept humanity for its own sake, but rather accepts humans through Christ. In other words, God wants nothing to do with us unless it’s through Christ. I’m worth a little more than that, though.

I keep wanting to talk to my father about this. I want to tell him that I’m not a Christian and I want to explain why. But it’s the initiation of such a conversation that frightens me. I’m not afraid of his reaction — I don’t think he’s going to do something silly and drastic. Still, I know it will disappoint him to some degree. I’m sure he already realizes it to a point, but for me simply to tell him, I think it would be a bit of a shock. I can only imagine what Mom might do. Of course they’ve both changed with the changes in WCG — perhaps they wouldn’t take it as badly as I might expect.